Self-Build Hub
Build your own home in Ireland — start here.
The Self-Build Hub walks you through every stage of building your own house in Ireland, from the first site visit to the day you move in. Eighteen stages, in the order you will actually do them. Each stage contains the decisions, costs, grants, and gotchas that other guides leave out.
Stages
18
In chronological order, not search-volume order.
Decisions
200+
Every choice, with sources and dates.
Audience
The Self-Build Researcher
Once-in-a-lifetime builders who want the answer, not the brochure.
The build, in 18 stages
Walk through in order. Each stage stands alone if you need it; cross-links carry you forward and backward to the decisions that depend on each other.
- Stage1
→Start Here — A Self-Build in Ireland Runs 18–36 Months and €350k–€800k, So Plan Around the Three Decisions That Actually Matter
The first decisions shape every other decision. Get these three right and most of the rest falls into place.
- Stage2
→Land and Site Assessment — What Decides a Site Is Buildable in Ireland
Five things decide this: planning status, access, soil, water, wastewater. Any one can kill a sale-agreed purchase.
- Stage3
→Get Planning Permission — The 12-Week Irish Planning Process for a One-Off House
Planning permission takes 3–6 months from lodgement to decision. The work happens before the application, not during it.
- Stage4
→Brief Your Architect — How a €5,000–€10,000 Brief Saves You €50,000 in Rework
The brief is a 10-page document you write before the architect draws anything. Most self-builders skip it; most self-build regrets start there.
- Stage5
→Choose Your Foundation — Your Engineer Picks, Your Soil Decides, Your Budget Pays
Strip on good soil: €120–€180/m². Raft on clay: €180–€260/m². Piled on peat: €280–€450/m².
- Stage6
→Choose Your Wall System — Block, ICF, Timber Frame or SIPs for an Irish Self-Build
Block €110–€160/m² wall. ICF €180–€240/m². Timber frame €200–€280/m². Pick the U-value, the speed, the lifetime cost.
- Stage7
→Insulation, Airtightness and Cladding — Fabric First Is Cheaper Than Heat After
Spending €10,000 more on fabric saves €20,000 in heat-pump sizing and €600/year in running cost.
- Stage8
→Build the Roof — Pitched and Slate or Flat and Membrane, the Decision Is Half Planning, Half Budget
Slate pitched: 30°+ pitches, €150–€220/m², 100+ year life. Flat warm roof: 0–10° pitch, €120–€180/m², 25–40 year life.
- Stage9
→Choose Windows and Doors — Triple Glazing Pays Back in 12–18 Years, Double Is Good Enough on Most Irish Sites
Triple-glazed alu-clad timber: U-value 0.7–1.0, €800–€1,400/m² of window. Double-glazed uPVC: U-value 1.2–1.4, €450–€750/m².
- Stage10
→Heating, Ventilation and Renewables — Heat Pump, Underfloor, MVHR and Solar PV for an Irish Self-Build
A 6 kW air-to-water heat pump costs €8,500 (after the €6,500 SEAI grant + €3,500 bonus you may qualify for). MVHR recovers 70–90% of the heat you'd otherwise throw away.
- Stage11
→Fit the Inside — Kitchens, Bathrooms, Joinery and Finishes Budget €70k–€150k of the Total
Second-fix. Kitchens €8k–€30k, bathrooms €3k–€12k each, flooring €30–€110/m², painting €8–€18/m².
- Stage12
→Landscape the Outside — Driveways, Boundaries, Planting and Wastewater Setbacks
Driveway €30–€80/m², boundary wall €150–€350/m, planting €40–€80/m² installed. Wastewater setbacks dictate where the treatment system goes first.
- Stage13
→Plan the Money — Build Cost, Contingency, VAT and Self-Build Mortgages
SCSI Q1 2026: €2,500–€3,800/m² built. A 180 m² house = €450k–€684k. Add 20% for site works, fees, services. Add 10% contingency. Add VAT.
- Stage14
→Manage the Build — Direct Labour, Main Contractor or Hybrid
Main contractor: 12–18% on top, saves your time. Direct labour: cheaper, costs you 20+ hours/week for 9–15 months. Hybrid is most common.
- Stage15
→Cover the Legal Base — Insurance, Warranties and Statutory Compliance for a Self-Build
Self-build insurance €800–€2,500/year; structural warranty €2,500–€5,000; latent defects €2,500–€4,500. None of it is optional.
- Stage16
→Sign Off and Snag — The Last 5% of the Build Takes 20% of the Time
Snag list is 60–180 items on a 180 m² house. Most builders release 5% retention until the snag list is closed.
- Stage17
→Move In and Maintain — Year 1, Year 5 and Year 10 Checks
The first 12 months shake things down. Year 5 catches latent defects. Year 10 is structural check and major maintenance.
- Stage18
→Real Builds — Six Irish Self-Builds, Their Numbers and Their Gotchas
Real numbers: 180 m² budget build, €350k; coastal passive house, €780k; multi-gen retrofit, €620k.