Established in January 2009 by Damien McKenna, McKenna Construction Consultants provide a comprehensive range of services to a growing client-base from its offices at 13 Earl Street, Longford.
The company has grown since inception to cater for large, medium and small contracts. McKenna Construction Consultants believe in working closely with both its clients and the members of the design team, which it feels is the basis for the successful delivery of every project.
Among the services offered are development feasibilities, self-build advice / estimation service, bill of quantities, schedule of works, valuations, final accounts, insurance reinstatements, tender document preparation and tender evaluation. The company’s small, but committed team boasts a wealth of knowledge and experience. The other two quantity surveyors in the consultancy, Kevin Campbell and Gabriel Hynes, have over 50 years’ combined experience in the industry. They are joined by two other staff who are equally valued team members.
Business is brisk at the moment for McKenna Construction Consultants who were appointed as quantity surveyors for a new extension to the existing Sports Surgery Clinic in Santry, Dublin 9 earlier this year.
The extension will consist of a new kitchen and catering unit, new facilities, offices and staff changing area at the clinic. The extension will infill the ground floor void left after the completion of the previous phase just completed last year, which saw the clinic construct a new four-storey extension to include two new operating theatres and 11 additional beds, and was completed under a design and build contract. McKenna Construction Consultants worked closely with Sports Surgery Clinic to provide them with a full consultant’s support service and handled the management of the contract from start to finish on behalf of the client.
McKenna Construction Consultants have completed a number of projects at the Sports Surgery Clinic in recent years and have enjoyed an excellent working relationship as Ray Lennon, Facilities Manager of the clinic, reveals: “They always deliver their projects with professionalism and excellence as well as displaying a commitment to understanding our requirements for safety, workmanship, on-time delivery and value-for-money.”
The diversity of McKenna Construction Consultants’ projects has been reflected in its success. The consultancy’s clients and portfolio of projects encompass all sectors of the building industry, spanning through the public and private sectors. A large portion of its work is repeat business from satisfied clients. Now more than ever, strategic management and cost advice is an essential requirement in providing clients with a level of service that exceeds their expectations.
“We started at a time when the industry was going through an unprecedented recession and, as a result, up to 80% of our earliest projects were either in a healthcare or education setting as most of the other sectors such as residential projects were on the decrease,” recalls Damien, who had just qualified as a quantity surveyor.
“The early days saw us project-manage and provide full quantity surveying services for various projects within a live hospital setting for large and small contracts at the likes of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, including the refurbishment of the Orthopaedics Ward, Upgrade of Traffic Management System, upgrade to the existing Blood Laboratory and also at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, which included the refurbishment of the existing Intensive Care Unit, refurbishment of a 35-bed ward on the third floor, extension to the ICU, construction of new Endoscopy Unit Facility and the new mortuary building extension and refurbishment.
“Since the recovery of the industry in other areas, we have moved into a much wider diversity of projects in the last five or six years.”
As well as the health sector, the Longford-based company caters for the commercial, educational, industrial, leisure / hospitality and residential sectors. Projects in the commercial sector require an understanding of both office and retail requirements and McKenna Construction Consultants recognise the need for efficiency, reliability and operating within the client’s tight timeframe and budget.
McKenna Construction Consultants have been involved in many educational facilities upgrades and new builds, including providing a reliable service for the past number of years to Scoil Mhuire Primary School in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim for several of their upgrades. It was also happy to assist the school in many grant applications for funding.
From storage and plant room facilities to factories, and clean rooms, Damien and his team have been involved in many complex projects involving food manufacturing facilities, including the installation of new boiler plant room facility upgrades. McKenna Construction Consultants are aware of the need to work closely with the client to ensure that their projects are satisfied relative to delivering a quality product within a budget.
“We work closely with a number of contractors initially at tender stage and can also work alongside them right through their involvement in the project. An example of this in the past year was our involvement with the concrete specialist contractor to construct the new 300,000 sq. ft. water reservoir in Stillorgan,” Damien explains.
McKenna Construction Consultants have been responsible for a wide range of recreational facilities, ranging from pubs, restaurants and hotels to swimming pools, leisure centres and sporting complexes.
“We were appointed as quantity surveyors last year on the new indoor athletics facility in Longford and although it was a tough road to get the project across the line, we were delighted when the facility got approved for the last section of funding required earlier this year to allow it to proceed. The project is now underway with the groundworks just completed.”
Commenting on his company’s expertise in the residential sector, Damien added: “We are passionate about providing not only expert cost advice for anyone building a new home, but also about offering professional advice in all elements of the build from inception through to completion. We have been involved in the construction of new residential units throughout Ireland as well as internationally.
“We have completed many one-off houses, complete housing development schemes and apartment complexes for both private and public clients. The recent Covid restrictions has had an impact on the business, but thankfully our office has seen an increase in people looking at building or extending to their houses, and we have been happy to assist and guide them in the right direction with their build to suit their budget.
“Everyone is aware of the housing crisis the country is currently facing, and we were pleased to be involved in a number of local social housing developments completed by Longford County Council. We were on the design team on a recent development of 22 new social houses at Legan, Co Longford and thankfully, even with the Covid restrictions which had an impact on the project completion date, we were able to bring the project to completion within budget.”
The affable Ballinamuck man continues: “The housing crisis has also had an impact on the homeless situation which prevails across much of Ireland. To this end, we were delighted to be at the forefront of delivering a new assisted housing development of 10 units in Longford Town for Midlands Simon Community. This project was the first of its kind in Longford and has been successfully operating since completion in 2018.
“We have just started our next project with Midlands Simon Community in Tullamore, Co. Offaly where it is hoped to deliver another assisted housing development similar to that in Longford.”
Damien would like to take this opportunity to thank his clients for their continued support as well as his staff for their dedication, hard work and skill.
McKenna Construction Consultants
13 Earl Street,
Longford,
Co. Longford,
N39 C2F3.
Telephone: +353 (0)43 3341311 / +353 (0)86 3737239
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.mckennaconsultancy.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, September, Vol 7 No 9
McKenna Construction Consultants
