Building and renovation

Builders in Ireland

Block walls, groundworks, damp-proofing, a garage turned into a room — building work is where a clear description saves the most money. Describe the project and builders near you answer with a price.

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Building and renovation: every service

Asbestos removalIdentifying and safely removing asbestos-containing materials from a home before renovation or because they are damaged: asbestos-cement roofs, sheds and soffits, textured coatings, old floor tiles, pipe lagging and tank insulation.
Attic conversionTurning the roof space into usable room: a floor strong enough to use, a proper stairs, insulation, roof windows or a dormer, and the fire separation the building regulations ask for.
Blocklaying and masonryWalls, piers, openings and repairs in concrete block, brick or stone: boundary and garden walls, pillars for gates, building up openings, and repairing cracked or damaged masonry.
Damp proofingFinding why a wall is damp and fixing the cause — condensation, penetrating damp or rising damp — then repairing the plaster it has ruined.
Garage conversionTurning an integral or attached garage into a room — a bedroom, playroom, office or utility.
Groundworks and foundationsDigging and preparing the ground for an extension, garden room, driveway or drainage: excavation, foundations, drainage runs, levelling and hardcore.
House extensionBuilding a single- or two-storey extension to a house: a kitchen-living room, a ground-floor bedroom, a bigger bathroom.
Structural alterationsRemoving or opening up a load-bearing wall — usually to join kitchen and dining room — or making a new opening in an external wall.

Hiring a builder in Ireland

Building work covers extensions, conversions, structural alterations, block-laying, groundworks and damp-proofing. Bigger jobs involve design, planning or an exemption check, building control, and several trades in sequence — so the builder’s project management is part of what you are buying.

Get the drawings and specification settled before asking for prices: builders can only compare like with like if they are pricing the same thing.

What the work usually involves

Blocklaying and garden walls
Groundworks and foundations
Damp-proofing
Garage and attic conversions

What to put in your task

What you want built or changed, with rough sizes
Whether you have drawings or planning permission
Access for machinery and where waste can go
When you would like it started and finished

Building and renovation: rules and grants in Ireland

The rules in Ireland

Since 27 July 2026, a rear extension of up to 45 m² is exempt from planning permission under conditions, and building work still has to meet the building regulations.

Class 1 (rear extensions): exempt up to 45 m² in total, counting every extension built since 1 October 1964; the part above the ground floor is limited to 12 m² for terraced and semi-detached houses and 20 m² for detached houses, and must be at least 2 m from a party boundary.
The extension may not be higher than the house’s walls and roof, must leave at least 25 m² of private open space, and its roof may not be used as a balcony.
Sheds and garden rooms (Class 3) are exempt up to 30 m², not in front of the house; side or rear dormers up to 30 m³ are also newly exempt.
A Commencement Notice is lodged with the Building Control Authority through the BCMS portal 14 to 28 days before work starts; larger works need it with documentation and statutory certification, or an opt-out for a single dwelling. Check the requirement for your job with your council.

Sources · checked 9 October 2026

What builders cost, and why

What jobs on Talqero came to

Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.

What affects the price

Floor area, foundations and ground conditions
Structural work: steel, lintels, removing walls
Specification of finishes, and who supplies them
Design, engineering and building-control certification
Access for machinery and skips
VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.

How long it usually takes

A garden wall: days.
A garage conversion: three to six weeks.
An extension: usually several months from foundations to finish, after design and any planning.

What to ask before you choose

Are you pricing from drawings and a specification, and which revision?
Who handles the Commencement Notice and any certification?
What is excluded — electrics, plumbing, finishes, skips?
What insurance do you carry, and can I see it?
How are payments staged against the work done?
Is VAT included?

Builders by county

Choose your county to see builders there and the towns they cover.

Building and renovation

Need a builder? Describe the job.

Post it once. Builders near you reply with their own price and when they could start. Free, and no obligation.

Post a task

Questions about hiring a builder

What rules apply to building and renovation work in Ireland?

Since 27 July 2026, a rear extension of up to 45 m² is exempt from planning permission under conditions, and building work still has to meet the building regulations.

How long does building and renovation work take?

A garden wall: days. A garage conversion: three to six weeks. An extension: usually several months from foundations to finish, after design and any planning.

Do I need planning permission?

Some work is exempt and some is not. Check with your local council before you commit, and say in your task what you have already found out.

How do I compare builders’ offers?

Ask each one what is included, how long it will take, and how they will stage the payments you agree directly with them.

What if something goes wrong?

Write it in the conversation first. If that gets nowhere, open a dispute: a named person reads both sides and decides with written reasons.