1,527 one-off houses were finished in Q3 2026, CSO figures show
The CSO counted 1,527 single houses completed in the third quarter of 2026, 2.1% more than a year earlier. Cork and Galway built the most.
In brief
- The CSO recorded 1,527 single houses completed in Q3 2026, against 1,496 in Q3 2025 (up 2.1%).
- In the first nine months of 2026, 4,365 single houses were completed, 6.9% more than the 4,084 in the same months of 2025.
- Single houses were about 15% of the 10,154 new dwellings completed in the quarter. Scheme houses and apartments make up the rest.
- Cork County (188), Galway County (154) and Donegal (118) had the most single-house completions.
- If your house used the development contribution waiver, it must be complete by 31 December 2026. The CSO figures do not show how many of these houses used the waiver.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) published new dwelling completion figures for the third quarter of 2026 on 29 October 2026. It counts a one-off house built for its owner as a “single house”.
How many one-off houses were finished?
1,527 single houses were completed in Q3 2026, 2.1% more than the 1,496 in Q3 2025. Across the first nine months of the year, 4,365 were completed against 4,084, up 6.9%.
| Quarter | Single houses | All new dwellings |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2025 | 1,496 | 9,197 |
| Q4 2025 | 1,790 | 11,959 |
| Q1 2026 | 1,411 | 7,856 |
| Q2 2026 | 1,427 | 8,823 |
| Q3 2026 | 1,527 | 10,154 |
All new dwellings rose 10.4% on Q3 2025, much faster than single houses. Scheme houses and apartments, built in large batches, account for most of that swing.
Where are they being built?
The counties with the most single-house completions in Q3 2026 were:
| County | Single houses, Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Cork County | 188 | 158 |
| Galway County | 154 | 129 |
| Donegal | 118 | 114 |
| Meath | 80 | 90 |
| Mayo | 79 | 64 |
County figures for one quarter are small and can vary a lot. Wexford, for example, fell from 92 to 74.
What does this mean for you?
The CSO counts a house as complete when it is finished and ready to live in. It does not record which houses used the development contribution waiver, so these figures say nothing about how many waiver houses are still unfinished.
If yours did use it, the house must be complete by 31 December 2026: 63 days from today. Ask your council in writing what evidence of completion it will accept. See the waiver completion deadline and the guides on the development contribution waiver and the certificate of compliance on completion.
Builders and tradespeople are busy in the last quarter of the year. Ask them early what they can finish and by when, and get it in writing. For planning and local need, read planning permission for a one-off house.
This article reports published statistics. It is not a forecast.
Sources
Last reviewed 29 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so confirm anything important with the source before you rely on it.
- NDQ06: New Dwelling Completions by Type of House and Local AuthorityCentral Statistics Office
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