Renowned for delivering industry-leading construction excellence, Gareth Roddy Building Ltd. were worthy headline makers on the last day of June when claiming the prestigious ‘Large Renovation Project of the Year’ award at the 2023 Federation of Master Builders Northern Ireland Awards – for their stunning restoration of an ancestral home located nearby on the Ards Peninsula.
Recognising excellence in Northern Ireland’s small and medium-sized construction companies, the 2023 Federation of Master Builders Northern Ireland Awards were held at the Malone Hotel in Belfast on Friday, June 30th. More than 500 people were in attendances at this gala event as the judges announced this year’s winners, including Gareth Roddy Building Ltd. – a growing family business based in Lower Ards Peninsula.
Gareth Roddy Building triumphed in the ‘Large Renovation Project of the Year’ category, having wowed the judges with their complete transformation of Rodden House, an ancestral home on the peninsula which had been derelict for decades after being ravaged by a fire in the 1970s.
Gareth and his trusty team were hired by the homeowners to return the residence to its former glory so that the family could move into a house last occupied by their great-uncle, and what they achieved in making this dream a reality was nothing short of sensational, delivering a truly breath-taking extension and renovation to provide this distressed, derelict building with an unlikely new lease of life.
New doorways and windows were formed in the original structure of 500mm stonewalling. Original features were conserved wherever possible, including the specialist refurbishment of hardwood box sash windows. Where period detail was missing or damaged, new ceiling roses and cornicing were made to match the original style, and when the roof was found to be in a more serious state of decay than originally anticipated, it was stripped to add new timbers, reusing the original slate where possible. The judges praised the “sumptuous project and great ethos in refurbishing features, like stained glass.”
The team kept the clients, architect and interior designer up to date via regular meetings, with WhatsApp groups set up to share ideas, questions and solutions, and to share progress updates. This level of contact proved essential given that the project was impacted by Covid-19, materials shortages and Brexit import issues.
“We are delighted to be in our home, previously occupied by my great-grandfather,” remarked the owner. “The house with refurbishment and extension has not only been saved but brought back to life. We are delighted with the end result.”
Gareth Roddy Building Ltd. added: “We are delighted to have won the award for Large Renovation Project 2023. This award not only acknowledges the input by our skilled and loyal team but also marks the excellent working relationships we had with our client on this project which was so important to his family. The professional team we worked with provided quick and timely responses to any queries we had.”
A one stop shop for all building needs, Gareth Roddy Building Ltd (formerly Allan Roddy Building Contractor) has over 50 years’ experience in the construction industry, specialising in new builds, extensions, refurbishments and home improvements. The experienced team at Gareth Roddy Building has completed new build and refurbishment works on all types of homes in Newtownards, Bangor, Belfast and across Northern Ireland.
From bespoke new builds or top-to-bottom restorations such as the property that prevailed at the 2023 FMB NI awards to loft conversions, driveways, patios, fences and landscaping, they project manage every project from start to finish and take care of everything from scheduling and planning through to completion and snagging.
Gareth, who hails from a well-known and highly-respected Portaferry family of builders and tradesmen, has over the years earned a stellar reputation for the standard of workmanship that is brought to bear on every project, be it a modern 2,000 – 3,000 sq ft new build on a green field site, an extension, a new family kitchen or the total renovation of old homes to bring them up to 2023 spec.
For the award-winning restoration of Rodden House, which is located in a pleasant rural location in Ballywalter in the east of the Ards Peninsula, with a magnificent view over the coast towards Scotland, the contractor collaborated closely with the client throughout to make sure the property was restored as closely to its original state as possible.
Even though many of the features of the house could not be salvaged, the original style was cleverly replicated from the client’s memory, with brand new stairs imitating the old ones, for example, or the meticulous design and finish of the bathrooms – with small mosaic tiles, vivid colours and freestanding baths – giving the uncanny impression of walking into a brand-new bathroom but from the 1930s!
Peter Irwin, a Chartered QS who had the pleasure of working with Gareth Roddy on this project and many others, was not in the least bit surprised to learn that a Federation of Master Builders award had been secured:
“It really is a fantastic project and the transformation is nothing short of spectacular,” he enthuses. “The building is completely unrecognisable from its previous state and is now a magnificent home for the client and his family, who have returned to live in their traditional family residence. The original house was 50 per cent fire damaged to one side, had water coming through and the windows boarded up. It had been uncared for for over 40 years but has now been completely restored with a couple of extensions added.
“The old house had been suffering from a serious lack of attention but the client didn’t want to demolish it – he wanted to retain the original history of the house and Gareth and his team enabled him to do this. The new, restored house has a striking presence within a truly beautiful setting, with 150-year-old trees all around it and a mature authenticity that is a real joy to experience.”
A truly remarkable project delivered with passion, professionalism and style!
Gareth Roddy Building Ltd.,
1A Dunevly Road,
Portaferry,
County Down.
Tel: 028 42728955
Mobile: 077 12157208
Email: [email protected]
Web: grbuildingltd.co.uk
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2023, Vol 9 No 11
