Construction is all around us. It builds our homes, schools, offices, roads, hospitals and everything else. But despite being a service we cannot do without, a career in construction remains unattractive to many young people.
Peter Finn, aka ‘Pete the Builder’ from the hit TV makeover show ‘Home Rescue’, is eager to change perceptions about the industry which, in truth, offers a plethora of interesting, rewarding and fulfilling career opportunities.
“There are still a lot of misconceptions out there about construction,” says Peter, who is co-owner of MDS Construction Ltd.
“Some people seem to think it’s an unregulated, unsafe and unstable industry where it can be a struggle to get paid at times. But that couldn’t be any further from the truth. With the growing demand for craftspeople and an urgent need for new housing to tackle the housing crisis, a career in construction offers good pay, ample opportunity, room for career growth and work on new technologies.
“I would encourage any young person to pursue a career in construction. If you have a trade, you can go anywhere with it. There is a huge demand for good tradespeople and huge opportunities. It’s a viable industry which has a lot of integrity attached to it nowadays. It’s great to see more women coming on board. We recently took on a schoolgirl on work experience who I can see going on to do a carpentry apprenticeship.”
He continues: “Construction is a really positive industry which I’m proud to be a part of. It’s as strong as any other industry at the moment.”
Construction has been good to Peter who has become a celebrity builder through his many television appearances over the years. He currently stars as co-presenter of RTÉ’s ‘Home Rescue’ and has completed numerous projects on ‘Room to Improve’ with Dermot Bannon, and ‘Great House Revival’.
Peter will shortly begin filming the fifth season of ‘Home Rescue’, which is due to screen on RTÉ 1 in early 2023. The affable Dubliner and his construction team link up with the Home Rescue design Team to help homeowners across Ireland tackle their house design and clutter issues.
“We are only given three days to help people sort out their homes, so it is a real rollercoaster of emotions and a battle against the clock,” he explains.
“The Design team come up with the design concepts and then we do the construction surgery once the ‘Clutterbuster’ crew have cleared the way. There are always a few disagreements along the way, but that is bound to happen in the pressure of a tight timeframe and an even tighter budget, but it’s always very rewarding when you see how much positivity the participants get from our work. We genuinely change the way they live.”
Peter’s most recent TV appearance was as a participant in RTÉ’s ‘Celebrity Ultimate Hell Week – The Professionals’ where he lined up alongside a host of other well-known faces from across the sporting and entertainment landscapes to take on the gruelling Special Forces training. His chosen charity for the show was the Children’s Health Foundation which raises vital funds to support sick children and their families in Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly Hospitals.
“I enjoyed every minute of it, despite it being so, so tough. Being able to do it for a great charity like the Children’s Health Foundation was an added bonus.”
Being a TV personality has opened many doors for the father-of-three who is a brand ambassador for Chadwicks and has partnered with other elite brands such as Helly Hansen Workwear, Festool Power Tools, Tec7 Adhesives and Tadhg Riordan Motors. He also features in a TV advert for Circle K and brings his decades of construction experience to the popular ‘Constructive Voices’ podcast.
“I’m blessed to be associated with leading brands that are integral to the building trade. I’m just a regular person at the end of the day who has been able to bring some positive light to our industry,” he says.
“I’m so proud to be a brand ambassador for Chadwicks. They’re a very proactive company who are brilliant to work with. They’re also very focused on sustainability which is central to their nationwide store upgrade programme. They’ve achieved an A3 BER rating for their newly-refurbished Bray store which is remarkable for a building of that size.”
Peter is a builder first and foremost and, to this end, is a partner with Mark Flynn in MDS Construction. Celebrating 50 years in business, the company has a history of delivering high-end projects on time, within budget and with a client-focused ethos.
An ability and willingness to evolve and move with the times has been central to the MDS (Michael Duffy & Sons Construction Ltd) Construction success story. The company was set up in 1972 by Michael Duffy and after Michael passed away in 2005, Peter Finn and Mark Flynn took up the reins and have kept MDS on an upward trajectory by providing an unrivalled service to the construction industry. The services they and their top-class team offer include new builds, renovations, conservation, commercial fitouts and education sector projects.
Peter notes: “Mark joined MDS around 2001 & I followed a couple of years later. We had to work through a lot of big challenges back then with the Celtic Tiger era and other business challenges but those times galvanized us and we have gone from strength to strength in recent years. We have over 50 years’ combined experience in construction. I served my apprenticeship as a carpenter with a small house builder and got an excellent education on the full house build concept before going out on my own for a few years. I then linked up with fellow tradesmen Mark and Michael to develop MDS Construction into one of the leading construction companies in the country.
“We have forged strong and long-lasting relationships with clients and design teams that have attracted a lot of repeat business, which is testament to the quality of our work. It’s all about unity and we encourage an ethos of clients, design teams and us, as main contractors, all working together towards a successful end goal.
“Having a good, solid team around you is crucial to the success of any business, and we haven’t been found wanting in that regard.”
Passionate about high-quality workmanship, MDS Construction employs 16 staff directly and also works closely with various proven and trusted sub-contractors. The contractor’s designers / architects include CORA Consulting Engineers, BDA Architects, PLA Architects and Saul Design and John J O’Connell Architects.
MDS is a member of CIRI, CIF and Home Bond. From tender process to onsite management and on to the finished product, the MDS team ensures that the highest level of professionalism is there each step of the way.
MDS has an extensive portfolio of projects that showcase the high-level finished product it achieves every time. High-profile projects have included the refurbishment of the Treasury Room (which exhibits the Book of Kells) in Trinity College Dublin, the re-laying of the famous cobbles to the Front Square Trinity College, the complete restoration of No. 4 Merrion Square along with the completion of various other highly sensitive conservation projects in the greater Dublin/Kildare/Wicklow areas, the complicated relocating of the entire Fair City film set on the RTE Donnybrook Campus, renovation of a tenement house featured on the ‘Great House Revival’ TV show and, of course, the numerous projects that have featured on RTÉ through Peter’s TV work.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and spiraling material and energy costs, MDS Construction is on course to complete its new ‘A’ rated development ‘Ring Fort’, which is an exclusive development of 16 semi-detached homes in Rathmolyon, Co. Meath, on time. The development offers all the relaxation and serenity of a small town, with affordability and the convenience of access to Dublin nearby.
“We’re handing over the first phase of houses at the end of the year and the second phase in early 2023.”
Peter enjoys keeping fit through Martial Arts at SBG HQ and also won an All-Ireland GAA football title with the Dublin Masters (Over 40s) in 2018.
Mark Flynn may not enjoy the same profile, but is nevertheless well-known and well-respected in the construction sector, and is a major contributor in all MDS projects, often personally project-managing the company’s most sensitive projects. Outside of work, Mark is a leading member of the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue team and had the honour of being elected team leader to the group for numerous terms.
Here’s to the next 50 years of MDS Construction!
MDS (Michael Duffy & Sons) Construction Ltd
Inis House, Unit 13,
Old Quarry Campus,
Kilshane Park,
Blanchardstown,
Dublin 15.
Telephone: 01 8612218
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2022, Vol 8 No 11
