Planning Permission Ireland

House design guide

What Galway wants your home to look like

This guide requires new rural homes in County Galway to be simple, well-proportioned, and visually integrated with the natural landscape. Homeowners should build narrow-plan houses that work with the site's natural slopes and use local materials like regional stone to match the local character. Setting the house in sheltered positions for solar gain while retaining native boundaries is highly encouraged.

Accepted house types & forms

long housel formt formu formdouble parallelno dormer storey-and-a-halfeaves dormer storey-and-a-halfdouble and slipped storey-and-a-halfsmall roof dormer storey-and-a-halfsimple two storeytwo storey with lean-totwo storey with gabletwo storey single ltwo storey l gablethatch cottagetin hayshed formone-room-deep narrow plan

What they want to see

Encouraged by the guide

  • Siting for Solar Gain and Shelter(Page no. 8, 11)

    Dwellings should be positioned in the most sheltered area of a site and oriented within 15 degrees of due south to maximize daylight and solar heating.

  • Narrow Plan Forms(Page no. 29, 32, 34)

    The council encourages 'one room deep' narrow plan typologies which have a maximum depth of 9m, allowing for better proportions, lower ridge heights, and dual-aspect natural lighting.

  • Maintaining and Reinstating Boundaries(Page no. 9, 20)

    Existing field boundaries like hedgerows and dry stone walls must be retained. If they must be removed for sightlines, they should be reinstated behind the new sightlines.

  • Integrating with Slopes(Page no. 15, 16)

    Buildings should run with the natural slope of the land using stepped levels or split-level designs, utilizing excavated stone to anchor the building into the site.

  • Indigenous Materials(Page no. 46, 47)

    Finishes should use indigenous materials such as natural slate, cedar cladding, and regional stone (limestone in East Galway, granite in Conamara).

What gets refused

Discouraged by the guide

  • Pattern Book Designs(Page no. 8, 28, 29)

    Standard suburban pattern book designs are discouraged because they have no relationship to the specific site, leading to large, boxy, and poorly integrated houses.

  • The Platform Effect(Page no. 15, 16)

    Creating artificial flat platforms on sloped sites via excessive cutting of a hillside or excessive mound fill is discouraged as it creates unsightly and conspicuous sites.

  • Suburban Landscaping(Page no. 9, 17)

    Avoid formal geometric gardens, large areas of mowed lawn in front gardens, concrete paths surrounding the house, and non-native boundary plants like Leylandii.

  • White PVC and Ornate Details(Page no. 3, 39, 41)

    Avoid white PVC for fascias, soffits, and cladding. Ornate fascias, tiles, box gutters, white plastic downpipes, and 'add-on' frills should be avoided.

  • Applied Stone Veneers(Page no. 46, 47)

    Non-functional stone 'veneer' cladding is discouraged. External finishes should portray honesty rather than using fake applied veneers.

  • Add-on Conservatories(Page no. 45)

    Poorly integrated or poorly oriented conservatories that function merely as 'add-on' features rather than being integrated into the main building form are discouraged.

Materials & finishes

  • Natural slate (blue/grey hue)
  • Thatch (golden hue)
  • Corrugated tin (oxide red for agricultural forms)
  • Indigenous stone matching the local geology (limestone in East Galway, granite in Conamara)
  • Traditional whitewash or light-coloured lime render
  • Cedar timber cladding
  • Zinc galvanised metal cladding
  • Coloured aluminium or timber composite windows
  • Avoid white plastic / PVC gutters, fascias, and soffits

Roofs & form

  • Simple roof profiles such as pitch roof, mono-pitch, double monopitch, and barrel vaults
  • Low eaves and low ridge heights achieved by narrow plans
  • Avoid complicated roofscapes that indicate poor resolution of the floor plan layout
  • A maximum depth of 9m for deep plans to maintain traditional farmhouse proportions
  • Fascias, soffits, and verges finished to a similar colour as the roof material (flush eaves and verges are preferred)
  • Robust, centrally located, or ridge-aligned chimneys (squat and short; avoid long, spindly types)
  • Flush profile roof-lights instead of multiple roof dormers on public visible elevations

Siting & landscape

  • Position the house in the most sheltered area of the site, integrated into the slope to avoid unnatural platforms
  • Orientate the house within 15 degrees of due south to maximize passive solar gain
  • Stagger dwellings instead of lining them up parallel to the road to avoid a ribbonised street front
  • Maintain existing field boundaries, retaining a minimum of two boundaries to minimize visual impact
  • Avoid car parking to the front; locate it to the side or rear of the dwelling
  • Avoid large areas of black tarmacadam or precast paviours; use local stone or pea gravel for permeable driveways
  • Avoid formal geometric gardens and large mowed lawns in favor of wild gardens and natural meadows
  • Locate play areas, gardens, and utility areas (clothes lines, fuel storage) in secure, screened, and secluded zones

Auto-generated summary of Design Guidelines for Single Rural Housing — read the official source ↗. Last updated 22 June 2026.

Based on: Page no. 1, Page no. 2, Page no. 3, Page no. 5, Page no. 7, Page no. 8, Page no. 9, Page no. 11, Page no. 12, Page no. 15, Page no. 16, Page no. 17, Page no. 18, Page no. 20, Page no. 26, Page no. 27, Page no. 28, Page no. 29, Page no. 30, Page no. 31, Page no. 32, Page no. 33, Page no. 34, Page no. 35, Page no. 36, Page no. 37, Page no. 38, Page no. 39, Page no. 40, Page no. 41, Page no. 42, Page no. 43, Page no. 44, Page no. 45, Page no. 46, Page no. 47, Page no. 48.

For information only — not legal or planning advice. Always confirm requirements with Galway County Council and a qualified professional before relying on them.