Brickmore Construction boasts an exceptional track record for successfully delivering a vast range of building solutions down through the years and has accumulated a wealth of experience working within the agricultural sector. We travelled to Fethard-on-Sea in the sunny South East and touched base with director Jack Waters to find out more about this industry-leading family business.
Since its inception a decade ago, County Wexford based Brickmore Construction has – through the professional delivery of a variety of project types – established itself as one of Ireland’s most highly-regarded building / roofing & cladding contractors. Specialising in all aspects of roofing & cladding and external building envelope solutions, they have extensive experience in the agricultural, commercial, industrial, pharmaceutical, healthcare and educational sectors.
The business, which invariably produces workmanship of the highest standard, is owned and managed by the Waters family, who have always enjoyed close ties to agriculture. As such, it is no surprise to discover that a high volume of their work is agriculture-related, including a complete range of agri buildings (parlours, piggeries, sheds, stores, etc.) as well as regular work for major agribusiness clients such as Kiernan Milling, Tipp Co-op and Kerry Group and ongoing projects for Teagasc at Kildalton Agricultural College.
“I suppose you could say we come from a semi-agri background,” relates Jack Waters, who runs the business alongside his father, Jody. “Myself and Jody both grew up working on farms and, when Brickmore Construction started in 2011, it was initially milking parlours, grain stores and cattle sheds we worked on before moving into the industrial end. Although we have completed a wide range of projects, we’ve always kept a foothold in agri.”
Renowned specialists in providing the full envelope of roofing and cladding on industrial and commercial buildings, Brickmore Construction Ltd. also has a proven track record for carrying out general construction projects for both private and public sector clients.
They have worked for the Departments of Agriculture, Education and the HSE, including a magnificent flat roof project at St Alibe’s School in Tipperary town utilising QBM high-performance FDT Rhenofol 2.0mm and Kingspan Insulation laid over the existing roof membrane and, in the early days of the pandemic, a fast-track healthcare projects at Ely Hospital in County Wexford, which received a new 21-bed critical care unit, built in less than five weeks.
“As it happens, a lot of our industrial work is agri-linked as we do a good bit for Tipperary Co-op and Kiernan Milling,” Jack continues. “It has grown organically in that direction. Agri is a great industry to work in because you don’t need to advertise. It’s a relatively small and close-knit community and you can get work all over the country through word of mouth. For example, you could put up a shed or a pig unit for a lad in Cavan and then you could get a call from Kildare referred directly from that job in Cavan. Farmers are great that way … if you provide them with a good service, they won’t hesitate to let others know.”
Things really took off for Brickmore Construction after they started working for Kiernan Milling in Granard, County Longford a few years ago. “We went up to do cladding on a new extension for them in 2018 and that really opened a lot of doors for us as they know every pig farmer in Ireland,” Jack reflects. “Kiernans are great lads to deal with and they are sound out and have good contacts. It just goes to show that if you look after people, they will in turn look after you.
“We’ve been working in Tipp Co-op for two years, replacing cladding, etc. At the moment we’re refreshing the cladding on their drier, which is where they take in raw milk and dry it into powder form. We’re just starting a project with Kerry Group, replacing a roof at their facility in Newmarket, while our work for Teagasc at Kildalton Agricultural College is ongoing.”
Brickmore Construction generates direct employment for a crew of twelve and also enlists the services of additional subcontracted help as and when required. “We have an excellent core crew of experienced lads we can trust and we keep it as tight as we can to ensure quality and consistency,” Jack notes. “As we speak, we have lads in Laois, Tipperary, Kerry and Waterford and I’d say we have worked in every county in Ireland at this stage. You have to be prepared to go wherever the work is.”
As a family business first and foremost, Brickmore Construction is fronted by the father and son team of Jody and Jack Waters, who are joined by Jack’s brothers Richard and Peter as well as Jody’s brother Greg, who came on board as purchasing manager in 2018 after leaving the army.
“My father would have worked originally in roofing & cladding in his late teens and early 20s,” Jack continues. “There was never really any plan to go into partnership together but that’s how it worked out. He started out as a sole trader and we established Brickmore Construction as a limited company in 2014. We’re very versatile in that we can come in as the roofing & cladding contractor if required or we can also work as the main contractor, going into a greenfield site and carrying out a complete building project from start to finish, including groundworks, for which we have our own tractors, teleporters and diggers. We have the ability to do precisely whatever the client wants.”
Only the best materials are used in Brickmore’s agri and industrial buildings or roofing & cladding solutions. “We use a lot of Kingspan panels because they manufacture proven materials and have captured the majority of the market. We also use Joriside, which is made in Belgium and sold through Moy Materials in Dublin – another excellent quality and fully-certified panel. The best materials are made to last and it’s important to use them to maximise the lifespan of the building of roofing / cladding system.”
Is material shortage proving to be problematic? “Steel, insulation and timber are the biggest issues and it’s a problem for sure as insulated panels are made of steel and insulation. Prices are skyrocketing and these are challenging times in that regard. Covid has brought a lot of new challenges, too, and we have to deal with them and continue to move forward as best we can.”
The construction sector is buoyant at the moment, however, and Brickmore Construction’s services are in huge demand: “In both agriculture and industrial, it’s unreal at the minute,” Jack confirms. “Since construction opened back up again, there has been a serious amount of work, catching up on projects that were stalled due to the lockdown / industry shutdown. We’re especially busy in roofing & cladding and we are fully booked up until next February / March.
“But you still try to accommodate the farmer as best you can. We appreciate that they need the work done as soon as possible. Taking on more men doesn’t seem to be an option as there is a labour shortage, too, and getting lads who can do the work to a high standard is not easy. There’s not the same quality or quantity of young lads coming into the industry anymore.
“But we’re very fortunate to have regular work for great clients like Kiernan Milling, Tipperary Co-op and Kerry Group, which gives us breathing space to go out and pick up other work alongside that,” the Wexford man concludes.
Brickmore Construction Ltd.,
Grange,
Fethard-on-Sea,
New Ross,
County Wexford.
Tel: 051 397607
Mobile: 087 9490253
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 10 No 1, January/February 2022
