Renowned for consistently delivering supreme-quality residential projects across Wicklow and beyond, KHCL Ltd. continues to set the standards for new builds, extensions, and renovations. As he applied the finishing touches to a fantastic five-unit scheme in Ballinaclash, Building Ireland touched base with proprietor Kevin Harper for an update.
Specialising in new home construction, house extensions, home renovations, commercial construction and groundworks, KHCL Ltd is a main contractor of choice that has completed an eye-catching portfolio of stellar projects throughout the Garden County, invariably delivering every home to the highest standards of construction excellence.
Avoca man Kevin has insisted upon industry-leading workmanship since setting the company up at the dawn of the millennium and the meticulous Wicklow contractor remains steadfastly focused on ensuring that every project undertaken is invariably completed to these self-same exacting standards.
A quick inspection of any of the completed projects and it becomes immediately apparent why KHCL’s services are in such high demand. Recently, in conjunction with his own development company, Pixer Homes, KHCL has been providing its trademark professional touch to five stunning turnkey finishes within a delightful mini-scheme at Ballinaclash, County Wicklow.
“These are all detached houses and the first three were dormer bungalows, which we finished before Christmas and they are all occupied already,” he notes. “In fact, these were all sold before we started building. I started working on the second two, which are two-storey houses just down the road from the first three, in November and we’re expecting to hand them over in June.
“KHCL is the builder and Pixer Homes is the developer on those units and the two operate hand in hand.”
With the building and developing companies dovetailing perfectly, this scheme has been a resounding success and Kevin confirms that similar projects are in the pipeline for the not-too-distant future. “There’s nothing else along those lines currently planned for the remainder of this year but we are looking at doing another small development in Avoca in 2025, consisting of five or six units.”
In the meantime, KHCL is busy working on one-off builds for architects and private clients, with six such projects up and running at the time of writing. “In general, we’d usually have five or six of those running concurrently,” Kevin states. These include a 3,500 sq. ft. house to a turnkey finish in Enniskerry, a new home for the mother of a previous satisfied client, and a new bungalow at Church Hill in Wicklow town.
“We built a house in Rathdrum last year and we’ve just started a second one next-door to that for a cousin of the first client, and we’re building one in Kilmacanogue at the moment as well,” adds Kevin, who uses skilled and experienced tradesmen to achieve an unbeatable finished product every time.
KHCL generates direct employment for seven full-time men on site as well as a girl in the office and the MD himself. On top of that, regular work is provided for a tried and trusted core crew of subcontractors, the majority of whom are with Kevin for eight to ten months of the year. “I take in the same plumbers, plasterers, electricians and roofers and they are a big part of the overall team,” the hands-on Wicklow contractor confirms. “Some of these lads have been with me for up to 15 years and they know the standards we expect.
“When you establish a solid working relationship with subcontractors you can trust to deliver quality, it’s invaluable. I don’t change them and wouldn’t change them for the world. It’s all about the quality, and these guys are worth every penny..”
At the end of the day, is construction all about delivering quality on a consistent basis? “One hundred per cent. That’s what you are always aiming for. The only problem I can see in the industry is the banks, especially for the developing side of it. They are saying they will fund projects but they don’t. I’m having to invest a lot of my own money into this and when KHCL is working for Pixer Homes the lack of funding from banks can place a real strain on things.
“On a more positive note, we are getting all our work in Wicklow at the moment and no longer have to travel to Dublin, which is great. We’ve just started work on a large refurbishment with two extensions in Redcross, which is another really nice project.”
Looking to the future, Kevin can see his son Paddy getting more involved in the family business: “He’s doing his Leaving Cert this year and is going to come into the business with me. He’s been involved in the background for the past few years, at weekends and in the evenings. Paddy has been great and is showing a real flair for it so I’m looking forward to getting him more and more involved in the future.
“It’ll be nice to bring him in full time because it’s very difficult to get anybody to work in construction any more. I’m turning down two or three houses a week because I can’t get good men. There’s a real lack of skills and young people don’t seem to want hard work. Kids not being allowed onsite before the age of 17 doesn’t help the situation. You need to start them when they are young and get that passion going early.
“Planning is a significant issue across the country. There are many ideal sites for building, but since they aren’t zoned, obtaining planning permission can be challenging. It’s a bit frustrating, to be honest,” Kevin concludes.
“There are a few issues holding the industry back but I’m lucky to have great men working with me and great projects ongoing and in the pipeline, so we’ll focus on those and continue to keep raising the bar as high as we possibly can.”
KHCL Ltd.,
Arklow Business Enterprise Centre,
Kilbride Industrial Park,
Arklow
County Wicklow.
Tel: 0402 269 11
Mobile: 087 2270514
Email: [email protected]
Web: khclconstruction.ie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/khclconstruction
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August 2024, Vol 10 No 8
