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Building Contractors we have worked with

Horses for courses. Getting the design right is critical in any project, but it could be argued that getting the right builder is paramount. Over the years McKevitt King Architects have built up working relationships with numerous different building contractors from near and far. Often clients already have a contractor in mind, whether being from a previous project, a friend or relation, or someone highly recommended. However most of the time the client (employer) doesn’t know any building contractors, or prefers not to use someone they know or are close to. They rely on us as the architect and their agent to help them assemble a tender list of suitable builders.

Any builder is only as good as his last job, but a good track record gives a good sense of how they will perform. As a rule of thumb a contractor is only invited to tender for a project if he’s deemed competent enough to be awarded the job. When assessing tenders usually the lowest price is successful, but it’s not the only criteria. No two projects are the same and certainly no two clients are the same, so therefore it’s often the case that many other factors have to be considered; availability, programme, project management, suitability, cost control (claims conscious), even personality, etc. Different contractors have different modus operandi, for example a particular contractor may only take on one job at a time and give it his undivided attention being there all day every day, whereas another contractor may run up to 4 to 5 jobs at a time dividing his attention between each. The contractor who takes on one job at a time will deliver a superior service and product but has to charge a premium – the contractor who has multiple projects at one time often delivers a slower programme and a less dedicated service, but can offer a more competitive price.

Although every project is unique they all fall into different categories; domestic extension, domestic remodel, new build one-off house, multiple unit residential, commercial, educational, etc. Its often the case that a building contractor will specialise and focus on a particular category, but often they have experience, competence and capacity to cover a larger spectrum. We are currently working with a number of building contractors who work on large scale contracts such as Ganson, CF Hoey, and Doohamlet to name a few. In turn we also work with a large number of excellent contractors who specialise in domestic (extensions, renovations, remodels, one-off new build houses); Newgrange Construction, DMC, Franic Construction, O’Hare Home Improvements, Tara Construction…….the list goes on.

BuildersStrip

by Richard Hatch

Building Contractors we have worked with

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