How Much Does a Home Renovation Cost in Ireland in 2026?
Doing up the house. It’s a big one. Exciting too, once you get past the part where you have to work out what it’ll cost. So let’s do that part first.
Standard finish, most of the time, you’re looking at €1,500 to €2,500 a square metre. Push for the fancy end, or start pulling walls down, and it jumps. €2,500. €4,000. Higher, if you really go for it. On a bog-standard three-bed semi, call it 110 m², a full renovation usually sits between €150,000 and €250,000. And that’s before VAT and fees pile in. Yeah. It’s a lot.
Which is why most people don’t hand it all over in one lump. A home renovation loan breaks it into monthly bits you can actually live with. Go through a broker, and you get to see finance options from all over the market at once, instead of ringing around yourself and losing a fortnight to it. Anyway. Where does the money actually go? Let’s dig in.
The honest cost of doing up your home!
1. What moves the price?
A few things, mostly:
- Size of the job. Obvious one. More rooms, a bigger number.
- The age of the gaff. Anything pre-1960 has a habit of hiding rubbish wiring and dodgy pipes behind the plaster.
- Location. Dublin labour runs maybe 10 to 20% dearer than everywhere else.
- Finish. Flat-pack and basic tiles versus proper joinery is a huge gap.
- Structural stuff. Moving walls drags in engineers and sign-offs, and they cost.
2. Ballpark, by type of job!
There’s no one average. Never has been. Think in brackets instead:
A freshen-up. Paint, floors, a couple of lights. About €800 to €1,500 per m².
Middle ground. New kitchen or bathroom, bit of rewiring thrown in. Up a notch.
The full lot. Rooms, plumbing, plastering, everything. €1,500 to €2,500 per m².
Top spec. Re-layouts, extensions, and premium throughout. €2,500 to €4,000 and up.
Quick sum you can do yourself: floor area times the bracket that fits, then add a cushion.
Here’s the thing people forget, though. The renovation costs in Ireland homeowners really pay come down to scope, way more than any number off a website. Get someone into the house. Let them walk it, poke about, and actually look. That written quote is the only figure worth trusting.
3. Kitchens and bathrooms. The dear ones.
These nearly always eat the most. Stands to reason. Cabinets, tiling, plumbing, and appliances, all shoved into one room.
- Kitchen: €10,000 to €30,000 for most. More if you go all out.
- Bathroom: €5,000 to €15,000, depending on size and how posh.
One thing. Leave the plumbing where it is if you can. Move a single outlet, and there’s another €800 to €1,500 gone, just like that.
4. Trimming costs without wrecking the job
Be smart, not tight. Keep the pipes and cables where they already run. Buy your fittings in the sales. And lock the design in before anyone starts, because changing your mind halfway through is exactly where budgets quietly haemorrhage.
Or do you fancy extending?
Now this is a good shout. Building on is one of the most satisfying things you can do to a house, and it often beats trading up to somewhere bigger. The kitchen opens right up. There’s a spare room where there wasn’t. That bright open-plan bit everyone ends up crowding into.
The house extension cost Ireland families usually plan around starts near €1,900 to €3,400 a square metre nationally. Dublin’s dearer, naturally. €3,000 to €4,500 per m² there.
Real numbers help:
- A 20 m² single-storey rear extension in Dublin, roughly €55,000 to €75,000 all-in.
- Two storeys works out better per square metre. Same roof, same foundations, shared across more space.
- Single-storey rear jobs up to 40 m² are often exempt from planning. As long as you hit every condition.
5. Grab the grants
Bit of good news, this. Renovation actually has money going spare to help you out. Through SEAI, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, over at SEAI.ie, there’s proper cash on offer in 2026:
- Heat pump: up to €12,500
- External wall insulation: up to €8,000
- Attic insulation: up to €2,000
- New windows and doors: up to €5,600, new from March 2026
Go deep-retrofit through a One Stop Shop, and the combined support can nudge past €25,000. One rule, though. Apply before you start. Not after. Miss that, and you miss the money.
6. Sorting the finance
Got your number? Grand. Funding’s the next step, and honestly it’s the bit that turns a wishlist into a start date. A home renovation loan lets you crack on now and pay it back in chunks you can manage, rather than sitting tight for years saving the whole lot.
That’s the Givemyloan job. We’re a broker, so we do the legwork. No applying to one place and hoping. You see suitable finance options from across the market, lined up against your budget and what you’re happy to repay.
Which means:
- The one application
- Options side by side
- A friendly hand from the first enquiry to the yes
7. The extras that sneak up on people
A budget with no give in it is a budget that snaps. Watch for:
VAT. Most renovation labour and materials sit at the reduced 13.5%.
Fees. Architects, engineers, and surveyors. Usually 8 to 15% on bigger work.
Contingency. Keep 10 to 15% back. Old house? Closer to 20%.
A few questions people always ask
1. What does a full house renovation cost in Ireland in 2026?
Standard three-bed semi, about 110 m², reckon on €150,000 to €250,000 before VAT and fees. Scope, finish and where you live shift it from there.
2. Renovate or extend, which is cheaper?
Does the layout work, and is the house sound? Renovating usually comes in cheaper. Need real extra space, though, and an extension tends to pay off better long term.
3. Can I actually get a grant?
You can. Energy upgrades like insulation, heat pumps and new windows can qualify for SEAI grants, and a deep retrofit opens up more again.
4. What does a broker do for me?
We line up suitable finance options in one place, save you the running around, and help you land repayments that don’t keep you up at night.
Bottom line
A renovation in 2026 is well within reach once you get the numbers straight. Get a real quote. Add VAT, fees, and a decent cushion. Check what grants you’re owed. Sort your renovation costs in Ireland early, and you stay in charge the whole way through. Get the finance right, through a broker you trust, and the house you keep imagining is probably a lot nearer than it feels right now.
Ava is Editor-in-Chief at Givemyloan and is known for her deep and practical approach to modern personal finance. She has written several articles covering topics like personal loans, business loans, etc. Coming from an economics and finance background, she has worked behind the scenes to curate informative content to help borrowers identify the right loan option.
Ava’s role at Givemyloan lets her combine her interest in writing with her curiosity to explore the finance realm. She likes to be updated about what is happening in the lending industry. Most importantly, she tries to instil her knowledge in her writing in the best way possible.
She is passionate about helping borrowers look beyond the general features of a loan, i.e. about the fees and other intricate details. When she is not writing, she likes to read contemporary fiction. She is on a mission to help educate people looking for loans so that they take the right route.
