The build
Where to start a self-build in Ireland: what to do first, second and third
No land, no mortgage and no plans yet? The order to work in: affordability, then site and planning prospects, then mortgage approval in principle.
One build, seven stages
Find the guide for where you are
Guides in build order, from choosing a site to handover. Open a stage for its reading list, checklist and calculators.
Show only guides about
Stage 1: Find and check a site
Find land, and check it can get planning, services and a sensible foundation before you pay for it.
Planning permission
Rural housing and local need: do you qualify?
How rural housing policy and the local need test work for a one-off house in Ireland: the evidence councils ask for and occupancy conditions.
Planning permission
Will your site pass a wastewater assessment?
Test whether your site can treat wastewater before you buy. Check soil depth, percolation results and distances to wells under Ireland's 2021 Code.
Finance
Financing a site for a self-build in Ireland
Plan a site purchase alongside your build mortgage, upfront tax and fees, with a worked cash budget and questions to settle before committing.
Finance
Buying an unfinished house in Ireland
Check funding, planning, certification and insurance before buying a part-built house in Ireland, with a worked cost-to-finish comparison.
Costs and grants
Ready to Build: up to €30,000 off a serviced site
Get up to €30,000 off a serviced council site. Check who qualifies, planning and build deadlines, local conditions and when you must repay the discount.
The build
Septic tank or treatment system for a new house in Ireland
How a septic tank differs from a packaged treatment system, what the 2021 wastewater code requires for a new house, and who registers and maintains it.
Planning permission
Building a house on your parents' or family land
How to build on a site from your parents or family: the tax on the gift, getting the site into your name, what a lender asks for and the planning conditions.
Planning permission
Living on site while you build: mobile home, caravan or cabin
Can you live in a mobile home, caravan or cabin on your site while you build in Ireland? Planning, wastewater, insurance and the risk of building first.
Planning permission
Renovate, extend or knock down and rebuild an old house in Ireland
Inherited an old farmhouse or bungalow? Compare renovating, extending or rebuilding in Ireland: planning, VAT, grants, finance and insurance.
Finance
Help to Buy for self-builders in Ireland
Check your Help to Buy eligibility, refund limits and first-drawdown dates before counting the money in your Irish self-build budget.
Stage 2: Design and planning permission
Hire a designer, prepare the application and get a grant of permission from your local authority.
Planning permission
Planning permission for a one-off house in Ireland: what to expect
How planning works for a one-off house in Ireland: what the council looks at, the pre-planning meeting, the 8-week decision period and what to prepare first.
The build
Architect, architectural technologist or engineer: who do you need?
Choose a self-build designer and certifier in Ireland. Check registration and compare roles, inspections, fees and responsibilities before hiring.
Planning permission
Planning application fee for a new house in Ireland
Budget for the €65 house planning fee, notices, drawings and site assessments. Check retention charges, appeal fees and separate development contributions.
Planning permission
Planning conditions for your house
Read your planning conditions before booking a builder. Agree required details, check contributions and meet pre-start conditions before work begins.
Planning permission
Planning objections and appeals in Ireland
Who can object to a planning application, who can appeal the council's decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála, and how the four-week appeal deadline is calculated.
Planning permission
How long does planning permission last in Ireland?
Planning permission normally lasts five years from the grant. Check your expiry date, what unfinished work means and when to apply for an extension.
Planning permission
When do you need retention permission?
Check whether work built without permission needs retention, what it costs and when the council must refuse to consider an application.
Costs and grants
Development contribution waiver: meet the completion deadline
Have a council levy waiver? Arrange completion evidence before 31 December 2026. New starts cannot qualify; budget for the contribution in your permission.
Stage 3: Arrange finance and budget
Set a budget with a contingency, then arrange a self-build mortgage that pays out in stages.
Costs and grants
Cost to build a house in Ireland: how to budget for your self-build
Budget for your Irish self-build, from site and construction to fees, VAT and contingency. Understand cost averages and compare quotes for your design.
Finance
Getting a self-build mortgage in Ireland
What an Irish self-build mortgage needs: planning permission first, a 10% deposit, borrowing limits, application documents and the interest-only option.
Finance
Self-build mortgage stage payments explained
Plan self-build mortgage stage payments around your bills, certification and deadlines, with a four-stage example and a worked cash-flow budget.
Finance
How to compare self-build mortgages in Ireland
Compare self-build mortgage offers on stage payments, available cash, repayments and total cost, with a worked example and questions for your lender.
Finance
Mortgage interest during a self-build
Budget for interest while building in Ireland, understand interest-only repayments, and test the payment jump and cost of delays with worked examples.
Finance
Funding a gap in your self-build budget
Separate a drawdown delay from a cost overrun, calculate the money needed to finish, and compare options before taking on extra debt.
Finance
Building a house without a mortgage in Ireland: cash first, mortgage after
Self-building with savings and no lender in Ireland? What changes: insurance, certification, Help to Buy, and borrowing against the finished home afterwards.
Costs and grants
SEAI grants: can a new self-build qualify?
A new self-build cannot claim these heat pump or solar grants. Check the age tests, approval rules and other supports before accepting an installer’s quote.
Costs and grants
Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant: refurbishing a vacant or derelict house
Who qualifies for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, how much it pays (up to €70,000), when you get the money, and the insurance gap during works.
Finance
VAT on a self-build in Ireland: rates and what to budget
Irish self-build VAT: house construction, separately bought materials, the two-thirds rule, heat pumps, qualifying solar contracts and VAT recovery.
Stage 4: Insure the build
Arrange the cover your lender and the law expect, before any work starts on site.
Insurance
Self-build insurance in Ireland: what you need and when
What self-build insurance covers in Ireland, how to get a project-specific price, and what to check before accepting a quote.
Insurance
What insurance does a self-build mortgage lender require?
Check the building insurance, life cover and certificates your self-build lender needs before drawdown, with a worked example of one lender’s conditions.
Insurance
Insurance when you project manage your own build
Hiring trades directly instead of a main contractor shifts insurance checks to you. What to ask each trade, what to ask your insurer, and what to keep.
Insurance
Structural defects cover for a new home in Ireland
What structural defects insurance covers, how it differs from a completion certificate, and how to check whether your one-off self-build is eligible.
Insurance
Making a claim on your self-build insurance
What to do when something goes wrong on site, what your insurer must do under the Consumer Protection Code, and why under-insurance cuts payouts.
Stage 5: Notify Building Control
Appoint your assigned certifier (the independent professional who inspects and certifies your build) and your builder, then lodge the commencement notice with the council before you start.
The build
Manage your self-build or hire a main contractor?
Hire trades or use a main contractor for your Irish self-build? Compare time, payment gaps, safety duties, certification and delay costs.
The build
Choosing a builder and the building contract for a self-build
How to shortlist and check a builder in Ireland, what a building contract should cover, and how to link payments, retention and insurance to it.
Regulations
Commencement notice: what to file before you start
What to include with a commencement notice for a new house in Ireland, who signs it, when to file it and how to report changes.
The build
If your builder goes bust or walks off the job
What to do when your builder stops work on your self-build in Ireland: secure the site, value the work, close the insurance gap, restart and recover money.
Regulations
Assigned certifier: who to appoint and what to agree
Choose an assigned certifier for your Irish self-build: eligible professions, inspection plans, fees, records and what to agree before work starts.
Regulations
Building Regulations: what your house must meet
What the Irish Building Regulations require for a new house, Part by Part from A to M, who is legally responsible, and how technical guidance fits in.
Regulations
Fire safety and access rules for your new house
Does a self-build house need a fire safety certificate or disability access certificate? What the regulations exempt, and what Parts B and M still require.
Stage 6: Build
Site works, foundations, shell, services and finishes, with inspections and drawdowns along the way.
The build
The stages of building a house in Ireland
The order a self-build usually follows in Ireland, from site and planning through Building Control notices and drawdowns to the completion certificate.
Costs and grants
Timber frame, block or ICF: choose a build method
Compare timber frame, cavity block and insulating concrete formwork. Check the specification, installer, schedule and complete quote before choosing.
The build
How long does it take to build a house in Ireland?
Realistic timescales for a self-build in Ireland, from site search and planning to moving in, and the things that most often add months.
The build
Site works and connecting services to a self-build
Site preparation and service connections for an Irish self-build: access, water, electricity, wastewater and broadband, and what to apply for early.
The build
Modular homes: planning, building rules and your budget
How a modular home fits Irish planning and building regulations, what the July 2026 Class 3A rear-garden exemption covers, and what the supplier leaves to you.
Costs and grants
Passive House or nZEB: what are you paying for?
Agree your home’s energy target before getting quotes. Check what Passive House certification adds to Irish energy requirements and who will prove it.
Regulations
Meet the nZEB and Part L energy rules for your house
Plan insulation, heating and renewables to meet the nearly zero energy building (nZEB) standard. Part L targets, design checks and renovation rules.
Costs and grants
Heat pump for a new build in Ireland: type, sizing and cost
Choose between air-to-water, exhaust-air and ground-source heat pumps for a new house. Sizing, emitters, cost, grants and how it fits Part L.
Costs and grants
Solar PV on a new build: the Part L renewable requirement
How solar panels help a new house meet the Part L renewable energy ratio. When you need them, how many kWp, what they cost and the planning exemption.
The build
Water supply for a one-off house: mains, group scheme or well
Compare an Uisce Éireann connection, a group water scheme and a private well for a rural self-build. Costs, testing and what lenders ask for.
Stage 7: Completion and handover
Certificates, the BER, snagging and the final drawdown, so you can move in with the paperwork in order.
Regulations
Get your completion certificate registered before moving in
The certificate of compliance on completion for an Irish self-build: who signs it, what goes with it, the 21-day check and the single-dwelling opt-out.
Regulations
Get a BER certificate before moving into your new home
Arrange your Building Energy Rating (BER) before you move in. Learn when to book, what records to keep, how long it lasts and the sale and letting rules.
The build
Snagging your new house before final payment
How to snag a self-build in Ireland before final payment: what to check room by room, how to record defects, and retention and certificates.
More guides
The build
Building the walls up to roof level
Block, timber frame and insulated concrete formwork walls on an Irish self-build: what to check before work is covered, and who signs off.
The build
First fix: electrics, plumbing, heating and ventilation before the walls close
What first fix means in an Irish self-build, who does it, what to photograph and check before plasterboard covers it, and what goes wrong.
The build
Insulation, airtightness and the air test: what to check before it is covered
How insulation and airtightness are installed and tested in an Irish self-build, what a blower-door test measures, and what to check before plasterboard.
The build
Plastering, screed and drying out: how long to allow before the finishes
How plastering, screeding and drying out work on an Irish self-build, how long to allow, how to dry the house safely, and what goes wrong with floors.
The build
Roof and weathertight shell: the milestone lenders and insurers watch
What happens when the roof goes on an Irish self-build, what weathertight means, what to check before it is covered, and why lenders and insurers care.
The build
Second fix and finishes: from kitchen and bathrooms to snagging
The last stage of an Irish self-build: joinery, kitchen, bathrooms, fittings, painting and flooring, then commissioning, certificates and snagging.
The build
Site setup and foundations: what happens and what to check
What happens on site from setting out to the foundation pour in an Irish self-build, who signs off, what to photograph and what goes wrong.
The build
Substructure and ground floor slab: damp, radon and insulation
What happens between the foundations and the first wall course in an Irish self-build: drainage, radon, damp-proofing, insulation and the slab pour.