Experience and integrity shine through at Stephen Walsh Construction, an exceptional building contractor with an immaculate track record for invariably delivering outstanding projects. We travelled to Tubbercurry in County Sligo to find out more from a man who has been setting the standards in residential construction for a quarter of a century and counting.
With 25 years’ experience operating at the forefront of the construction industry, Stephen Walsh has established an excellent reputation as one of the most reputable builders in the north west.
His eponymous contracting firm has been completing an array of stunning projects either side of the Sligo/Mayo border for a decade and a half and Stephen’s reputation for quality construction meticulously delivered with the keenest attention to even the finest detail is such that he’s in big demand right now.
A hands-on builder who relishes the on-site environment as opposed to the confines of an office, Stephen reflects on the genesis of his thriving business: “I started off working locally with a builder, serving my time as a block layer. He did other work too, such as concreting, and his brother did groundworks, so I learned a lot there.”
Stephen progressed to join Sisk, with whom he had the opportunity to work on many major projects in Dublin. He also enjoyed a stint with a utilities company in the capital, so he had already accumulated a broad range of experience by the time he decided to take the leap of faith and set up his own company.
One of the first challenges was to try to move activities from predominantly outside to inside…
“I did all outside work and groundworks when I started and I then saw an opening for a contractor in the area because a lot of them had retired. Building in the west of Ireland, where it rains all the time, it made sense to get indoor work. It took some time to get things going the way I wanted them. “One house was no good. You needed to have three on the go at the same time to keep busy, so I kept doing the outside work and block laying alongside the building. I did extensions and renovations first and then started on one-off houses.”
It became quickly evident that the houses built by Stephen Walsh Construction were of the very highest calibre. As a result of the superb workmanship imbued into projects that are always delivered promptly, professionally and with a personal touch, Stephen hasn’t looked back: “It’s still not huge but it’s paying the bills,” he continues modestly. “I have good men working with me full time and the rest are subcontractors.
“We use the same subbies all the time and don’t change them at all. They know me and I know them and I know their work is good. You find people you can rely upon and you end up forming friendships with them. It wouldn’t be a good sign to see a man chopping and changing his tradesmen!
“We have been particularly busy over the past four or five years. The biggest problem that comes with this is that it’s very hard to find good staff. The amount of apprentices coming into the industry is nowhere near the level it was at years ago. I started my own apprenticeship at 16 – you don’t really see that anymore.”
The Stephen Walsh Construction ethos has always been about quality, integrity and authenticity, which naturally translates to complete customer satisfaction every time. “I have a lot of experience and I use that to produce work that’s of a high quality. I like to hand over a futureproofed home that’s well insulated, energy efficient and with a good BER. I always take a hands-on approach and oversee each project personally. Thankfully, I have a good reputation now and that has all come through word of mouth because I don’t advertise.”
Indeed, Stephen was recently approached by three prospective new clients, all of whom were recommended by the same satisfied customer. This is nothing new as the positive-referral snowball is very much the lifeblood of his business. He also enjoys an excellent reputation amongst engineers and architects, who appreciate nothing better than a contractor they know they can depend upon to deliver quality day in, day out.
There is no ‘typical’ Stephen Walsh Construction project and no two homes he builds or upgrades are the same: “Every house we do is bespoke and unique – we never build the same one twice. We go from new builds which we can see through from a greenfield site to a turnkey finish, to renovation and restoration work. At the moment, we’re working on restoring a house that hasn’t been lived in for more than 30 years. 1992 was the last time anybody lived there, but we are bringing it back to life and I love working on projects like that. We’ve just finished putting the new roof on and by the time we’re finished, it will be an A-rated house. It’s always good to get a project like that but at the same time it’s nice to have a good mix of work and I give them all my full, undivided attention.”
Energy efficiency is a big consideration on every new build or upgrade these days. “Airtightness and insulation have become huge over the past 15 years,” Stephen agrees. “In general, building quality has improved a lot since the crash and that’s a good thing.
“There was a lot of bad building done during the Celtic Tiger, unfortunately, and that’s not good for anybody. I’ve carried out remedial works on some properties built during that time that had leaks or drafts or just all-around poor quality of work and it’s always disappointing to see how low standards sank during the boom. A lot has changed for the better since then, however, and that’s good because the quality really needed to go up.”
Covering a broad catchment area that straddles the Sligo / Mayo county boundary taking in Tubbercurry, Swinford, Castlebar, Ballina, Gurteen, etc. and even as far as Boyle in Roscommon, Stephen is currently working on some nice projects (two new builds and three large extensions / renovations) and has a healthy order book in front of him extending well into 2025…
“We’re booked up into March / April,” he notes. “I only take on projects that I know I’ll be able to finish to the highest standards and within a timeframe that suits the customer. There’s no point agreeing to something that you know you won’t be able to deliver. When you commit to a full-build house, you are generally committing yourself to eleven or twelve months from the day you start digging out to the day the owner moves in. You have to be realistic.”
Looking to the future, Stephen promises more of the same: “We’ll continue as we are. We might expand a little bit but I love the physical work and I like to be hands-on, so it’ll definitely be more of the same: leaving good quality work behind, that customers are happy, and that the name is good. That’s where the referrals come from.
“I firmly believe that you are only as good as your last job and that’s a motto that I live by,” the man behind Stephen Walsh Construction concludes. “I’ve been at this for 25 years now, so I’ve a good idea of the best way to build a house and I can offer a bit of sound, practical advice to customers along the way as well. If I spot something that might be a design flaw or that can be done better, I’ll point it out to them and advise them to step back and rethink it. Whatever it takes to get a better finished product at the end. That’s where the main focus has to be.”
Stephen Walsh Construction,
Rhue,
Tubbercurry, County Sligo.
Tel: 086 375 3417
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: /stephenwalshconstruction
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2024, Vol 10 No 12
featured, Stephen Walsh Construction
