Based in Coolbawn, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd provides its clients with a broad range of building services in both the residential and commercial sectors. Building Ireland touched base with co-director Brendan Cormican to find out all about this family-run company – from its origins to the state of business at the moment.
Business has been thriving lately at C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd and the plan for company directors Christy and Brendan Cormican is to keep things that way right through to next year.
The father and son co-directors formed their business together in 2005, with Christy’s experience in the industry dating all the way back to 1981 when he started as a sole trader construction practice.
Today, C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd employs eight full-time staff from its base in Glenbower and is immersed in numerous projects within a 50-kilometre radius.
Building Ireland caught up with Brendan recently to learn more about the work the company has on-going at the moment.
“We’re general contractors that specialise in one-off houses, operating within a 50-kilometre radius of Nenagh,” he outlined.
“Almost all of what we do now is one-off houses and we have some conservation projects as well along with some Light Commercial works, but there’s been a particular drive on one-off houses in the last year or so.
“You’ve a lot of people moving back from the city or coming home from abroad and they’re moving back to the countryside, so that’s what’s seen the uptake in one-off houses around this area.”
At C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd, they have all the experience for a new build process and employ their own block-laying crew to do so.
The prestige and high quality of projects delivered in a professional manner by the company is well renowned around the area.
C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd has a passion for delivering quality finished projects in a timely manner and it’s ensured by employing the best professional tradesmen and specialist contractors for each specific project type with clinical oversight by company management of the works.
As aforementioned, business is thriving these days for the company – despite unprecedented times brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
While they weren’t in operation at all during the first government enforced lockdown with regards to private client projects, Brendan explained that it was a welcome break at the time and they’ve been very busy ever since.
“Lockdown actually gave us a chance to reorganise the yard here, so it was a welcome break in that sense,” said Brendan, whose sister Maura Brennan is the company’s accountant.
“In general, we would be involved in seven to eight new builds at one time and do around nine or 10 a year.
“Right now, it’s a busy time with a lot of people moving home and working from the house. So, we’re flat out and hopefully things stay that way for a while.”
With around seven projects on-going at the minute, C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd has seldom been busier and just recently completed works on a one-off house in Coolbawn and have commenced ground works on three more in the area.
Busy times indeed. So, what has been the secret to success for the company over the past 17 years?
How has a small start-up grown into a flourishing general contracting business with a glowing reputation around the Premier County and across its borders?
For Brendan, it has always been about establishing trust with the company’s clients.
“I think when people are spending upwards of €300,000 on their homes, it’s not all about the price,” he pointed out.
“They have to trust you as well and the fact that we’ve done a lot of similar projects and are well-known in the area counts for a lot.
“We are known for the quality of work that we do and we’ll work with the client to organise a budget that they can work with. We spend a lot of time working with the clients on every project that we do here and do our best to ensure that a project is carried out on time and within the agreed budget.”
Indeed, C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd has an excellent rapport with architects, surveyors and clients alike, having completed many projects of notable prestige down through the years.
The company is also a member of the CIF and a registered contractor under the Better Energy Homes scheme.
Looking towards the months ahead for his and his father’s business, Brendan hopes that the rate of projects can stay the same and is also keeping two fingers crossed that the current high price of materials for projects can level off somewhat.
“The hopes are that the volume of projects still keeps coming as the year goes on,” said the co-director.
“Since most of the Covid restrictions were lifted, there’s an air of positivity in the country at the minute and the biggest difficulty at the moment is the cost of materials.
“But, as I said, we do our best to work with the client to get a budget that suits them.”
He concluded: “The difficulty all the time is the banks and the fact that pay-outs are slow to process, but we would be in a strong position to manage cash flow on all our projects and, hopefully, things stay that way for some time.”
Here’s hoping.
C & B Cormican Building Contractors Ltd.
Glenbower
Coolbawn
Nenagh
Co. Tipperary
Tel: 067 28049
Brendan Mobile: 087 278 5245
Christy Mobile: 087 230 0042
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2022, Vol 8 No 6
C & B Cormican Building Contractors
