Renowned for delivering bespoke, turnkey new build, extension and refurbishment solutions – invariably with a major emphasis placed on quality – WCB Construction Ltd. is firmly established as one of North Dublin’s premier residential building contractors. Building Ireland spoke to director Tadhg McGinley, who runs this industry-leading operation alongside his twin brother, Cathal.
Bringing the keenest attention to detail to bear on every project undertaken, WCB Construction has become synonymous with consistently providing stellar residential building services across the capital. The go-to contractor for delivering high-end residential homes in north county Dublin – from Clontarf to Howth and Malahide to Kinsealy – WCB’s outstanding tradesmen achieve excellent results every time and this explains why their services are in such high demand with leading architectural houses and discerning clients alike.
Over the years, brothers Tadhg and Cathal McGinley have built up a proven track record for invariably completing breath-taking projects that meet the most exacting standards.
“We’re hands-on and we micromanage all aspects of each job,” reveals the former. “We’re on site ourselves every day and we use the same tradespeople in order to make sure that we are providing quality workmanship that people can rely on.”
The genesis of the business goes back a decade-and-a-half, to 2007, when Tadhg started working as a sole trader, with WCB Construction incorporated as a limited company as recently as 2019. Considering that they have since carved out an enviable reputation as a cutting-edge, high-quality, standard-setting residential contractor, it’s interesting to note that they initially cut their teeth doing commercial projects:
“We started off doing commercial work – mainly pub refurbishments – during the downturn and then started to take on residential extension and refurbishment projects valued at in and around €250,000,” Tadhg reflects. “We then got into the high-end stuff and we now focus on high-end new builds.”
At the time of writing, Tadhg and Cathal were in the process of completing their first residential development – comprising two identical 3,000 sq ft properties – whilst also working on a dream home on the Hill of Howth and preparing to start work on a luxury 8,060 sq ft home in Kinsealy. “We work closely with a particular architect, who puts a lot of that kind of work our way, while we also pick up a fair bit of work through word of mouth,” Tadhg continues.
“Micromanaging the finer aspects of every project is extremely important. We work well as a team and, between the two of us, we cover everything, with absolutely nothing left to chance. Cathal deals with the clients and the architects. He takes care of the construction side of the work from the ground to the roof, whereas I tend to take over at the electrical and plumbing stage and liaise with other trades and oversee the finish.
“We do all our own landscaping and finish everything off to the highest standard. So, essentially, we can take a project either from a greenfield site or an existing property and give a 100% finish, covering everything in-house from start to finish. That’s what separates us from the rest – the level of thought and detail that goes into every aspect of the building, which will be completely turnkey and bespoke.”
WCB Construction adapt a painstakingly meticulous approach and always go that extra mile to make sure homes are finished to the highest spec in terms of aesthetics, performance and functionality. “We provide a front-to-back finish,” Tadhg confirms. “On the day people move in, their TVs are tuned in and working … everything is working as it should be. We pride ourselves on providing a proper turnkey service, with everything taken care of and properly managed. I want to know who the TV guy is, who the carpet guy is, what they are doing and when.
“This approach is time-consuming and requires a lot of management on our behalf, but it works very well and is one key area where we stand out from the rest. Obviously, quality workmanship is also extremely important … attention to detail and having the right lad doing the right job every time.
“We have had the same team of lads with us for five-seven years now, since we started doing new builds. Everybody who comes on board stays with us and that’s the way we do things. We look after people and they tend to stick with us.”
Even a cursory glance at the level of finish on any WCB Construction project quickly confirms that only the most talented and experienced tradesmen are entertained on site… “Having qualified, experienced lads is key to not getting any callbacks and we use all high-quality trades, be that in house or subcontracted” says Tadhg.
“We have 17 lads here at the moment and we only subcontract out the block laying, M&E, kitchens and windows. We do everything else ourselves, including our own tiling, plastering, first and second fix carpentry, etc. We have a core of eight or nine lads who have been with us long-term, while we also have a good process for getting skilled lads in as and when we need them. You need good lads and we pay them well in order to hold onto them. That’s becoming increasingly important because finding good lads is difficult.”
The WCB Construction team includes five fully-qualified carpenters as well as a couple of apprentice carpenters, Tadhg hailing from a carpentry background himself while Cathal comes from a civil engineering / groundworks background.”
Due to the sheer quality of the solutions provided, WCB Construction has experienced substantial growth in recent years, even during the course of the pandemic. “Since I started house building, we have doubled our revenue every year, including last year,” Tadhg concludes. “We enjoyed a very good year last year and are kicking on again this year.
“We had that small development of two houses, which was our first venture into private development, and we’ll go down that road again in the future. Those are two high-end properties and we are already looking at some potential new developments. If you find the right market and focus on quality, then properties will sell. Good stuff always sells and we have the utmost confidence in the quality of the homes we build.
“There will always be people with money and people will always buys quality. If you focus on building to a very high quality, then your will always have work. That’s my ethos and it’s serving us very well so far.”
WCB Construction Ltd.,
82 St. Peter’s Terrace,
Howth,
Dublin 13
Tel: 086 0658382
Email: [email protected]
Web: wcbconstruction.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2022, Vol 8 No 6
