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Building and renovation

Structural alterations

Removing or opening up a load-bearing wall. This needs an engineer’s design before anybody starts.
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Whether this needs a licence in Ireland

Ireland

Licence required

Building Control notification and assigned certifier

Building Control notification and assigned certifier, issued or supervised by the Local authority building control. Ask for the registration number before the work starts and check it on the public register. Check the register: www.gov.ie

Wording approved by Talqero; not yet reviewed by a solicitor

Local authority building controlwww.gov.ieChecked

Structural alterations: what the job involves

Removing or opening up a load-bearing wall — usually to join kitchen and dining room — or making a new opening in an external wall. An engineer designs the steel or lintel and how the wall is propped, and a builder does the work to that design.

Also asked for as: knock wall · remove load bearing wall · steel beam · RSJ · open plan kitchen

How the job is usually done

  1. Engineer’s visit: confirm what the wall carries (floor joists, a wall above, roof loads) and design the beam, padstones and propping.
  2. Check whether the wall is shared with a neighbour and whether any services run in it.
  3. Prop the floor or wall above with temporary supports and strongboys.
  4. Cut out the opening in stages, install padstones and the steel or concrete lintel, and pack it tight.
  5. Remove the props once the packing has cured; the engineer inspects where agreed.
  6. Fire-protect the steel where required, plaster, make good the floor and ceiling, and reroute services.

Structural alterations: what is included

Usually included

  • Temporary propping
  • Removing the wall and installing the beam to the engineer’s design
  • Disposing of the rubble
  • Basic making good around the opening

Usually not included — agree it separately

  • The engineer’s design and inspection fees
  • Moving radiators, sockets and switches in the wall
  • New flooring to join the two rooms
  • Decoration

Materials and who supplies them

  • Steel beam or concrete lintel and padstones to the engineer’s specification
  • Props and strongboys — the builder’s
  • Fire-protection board or paint for steel, plasterboard and skim

How long it takes

Usually one to two weeks including propping, installation and making good; steel lead time and moving services can add time.

When to book

Any time of year since it is indoor work, but plan around the kitchen being unusable for a week or two.

Structural alterations: the rules in Ireland

What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.

  • Work that affects only the inside of a house is exempted development and needs no planning permission, unless it is a protected structure. A new or wider opening in an external wall that changes the look of the house may need permission.

    Applies to: the homeowner

    Planning and Development Act 2000, section 4(1)(h) — explained by Citizens Information · citizensinformation.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

  • Structural work must meet Part A of the building regulations whether or not a Commencement Notice is needed. In practice that means an engineer’s design for the beam and its bearings, and keeping the design and sign-off for when the house is sold.

    Applies to: the homeowner and the builder

    Building Regulations Part A (Structure) — Department of Housing technical guidance documents · gov.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

  • Where the alteration is part of works that are not exempt, a Commencement Notice is lodged with the Building Control Authority 14 to 28 days before work starts. Ask your council if unsure.

    Applies to: the homeowner and the builder

    Building Control Regulations — Building Control Authority · fingal.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

  • Where more than one contractor works on the job, there is a particular risk (deep excavation, heavy steel, asbestos, a fall from height), or the work lasts more than 30 days, the homeowner must appoint a Project Supervisor Design Process and a Project Supervisor Construction Stage in writing, and keep the safety file. Work lasting more than 30 days or 500 person-days must also be notified to the HSA.

    Applies to: the homeowner, as client

    Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 — HSA, Getting Construction Work Done Safely: Guide for Homeowners · hsa.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

  • Ireland has no separate party wall act: work to a wall, chimney or boundary shared with a neighbour is covered by the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act. The owner doing the work must make good any damage and may need the neighbour’s consent, or a court works order if consent is refused.

    Applies to: the homeowner

    Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009, sections 43 to 47 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

Grants

  • Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant

    Up to €50,000 to refurbish a vacant property, or up to €70,000 where it is derelict, including structural works.

    Who qualifies: Owners of properties built before 2008 that have been vacant for at least two years, to be lived in as a principal private residence or let; applied for through the local council before work starts.

    citizensinformation.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

What structural alterations costs, 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

  • Span of the opening and the size of steel
  • What the wall carries: a floor, a wall above or roof loads
  • Services in the wall to reroute
  • Making good floors, ceilings and plaster
  • Access to get steel into the house
  • VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced 13.5% rate by a VAT-registered builder, unless materials are more than two-thirds of the price (Revenue’s two-thirds rule)
  • 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.

Paperwork to ask for at the end

  • The engineer’s design, calculations and a certificate or letter confirming the work was done to the design
  • Photographs of the steel and padstones before they were covered
  • Electrical Completion Certificate if circuits were altered

Safety

  • Never remove or cut into a wall until somebody competent has confirmed it is not load-bearing.
  • Stay out of the work area while props are in; knocking a prop can be catastrophic.
  • Old plaster, textured ceilings and floor tiles can contain asbestos in houses built before 2000; check before demolition.

Structural alterations: before you hire

Questions to ask a tradesperson

  • Who is the engineer, and will they sign off the work?
  • Is the steel and padstone work exactly to the design?
  • How long will the props be in?
  • Is making good of floor, ceiling and plaster included?
  • Is VAT included?

What you can do yourself

Not a DIY job; emptying the rooms and moving furniture away from both sides of the wall helps the builder start promptly.

What to put in your task

  • What do you want to do?
  • Roughly how wide will the opening be?
  • What is above the wall?
  • Do you already have an engineer’s design?
  • Are there sockets, switches, radiators or pipes in the wall?

Photos that help

  • The wall from both sides, floor to ceiling
  • The ceiling above, and the room or wall directly above it upstairs
  • Any sockets, radiators or pipes on the wall
  • The attic above, if it is a bungalow

Structural alterations by county

Choose your county for structural alterations close to home.

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Questions about structural alterations

Does structural alterations need a licence in Ireland?

Yes. Building Control notification and assigned certifier, supervised by the Local authority building control. Source: www.gov.ie. Ask for the registration number and check it on the public register. Wording approved by Talqero; not yet reviewed by a solicitor.

How do I know if a wall is load-bearing?

Clues are floor joists running across it upstairs, a wall directly above it, or roof timbers bearing on it in a bungalow. Many internal walls in Irish block-built houses are load-bearing. Only an engineer can confirm it and specify what replaces it.

Do I need planning permission to knock a wall inside?

No, internal changes are exempted development unless the house is a protected structure. The work must still meet the building regulations, so keep the engineer’s design and sign-off with the house deeds.

Why does the steel need boxing in?

Steel loses strength quickly in a fire, so the building regulations’ guidance asks for it to be protected, usually with fire-rated plasterboard or intumescent paint. The engineer or designer specifies what is needed.

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