When it comes to the construction industry, developers and architects usually stick to who they know best when it comes to awarding work for contractors.
And who can blame them really, as there is an element of chance being taken when offering a new contractor work. However, there are certain companies out there that can back up their claims of providing a quality service by looking at a portfolio of the work that they have completed down through the years.
Derry based P&K McKaigue Ltd are well known building contractors in Northern Ireland and have successfully delivered a diverse range of projects within the private & public sectors.
With over 40 years’ experience in the building industry, there is no doubting the quality, expertise and reliability that P&K McKaigue Ltd can bring to a job.
Of all the areas that they are involved, Contracts Director Padraig McKaigue revealed that in recent years the development of community centres has become an area of expertise for them.
“We have been involved in developing a number of community and sports facilities in the north over the years and we have become quite savvy in this area. This includes the development of several GAA centres in what is a very strong GAA County” said Padraig.
The company was established by Padraig’s father Patrick McKaigue in 1974 under the name Patrick McKaigue Building Contractors and as a brick layer by trade, Patrick built up a vast knowledge of the industry over the years.
In 1993 the company became a partnership, P&K McKaigue Building Contractors, the K standing for Pat’s wife Kathleen.
Three years later, the company took a monumental step in purchasing a local Hardware/Building suppliers, Noones of Maghera. This has given the company an edge in sourcing and purchasing materials.
As each year has passed, the company’s versatility has improved, its client base has increased and strong relationships have been built and maintained with architects across the Province. On the 5th April 2002 P&K McKaigue Building Contractors became a Limited company.
Padraig joined the family business on a permanent basis in 2000, having worked as a site engineer in Dublin for two years previously; where he gained a great deal of experience during the heady days of the Celtic Tiger.
Padraig’s brother Johnny is a qualified quantity surveyor and together both Directors have grown the company, while not forgetting their father’s ethos of providing a quality service & sound ethics to their ever increasing customer base.
In the last decade the company have achieved third party H&S accreditation & continued development through Safe T Cert and are also UKAS accredited holders of ISO9001 Quality & ISO14001 Environmental. In the last 18 months we have added a Pre-Tender/Marketing Manager and full time SHEQ Manager to the team.
Despite being well known throughout the province of Ulster, Padraig revealed that they have not yet carried out much work down south.
“The tendering process down south is slightly different to the way it is up north, as up here you have to pre-qualify before you can tender for all publically funded works, whereas we understand that is not always the case in the south.
“We have been looking at the Southern Market for work for a while now & see its steady recovery. Also with the road network being so good, logistics isn’t the problem it once was, with Dublin for example being only 2hrs from our head office in Maghera. However, it is hard to get your foot in the door and be given the opportunity to tender as architects are inclined to stick with contractors that they have worked with previously and I suppose you can understand the reasoning for that.
“However, we have extensive experience in all construction work; whether it be housing developments, private or social, health, education, commercial, community/sports and heritage/restoration works. We have a catalogue of completed projects on our website and anyone can feel free to have a browse & contact any of our past Clients and Architects for a reference.”
Padraig revealed that like every builder on the island of Ireland, they are showing signs of recovery after a bleak few years due to the recession.
“We have certainly noticed an increase in work over the last couple of years and our turnover reflects that. From 2008 to 2012 was noticeably quiet, but the experience & contacts we had gained from my father’s time helped us greatly. We scaled back a bit in line with our decreased turnover and relied on our reputation & repeat Clients to attract work. We also concentrated on pre-qualifying for government funded work during the recession as the private sector became too unstable.
“Being able to work in all sectors of the construction industry is a huge advantage and it’s one that we would like to expand in the South of Ireland. The Dublin market seems particularly buoyant and we would love to be involved in the action.”
At the moment, P&K Building Ltd are currently involved in seven different projects with almost all of them being in different sectors.
“We have developed a strong network of clients and architects over the years; built on trust, sound ethics and the repetitive delivery of successful projects. That is why we are confident in our abilities to deliver an excellent service to clients down south, if we are afforded that opportunity.”
Through their acquisition of their builder’s merchants business, Noones of Maghera in 1997, Padraig revealed that the two companies work hand in hand.
“We get all our supplies through our sister company which has been providing an essential service to the community and surrounding areas since 1936. Noones are one of the few pre-war businesses which are still in operation in Maghera. This underlines the progression, and continued trust our customers place in us.”
Contact Details:
P & K McKaigue Ltd
90 Main Street
Maghera
BT46 5AF
Tel: 028 796 42101
Fax: 028 796 42381
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.pkmckaigue.com
Taken from Building Ireland magazine Vol 1 No 2, Winter 2015
