Drumattan Construction Ltd has carved a niche for itself in the construction of “A” rated Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) and Passive Houses. Director Philip Mullins detailed to Building Ireland how the company has evolved since its inception 30 years ago and moved with the times.
With so many options for building a new home currently on the market, choosing a professional is the first decision to be made.
Based in Newtownforbes, County Longford, Drumattan Construction Ltd have been in the building industry for three decades and this is evident from the first-class finish on all their properties with particular care given to attention to detail.
Established by directors Philip Mullins and Larry Keogh, the company is renowned for getting the job done with professionalism and quality. They have vast experience in commercial, residential and social housing developments while also completing smaller projects such as one-off housing, extensions and conversions.
They take projects from an early stage of development and guide their clients through the complete process, smoothly and hassle free.
They are skilled in all types of build including traditional block build while, five years ago, they dipped their toes into the Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) and Passive Houses market and, according to Philip Mullins, it has proven to be a shrewd move.
“I built a Passive Home for myself and saw the benefits first-hand,” Philip explained. “It was the best thing I ever did and we, as a company, haven’t looked back since going down that route,” he added.
A building standard that is comfortable, affordable and ecological at the same time, a Passive House allows for space heating and cooling related energy savings of up to 90% compared with typical building stock and over 75% compared to average new builds.
ICF is a method of building that has insulation on both the inside and the outside of the walls with 150mm of concrete in between. This leaves an extremely energy efficient and airtight house at a similar cost to traditional building methods.
Insulated Concrete Form walls act as a thermal barrier, making it possible for buildings and homes to retain heat more effectively.
“Anyone we have done work for is very happy with their homes – the level of air tightness, the heat recovery systems and the whole lot, the whole modern way of building compared to what it was years ago,” Philip pointed out.
“We pride ourselves on always working to the highest standards, producing good finishes and the feedback we have received from our clients has been very good.”
Drumattan Construction covers Longford, Leitrim, Cavan and Roscommon and is currently on site at a social housing development on behalf of Leitrim County Council in Ballinamore.
“We’re doing nine social houses for Leitrim County Council and we are due to be finished in early May. It’s our first project for Leitrim County Council and we would be hopeful of getting more work on the back of it. We have an extension to do then, a client wants it done with ICF as well. We did a couple of ICF houses down in Galway last year. We just did the structure for clients who were doing self builds and they took it from there. We do a good lot of that type of work as well.”
The Ballinamore project has kept Drumattan Construction’s five direct employees, not to mention sub-contractors, going during these Covid-19 interrupted times.
“We started just before the first lockdown and had to close up for the eight weeks. We were then closed for three weeks after Christmas before being brought back because we were deemed to be essential services.
“We would generally do a lot of private houses but those jobs haven’t been happening lately, of course. Hopefully, it will all pick up again once we get rid of Covid.
“There are lots of challenges at the moment. Getting materials is a big challenge and Brexit, of course, isn’t helping matters. Even now, getting systems in from abroad, they are getting caught up in the docks and what not. The price of materials has just sky-rocketed.”
On a more positive note, Philip revealed there are plans to tender for another couple of estates in the pipeline. He described their diversification into ICF and Passives Homes as “the best decision we ever made” and predicted further growth in the market.
The versatile and cost-effective method of construction “is the only way to go,” he concluded.
If you are hoping to embark on an ambitious new build home or require renovations to an existing property, talk to Drumattan Construction to find out how they can help. Their proven track record speaks for itself.
Drumattan Construction Ltd
Treel
Newtownforbes
Co. Longford
087 4198997 / 087 4198481
Website: www.drumattan.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June, Vol 7 No 6
