Since its genesis in 2006, Hyland Ceilings has cemented an outstanding reputation as one of the premier ceiling and partition installers, and internal and external plastering specialists in Ireland and the UK, delivering exceptional solutions across the residential commercial, industrial, educational and healthcare sectors. We met up with MD Mark Hyland at the company’s Claremorris, County Mayo head office to find out more about this market-leading operation.
Renowned throughout Ireland and the UK as a top-quality plastering contractor, Hyland Ceilings has established an unrivalled reputation for providing a broad range of unbeatable internal and external plastering solutions, using the best-available materials, equipment and personnel to deliver industry-leading finishes in a professional, safe and dependable fashion, with all projects completed to programme, within budget and on time.
The comprehensive range of specialist, ‘one stop shop’ services provided by Hyland Ceilings comprises plasterboard / partitions / wall lining; MF / grid ceilings; insulation; taping and joining; external render; nap finish; monocouche; skimming / slabbing; coving; and wet and dry dash.
Some recently-completed and ongoing educational projects include St Buites National School in Tenure, County Louth for MEIC; NUI Maynooth for Kilcawley Construction; the Glucksman Library at University of Limerick for BAM Group; and St Raphael’s College in Loughrea for Purcell while Hyland Ceilings has also just started a €300,000 contract at Claremorris Primary Care Centre for main contractors JJ Rhatigan / Balfour Beatty.
Indeed, founder / MD Mark Hyland has built up strong working relationships with all the country’s leading main contractors including PJ McLoughlin, Carey Construction, Sisk, Kilcawley Construction, Currabeg Developments, etc.
Some of the other notable educational projects completed in the past are NUIG Life Course Building; Sligo IT; St Jarlaths College; Cornafulla NS, Athlone; Balla NS; Sligo Grammar School; Killimor NS; Oughterard NS; Carbury NS; and St Francis NS as well as key healthcare projects at Tullamore Hospital, the Cystic Fibrosis Unit Galway and Kells Primary Healthcare Centre in County Meath.
By insisting on using only the very best plaster, plasterboard, drylining, insulating, rendering and ceiling materials and systems that money can buy – sourced from carefully-selected and proven, cutting-edgee suppliers such as HILTI, LAFARGE, Gyproc (Gypsum Industries), Gyprock, Xtratherm, Weber – Saint-Gobain, Isover, Kilsaran International, OWA, SFS, SAS International, Knauf Insulation and Rockfon – Hyland Ceilings has quickly earned a superb reputation for excellent workmanship, which has seen its influence spread nationwide, with offices now up and running in Mayo, Dublin and London in response to rising demand.
A keen emphasis is placed on Health & Safety at all times and – as well as being highly skilled and vastly experienced – all employees are SafePass accredited.
Any type of ceiling can be delivered to customers’ exact requirements, including MF ceilings, where plasterboard is fixed to a concealed metal grid which is in turn then fixed to a structural soffit above. This creates a void (of a depth to suit the structure) above the ceiling which can be used for services etc. The plasterboard can then be finished using the taping and jointing system if required. The type of plasterboard used can be designed to enhance particular fire, acoustic and thermal requirements.
The same MF system can be used to create feature bulkheads in ceilings. These can be constructed purely in an aesthetic context to create dropped levels in ceilings, curved features or other specific design concepts such as coffers. Alternatively, they can be built around and hide services such as air conditioning units and light fittings.
Grid ceilings, meanwhile, consist of tiles hung within a metal grid system, with many different tile types and styles available to suit each individual development.
Reflecting on the inception of his progressive enterprise, Mark Hyland modestly notes: “I started out as a plasterer in 2001 and it snowballed from there. I went out on my own and started taking contracts in 2006, plastering internally and externally. I started doing external insulation and would take on entire internal fit-outs including studwork, ceilings, partitions and even the skirting and architrave if required as well as all the internal and external plastering.”
The vast majority of contracts undertaken at present are industrial projects – predominantly universities, hospitals, schools and healthcare centres etc.- as well as a small bit of residential work. Typically, projects could range in size from €60,000 up to €1m.
Encouragingly, demand for Hyland Ceilings’ specialist services is very steady: “It’s always great to have work locked in and we are delighted to have our order book full for the start of 2017. We’re tendering for a lot of other work as well, so the future looks bright.”
As for the key ingredients that have contributed most to the enduring success of the business, Mark continues: “I believe my most important asset is my staff. I always try to surround myself with strong personnel and if I’m tendering for a job I will always talk to my senior foremen on site to see what they think. Five minds are better than one, so I involve them as much as I can.
“Also, the suppliers you are dealing with are very important for site support as well. For school projects I deal with Kevin Clancy and Rockfon Ceilings, where we get great support and top-of-the-line products which are competitively priced. I also work a lot with Cathal McGuinness and SAS Ireland in Dublin, who supply metal ceiling tiles, as well as Isover and Gypsum. I’ve recently started to deal with Metsec, who supply external heavy gauge metal frames, and also work with SFS [Steel Formed Sections, Ireland’s largest supplier of cold rolled sections to the internal partition and ceiling trade].
Direct employment is generated for a team of 60 and Hyland Ceilings is currently enjoying a period of growth. Down the line, sourcing suitably-skilled Irish workers could be difficult… “I’ve noticed a lack of skilled workers here, with so many having emigrated between 2008 and 2011,” says Mark. “There’s definitely a shortage of labour. For years, very few guys who came out of school went into construction or took up trades and that is going to be problematic for us now that we are experiencing solid growth. We’ve lost a whole generation of our youngest professionals and they need to be replaced. The Government could certainly do more by offering incentives to young people to take up trades.”
While this situation is far from ideal – not just for Mark but for the construction sector as a whole – Hyland Ceilings is in an extremely promising position going forward. “If you leave good quality work behind you and have good working relationships with project managers and the guys on the ground, then things should run smoothly,” says the Mayo man.
“I endeavour to leave a high-quality product behind me that I can come back to and look at in 30 years’ time and be happy with. If anything goes wrong, I would happily go back and fix it but the products I use and the people I work with are so good that there are never any problems. There are no moving parts and it’s pretty straightforward once you finish the job with the best materials and knowhow.”
Mark believes that potential exists in his business for further growth. “One of my goals would be to grow more,” he confirms. “By the end of the current calendar year, I would hope to have increased my staff numbers to 80. I’ve also been looking at getting into the UK market and, to this end, have set up a small office over there and we’re looking at some jobs there as we speak. So, my hopes for the future of the business would be to continue to have a steady flow of work here in Ireland and also to develop a steady flow in the UK.
“Relationships are extremely important,” the managing director of Hyland Ceilings concludes. “The construction sector in Ireland is very small and everybody knows somebody who knows somebody. Trust between the builder and subcontractor is very important. Whichever QS I work with on any given contract, I always shake hands and look forward to working together in the future.”
Hyland Ceilings,
18 Mayfields.
Claremorris,
County Mayo.
Tel: 094 9377468
Mobile: 0872693335
Fax: 094 9377468
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, February 2017, Vol 3 No 2
