Specialising in residential extension, new builds and renovations throughout Cork as well as commercial building maintenance contracts across Munster, RJ O’Brien Building Contractors Ltd. is an industry-leading construction company with an exceptional track record going back more than half a century. We spoke to MD John O’Brien to find out more about this outstanding family-run operation.
A long line of satisfied clients can readily testify to the professionalism, efficiency and dependability of renowned Cork-based construction firm, RJ O’Brien Building Contractors, who have been delivering unrivalled residential and commercial building solutions for more than five decades.
The directors of this second-generation, family-managed, Ballygarvan-headquartered company have inherited a wealth of experience and knowledge of all things construction, which enables them to offer clients a keen, customer-orientated service on all projects large or small. With direct access to all the main trades in-house – and offering expert interior design guidance – the team at RJ O’Brien Building Contractors invariably pull out all the stops to make sure that projects are completed to the highest possible standard, with the keenest attention to detail, on time and within budget.
Managing director John O’Brien, who runs the business alongside his brother David and the team, admits that he tends to get caught up in every project and invest his heart and soul into it: “I take every project very personally and it’s all about the last job you did – not what you may have done 20 years ago,” the personable Cork man confirms. “Fostering and maintaining strong relationships with clients is critically important and that generally makes the job a whole lot easier.
“You have to be transparent and upfront with people and I will always make it my business to point out to clients where money could possibly be saved on projects, without compromising on quality, of course. That draws repeat business and we also get a lot of work through positive referrals from satisfied customers.
“Quality is of huge importance on all construction projects and it’s always worth remembering that the cheapest initial outlay might not be the cheapest long-term solution. So, we like to engage with people, to lend them the expertise that we have picked up over the years and to be completely honest and transparent from the very first consultation right through the project to handover. With everybody in the loop, we all have a clear picture of where we are going. That also has the benefit of keeping the project moving and you will get through the work quicker.”
The genesis of RJ O’Brien Building Contractors can be traced back to 1969, when John and David’s late father, Ray – who was a massive inspiration to them both – started out offering building contracting services locally. “It wasn’t always RJ O’Brien – he started out initially as Ray O’Brien Building Contractors,” John notes. “In fairness, one thing I would have to say is that Dad always told me to keep an open mind and didn’t put any pressure on me to follow him into construction. But this is what I love and it was probably inevitable that I’d end up here.”
In addition to select tried and trusted subcontractors, RJ O’Brien Building Contractors employ seven directly and make it their business to provide as many of the trades as possible in-house. “We push for quality and we are forever striving to better ourselves even further,” John continues. “We offer a broad range of trades and skills in-house and we are always trying to learn and improve. We have a strong dedicated and loyal team that has been a major contributor to the success of our business over the years. From the office work to the site, everyone plays their part.”
Specialising in project management and building maintenance in all trades from interior design, carpentry, roofing, electrics, plumbing, decorating and specialty trades as required, RJ O’Brien Building Contractors’ work is predominantly centred around commercial building maintenance and residential renovations, extensions, complete home redesigns and new builds, although they have vast experience in all other areas of construction including commercial fit outs and conservation work.
“We have quite a large clientele in commercial building maintenance work predominantly within Munster but we do travel further afield when needed,” says John. “In residential, we do everything from one-off new builds to extensions / renovations and we have done some conservation work as well. Indeed, we have a big conservation job in the pipeline as we speak, which we are looking forward to getting started.
“We had become quite picky in residential, but we’ve pushed it out again in the last 18 months, with the intention of trying to grow in both divisions – commercial and residential. We were quite lucky during the last recession in that we had the commercial work to fall back on and were never that quiet, whereas when Covid hit last year the residential side took the slack. So we have a nice balance between the two.
“We keep the residential projects within Cork. When you stay local, you are more competitive and more efficient and can therefore give your clients better bang for their buck. Your goal is to give the customer value for money in their new building or to increase the value of the asset they already have.”
Company project manager David O’Brien, is an interior designer and this represents a key extra service offered. Both David and RJ O’Brien Building Contractors hit the headlines for all the right reasons in February of this year when the Cork man’s stunning, bespoke new build home in Ballygarvan – which was built between 2016 and 2018 – was a finalist in RTE Television’s highly-popular Home of the Year competition, finishing runner-up.
The design of the house was undertaken by CEA in collaboration with David, who had a very strong idea of creating a home that would sit comfortably into its landscape. The house is a contemporary take on Irish vernacular architecture using traditional building materials and products such as corrugated cladding. “We were absolutely delighted and honoured that one of our homes made it into the final of this year’s Home of the Year,” says John. “It was a real celebration of all the hard work that went into this project and was a great recognition of the talent and craftsmanship of all the team at RJ O’Brien and the subcontractors involved.”
Expanding upon RJ O’Brien Building Contractors’ determination to work not just for but with their clients, John continues: “Communication is a big thing, keeping it all in-house and guiding clients along the way as best we can. Our aim is to eventually have our own in-house architect but, for the time being, we use the services of an independent architect and engineer, with whom we work regularly.
“I’d also recommend that clients use an independent QS as well, as I believe it’s important that everybody is looking at and pricing the same project. Apart from outstanding workmanship, the communication between ourselves and the client is important as is the interior design service we offer, with a lot of thought going into our kitchens and living spaces before a sod is turned. Open plan has been a big thing for the last 15 years and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
“We also place as much emphasis as we can on achieving energy-efficient, green buildings using renewable energies wherever possible. You need to futureproof projects so that the home you build today is conveniently and affordably retrofittable in 30 years when the owners might want to upgrade it.”
RJ O’Brien Building Contractors has an impressive history of delivering construction excellence and the signs are encouraging that the future of this excellent family business will be every bit as successful as its acclaimed past: “There’s good demand for our services at present anyway, thankfully, and we are very fortunate to be booked out for the rest of the year,” John concludes. “We even have some projects already lined up for 2022, so we can’t complain. There’s a lot of building going on around Cork at the moment, so we are fortunate in that regard.”
Fortune, as they say, favours the brave.
RJ O’Brien Building Contractors,
Lios Cross,
Ballygarvan,
County Cork.
Tel: 021 2061796
Mobile: 087 6137700
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rjobrienbc.ie/
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August, Vol 7 No 8
RJ O'Brien Building Contractors
