High Standards of Workmanship with Shamrock Renovations
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER – Dublin-born Brian and Deirdre O'Ruairc are the proud owners of Shamrock Renovations and Construction Ltd. and they have been building homes and renovating them for the past 30 years. Based in the White Rock area of British Columbia, their company motto is, "we will take you from drawing board to finish...hassle free! All our work is guaranteed."
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| AFTER YEARS OF PLANNING the O’Ruairc family dream home located two blocks from the beach in White Rock is nearing completion. |
Brian is a qualified carpenter, electrician and plumber, having served his apprenticeship in Ireland. He arrived in Canada in September 1971 and started working up north with Bishop O’Grady’s Mission where he met up with Father McCormick, a fly-in priest for the Native Indian reserves north of Prince George. Brian built homes and community halls for the First Nations on many of the reserves and repaired numerous churches in the area.
Returning to Ireland in 1973, Brian met and married his wife Deirdre, and they returned to Canada together in 1974. After spending a few months in Prince George, they moved to the Lower Mainland and opened Shamrock Renovations and Construction in 1976, specializing in additions and renovations in the residential market. It wasn’t long before they expanded into housing construction and the renovation side of their business expanded into the commercial sector.
Today, Shamrock Construction is divided between commercial, residential renovations, custom homes and specializes in restoring heritage homes. Any tradespeople that Brian employs for larger projects are European trained to ensure the high standard of workmanship that Shamrock Construction guarantees.
Brian O’Ruairc has a unique policy of asking his customers how much money they want to spend on their home, and then he will say, “if money was no object, then what would you like your home to be.” He will then try to build their home as close to their dream as financially possible.
Along with his many other duties, Brian is a chartered arbitrator and consultant and because of his expertise in the construction industry, he is called in as an arbitrator when there is a dispute relating to that industry. He will listen to both sides of the dispute and help to reach a peaceful and fair settlement.
The O’Ruaircs have five children: Sinead, Shane, Sheila, Aisling and son Conn. Deirdre takes care of the office, handling bookkeeping and estimates and co-ordinating jobs.
After years of renovating and building other people’s dream homes, the O’Ruaircs have finally started to build their own dream home. Deirdre said, “this home has been in the planning stages for many years. I’ve always wanted to be live close to the ocean and now we’re two blocks from the beach with a wonderful view of the ocean from our upstairs windows.”
I recently took a drive out to White Rock to the site of the O’Ruairc’s new home and workshop where they are in the process of building. Brian and son Conn were busy measuring, sawing and hammering, as Deirdre proudly took us through the unfinished rooms of the house. She showed us where each bedroom, bathroom, closet, kitchen and living room would be located.
She explained how they switched plans for the living room from downstairs to the upstairs area after they realized what a beautiful view of the White Rock beach that they would have from their living room window. The workshop for Shamrock Construction is also being built at the rear of their new home.
The O’Ruairc family are very proud of their Irish heritage and support all the events taking place in the Irish community. Deirdre is the president of the Irish Women’s Network and she is in the process of establishing an Irish book club in White Rock. The O’Ruairc’s are also members of the White Rock Irish Club.
“We miss all the family gatherings at home in Ireland and the great sense of humour and craic,” Deirdre said, “ but we have embraced the Irish community here and we still get some of that great humour. We’re here now, so let’s live and enjoy our community and hopefully bring a little touch of Ireland here.”
For more information about Shamrock Renovations and Construction Ltd., call (604) 250-4806 or (604) 250-4806, fax (604) 538-6764, or e-mail: shamrockhome@shaw.ca. Shamrock Renovations and Construction Ltd. is located at 15289 Royal Avenue, White Rock, B.C.
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