County Louth has experienced a housing boom in recent years and one of the companies that has been to the forefront of this unprecedented development is the IJM Group. Stephen Corley of IJM's new one off division, Green Homes explains more. Louth GAA is poised to benefit from the massive housing boom that has taken place in the county over the past number of years. The IJM Group is proud of the part it has played in providing quality homes for the influx of new families into Co. Louth. For over 40 years, IJM has been regarded as the leading timber frame company in Ireland, supplying timber frame houses, apartments, hotels and nursing homes nationwide. "We're the original timber frame company in Ireland," explains Stephen Corley, technical sales executive for IJM's new division Green Homes. "Timber is the most sustainable building product out there - it's estimated that there is 150 years worth of timber left in Europe without replanting. If you look at countries with cooler climates, 95 per cent of their houses are timber frame. And in the last few years, Ireland has started to follow suit." The IJM Group, founded by Sean McCaughey in 1965, has been at the cutting edge of timber frame manufacturing innovation ever since. The company's state-of-the-art headquarters in Monaghan (it also has offices in Dundalk, Armagh, Castlecomer and Cardiff) includes a manufacturing facility, administration and design offices. Over the years, thousands of satisfied customers have benefited from IJM Timber Engineering building solutions in terms of economic construction, design flexibility and quality. The timber used in the timber frame structural shell comes from managed forests. Indeed, IJM recently became the first company in Ireland to receive certification for both prestigious Chain of Custody schemes, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification), thus reinforcing its commitment to sustaining the environment. As part of the company's overall quality philosophy, all structural timber is subjected to a rigorous mechanical stress graded to BS 5268 to verify the integrity of each part of the structural timbers for all new IJM homes. IJM are the only timber frame manufacturers to stress grade timbers in-house for greater quality control, and its computer-controlled production ensures unrivalled levels of accuracy. The company's commitment to quality and service is reflected in the technical support, on site training and research programmes available to every customer. IJM Timber Engineering has achieved ISO 9001:2000 Quality Systems certification from both the National Standards Authority of Ireland and the British Standards Institute, and has also achieved the Irish Quality Association's 'Q' mark. International awards include the Deubau Produkt Europa for innovation in the European construction industry, and the EU Thermie Award for energy efficiency in production design. IJM has recently established a stand alone one off division, Green Homes to provide dedicated and practical advice to home builders on a wide range of building products in order that they achieve the most sustainable home available. "While Green Homes is a completely separate division to IJM Timber Engineering, the two compliment each other in many ways," Stephen says. "Green Homes was set up to cater for the self-build market. Our aim is to deliver the benefits of green building techniques to all of our customers. We also give guidance on achieving energy rating. From January 2008, owners of newly-built homes will have to provide an energy rating certificate, so it's obviously a big issue at the moment." Home builders can rely on Green Homes to utilise the latest and most innovative forms of timber frame construction, allowing for the production of an energy efficient home with low embodied energy. At the recent Ideal Homes Exhibition in Dublin's RDS, Green Homes' 2,500 sq ft contemporary bungalow was one of the main attractions. The impressive show house was manufactured and erected by Green Homes. Among the recent projects completed by IJM are: Skeffington Hotel, Hotel Westport, Hillgrove Hotel, Bellingham Castle, 186 unit Holiday Village in Pembrokeshire for Alfred McAlpines, 134 unit residential development in Belfast for Taggart Homes and Nursing Homes in Monaghan, Ardee and Enniskillen. The company has also successfully completed major contracts for top construction firms Ballymore Properties, Copthorn Developments and McNamara Contractors. Timber frame homes have many advantages over their masonry equivalents. They are especially energy efficient, and it's estimated that the average fuel maintenance cost of a timber frame home is 40% less than for masonry buildings. The IJM Group is headed up by Peter McCaughey, while his brother Martin is a director. Their father and company founder Sean McCaughey continues to have an involvement in the business. Many of IJM's workforce are involved in the GAA, including Monaghan and Latton football star Hugh McElroy. Stephen Corley also played football with both his native Emyvale and Scotstown, where is currently living, and is a keen supporter of the Monaghan county side. "2007 was Monaghan's best year since 1988 and there's a tremendous feel-good factor in the county after what the team achieved this year," he notes. "They reached the All-Ireland quarter-final and, as everyone knows, were desperately unlucky to lose to Kerry by a point. The most important thing now for Monaghan is to build on this year's progress and not to get carried away with the bit of success. They've a good, young squad with lots of potential, but they've now got to go out and prove that this year wasn't a flash in the pan." Stephen also keeps a close eye on how the Louth footballers are doing, and feels they have made huge strides under Monaghan's great Eamonn McEneaney. "Like Monaghan, Louth can feel very happy with their progress this year. They had a great run in the All-Ireland qualifiers and that bodes well for them heading into the new season. "Eamonn McEneaney has clearly done great work with them. I have vivid memories of him playing alongside my second cousin Eamonn Murphy on the great Monaghan team of the 1980s. He knows his football inside out and the signs are that Louth are benefiting from that," he concludes. 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