As we all know there are many facets to the construction industry and the way that any type of building is constructed. Some building firms specialise in certain areas, while there are a few that have a broader spectrum and have experience in all areas.
One of these companies is the focus of our attention for this month’s edition of Building Ireland as we profile Dublin based P Loughran Construction.
Established by Tyrone native Phil Loughran, the company is now regarded as a leading main contractor and residential development firm.
Since its genesis in 2004, P Loughran Construction has been involved in many prestigious projects throughout the residential and commercial sectors.
A carpenter by trade, Phil has not only picked up extensive experience in the industry in Ireland, but in Australia also where he spent three years running his own business.
“I suppose my story is a little different to most as I had the company here before I went to Australia. It was in 2012 and the recession had badly affected the economy and I felt it would be a few years before it would return to normal, so we decided to emigrate and we had a few great years out there,” said Phil.
“During that time, I started a company called Oakleaf Construction, supplying carpenters over there too. We worked on some great projects including converting an old warehouse into a microbrewery for Green Beacon in Brisbane. They were great lads to work with.”
Phil admits that he learned a lot about the construction industry during his time over there, which he feels has helped improve their services since his return.
“I came back to Ireland in 2015 and had already contacted work colleagues before I left Australia to see if I could get some work and thankfully I did, so the transition back home was that bit easier, plus the economy had picked up again.”
P Loughran Construction possesses an experienced and highly skilled team of tradesmen as well as a structure reinforced with a rigorous quality management system in conformance with ISO 9001:2015.
“I’m fortunate to have a very good team here now. The tradesmen are highly skilled, while the management team work extremely well together. We have 12 full time staff and maintain a database of approved suppliers, who are all CIRI registered.”
As stated, P Loughran Construction has carried out projects in both the commercial and residential sectors, but in recent times, their focus has been on one-off luxury homes.
Having worked all over Ireland, the business can certainly be considered as a nationwide company as projects have been carried out in Dublin, Wicklow, Mayo, Wexford and many more places.
Their work in Wexford sees them involved in the development of a number of houses in Gorey. Phase one has been completed with 97 homes, ranging from 4-bedroom detached to 3-bedroom semi and apartments all part of the development.
What makes the project unique is that they are modular homes which are manufactured off-site and then brought to the development where they are constructed.
“This is our first time working with modular homes and it is safe to say that we have worked in every form of constructing houses now at this stage.
“Modular offsite construction will play a big part in the future of construction in Ireland and across the world. Together with the leading suppliers of offsite construction, we are actively collaborating on sites to provide site and project management for developments, in addition to completing all civils and infrastructure works on site. With in-house experience in the construction and contracts management of concrete structures (slip form, pre-cast, and traditional in-situ) and offsite modular construction, we are well placed to assist our OSC counterparts on the development of rapid build projects
“We are actively involved in OSM think tank groups and regularly liaise with professional bodies within construction and engineering in Ireland on OSM, with a key focus on reducing the barriers to bringing OSC as a de-facto option to the industry, whilst maintaining top quality standards for the end-users.”
Of course, health and safety of all employees has never been so paramount due to the pandemic and P Loughran Construction Contracts Manager Brian Farrell revealed that they have worked hard to put all the necessary procedures in place to protect their employees from Covid-19.
“We always placed a massive emphasis on health and safety anyway, so for us to transition into dealing with the Covid-19 has been fairly smooth to be honest. The Construction Industry Federation Ireland (CIF) has been very good in bringing in the procedures to help contractors on site.
“There is always a risk, and a key focus for us is to eliminate and minimise all risks on a project to ensure the safety of all our team and the other personnel on site.”
Phil feels that the demand is there in the construction industry, especially in the residential market where there is a massive need for housing.
“The demand is certainly there. I suppose there are a few issues to deal with in the coming months, obviously Covid and possibly Brexit as well as no one really know how that will impact on any of us.
“But there are certainly signs there to be optimistic. I do think one issue that needs to be addressed is the lack of skilled workers that are about now. It is hard to get good experienced lads that is why it is so important to try and keep the lads that we have.”
Contact Details:
P Loughran Construction
Unit 56
Jamestown Business Park,
Dublin 11.
email: [email protected]
Tel: +353 (0) 1 564 2168
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, January 2021, Vol 7 No 1
