Farm Buildings Services Ltd. provides a wide range of services to farmers nationwide, including Building Design & Layout, Planning Permission, Environmental Impact Statements and complete Project Management. We travelled to Athy, County Kildare and met MD Donal Flanagan to find out more.
With a proven track record of overseeing high-quality agricultural buildings – from slatted beef units, grain storage facilities and dairy units to pig, poultry and sheep housing units – Farm Buildings Services Ltd. has over the past 44 years established itself as a market leader in its chosen area of expertise.
A bespoke, turnkey service is offered on all buildings, from initial consultation and design through to planning permission and project management. The end result is a purpose-build, cost-effective, high-quality building, delivered by professionals with decades of experience and fully-compliant with all prevailing national and EU legislation and regulations.
Advice is offered on the design and layout of all types of agricultural buildings and farmyard developments, from new developments on a greenfield site to new buildings in existing farm yards or converting or refitting existing buildings. Unique in the range of services offered within the farm buildings sector, Farm Buildings Services can provide advice and solutions tailored to any system of production in the most cost-effective manner, striving to provide clients with the best value for money possible.
This process begins at the design stage and their in-depth knowledge of construction costs and methods allows them to design in the most cost-effective manner, with services offered to farmers in all 32 counties.
The genesis of the business goes back to 1974. The company was established by the current managing director’s late father, Donal Flanagan Snr., who held B. Agr. Sc. Honours and M. Agr. Sc. Honours degrees from UCD. Donal Snr. Began his career with the Department of Agriculture as a regional Grant Inspector, inspecting farmyard buildings to determine whether they were eligible for grants. Indeed, he helped deliver the very first Department specs for farm buildings. From here, Donal Snr. decided to start out on his own, providing farmers with advice on design and layout as well as a keen project management service, which included securing grant aid where available.
The founder built up a large portfolio of clients, working on projects of various sizes and complexities from Donegal to Cork, providing experience and knowledge in farm building design and construction. His son, Donal Jnr., joined full time in 2004 and continues to grow the business. Having completed a Professional Diploma in Environmental Impact Assessment at UCD, he started providing Environmental Impact Statements in 2009 as well as advice on Health & Safety compliance.
Donal Jnr. also holds a B. Agr. Sc. Honours degree from UCD and has completed IOSH-accredited courses in Project Supervisor Design Process and Managing Safely for Construction Managers.
Farm Buildings Services act as planning agents and routinely prepare drawings for Planning Permission applications along with all other necessary documentation required by local authorities around the country.
The core of the business focuses on negotiating competitive pricing and supervision of projects that Farm Buildings Services have obtained Planning Permission for. Having completed a large portfolio of projects with various building contractors, engineering companies and suppliers around the country, they can recommend trustworthy and reliable contractors in instances where clients don’t have a preferred choice. The objective is to achieve the best job possible for the best price at all stages of development.
With four-and-a-half decades of experience supervising the construction of farm buildings, the company prides itself on providing a complete package of services, which has proven invaluable to clients as a single point of contact is offered from initial meeting to completion of the project. With no unnecessary complications, this is a particularly attractive service to farmers as holdings become larger and time constraints more apparent. A Chartered Engineer is employed as part of the service to ensure that all works comply fully with relevant standards.
“As farms get bigger and farmers become busier, the reality is that they don’t have time to organise and supervise a building project, so we take all of that hassle away from them,” Donal notes. “Our knowledge and experience in building adds a lot of value to our clients. We are able to negotiate competitive prices with building contractors who we work with on a regular basis and this is one of the areas where savings can be made by clients. We supervise the works and are onsite on a regular basis to ensure the work is up to standard and completed to our client’s requirements.”
A lot of foresight needs to go into a farm building and Donal makes sure that nothing is left to chance. “Farmers have to be compliant with the Nitrates Directive to protect their Single Payment and their reputation. They should also comply with the Farm Buildings Specifications as set out by the Department of Agriculture.
“It is very important to plan for the long-term so that expansion or modification that may be required in the future is possible while minimizing unnecessary disruption and cost. I’d always encourage farmers to set things out properly at the start, to consider all options and try to look ahead 10-20 years so that any future development can be easily integrated into the existing farmyard
“Dairying in particular has seen huge growth since the quota system was abolished and it’s important to allow room for any future expansion. We find a lot of dairy units are pushing on with cubicle accommodation and parlours but fodder storage, calving facilities and calf housing are put on the long finger or not considered at all before we are asked to get involved with a project. Some people are putting themselves under enormous pressure by not considering their system properly, and of course cost and quality of work can vary greatly. Sound advice and help in these areas is very important, along with ensuring people understand their obligations regarding compliance with Health & Safety and other legislation when they take on building projects. So we’ve been very busy with dairy buildings but there’s also a lot going on in beef and tillage, so these are busy times, thankfully.”
A friendly personal service is provided from the very first point of contact through to project completion and also in terms of any assistance that might be required thereafter. Donal, Elaine and Sinead in the office, and Chartered Engineer Declan are always ready and willing to do what they can to make life as stress-free as possible for clients.
“By having our own Chartered Engineer, we can provide engineer’s specs and structural design for buildings and reinforcing steel,” Donal continues. “Some projects are pretty big, with elements that need specific engineer’s specs such as large sheds or grain stores, underpasses, bridges or private roads tying back into public roads and whereas if a farmer goes out to take on a building project himself, he will have to organise all of this and it’s very time-consuming to tie all the different elements together, not to mention costly. This is all offered as part of our service, and everything is covered in-house so we can bring all these elements together in a way and at a cost that gives value to our clients”.
Various environmental reports and assessments are becoming a more common requirement as part of the Planning Process, along with the preparation of Safety Statements and other requirements under Health & Safety legislation. These requirements can also be met by the company as part of their service.
“Once all the paperwork is in place, we can supervise the work and get the project completed. We can organise a concrete / formwork contractor, shed fabricators as well as electricians, milking machine suppliers, etc. We have several contacts located all around the country although, of course, we are open to using any contractor the farmer specifies. Farmers will often have a local builder they want to use and this is acceptable, but we would always examine the figures and compare with prices from a few reputable contractors so as to ensure the best value for money.
“Price, quality workmanship and reliable people who understand what is required of them are the main considerations and we always endeavour to provide farmers with the optimum job, to leave behind a building that will last, serve its purpose and that has been delivered in a cost-effective manner.”
This is why the Kildare-headquartered company benefits from a large volume of repeat business alongside a steady flow of new clients through positive word of mouth. The order book is healthy but the approachable team at Farm Buildings Services are always keen to talk to prospective clients about their farm building needs.
Farm Buildings Services Ltd.,
The Grove,
Ardscull,
Athy,
County Kildare.
Tel: 059 8642004
Mobile: 0879947743
Email: [email protected]
Web: farmbuildings.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 6, September/October 2018
