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A realistic budget for your renovation, for the whole house or room by room, with 2026 prices from €450 to €3,500+ per m². Includes VAT, fees and a contingency.
Only renovating some of the house? Tick the rooms you are doing and pick a finish for each. The total adds a 0 to 3% allowance for fees, as most room projects are contractor-led, and a 10% contingency.
Build cost, incl. VAT
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select rooms above
Professional fees
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Contingency
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Total budget
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build, fees and contingency
Select at least one room above to see your estimate.
These are the whole-house rates the calculator uses, per square metre of floor area, including labour, materials and VAT at 13.5%. Dublin costs more because labour, waste and site access cost more.
For a 110 m² three-bed semi in Dublin, that is about €105,000 to €176,000 for a mid-range renovation and €176,000 to €264,000 for a full renovation, before fees and contingency.
| Renovation level | Dublin | Rest of Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Light refresh Decoration, flooring and cosmetic upgrades | €550 to €950 | €450 to €800 |
| Mid-range renovation New kitchen, bathroom upgrade, rewiring and insulation | €950 to €1,600 | €800 to €1,400 |
| Full renovation Structural changes, full replumb and rewire | €1,600 to €2,400 | €1,400 to €2,100 |
| Major structural or deep retrofit Period property, deep retrofit or major structural work | €2,400 to €3,500 | €2,100 to €3,000 |
Per m², including VAT. Professional fees, contingency and any premium for the condition of the house come on top.
Older or neglected houses hide work you only find once walls and floors are opened: outdated wiring, lead pipework, damp and poor insulation. The calculator adds a premium to the build cost and a bigger contingency as the condition gets worse.
If you already know about structural, damp or major services issues, get a site assessment before you rely on any calculator figure.
| Condition | Added to build cost | Contingency |
|---|---|---|
| Good Previously renovated | 0% | 7.5% |
| Average Some dated wiring or plumbing | 5% | 12.5% |
| Poor Original condition | 12% | 17.5% |
| Known issues Structural, damp or major services issues | 20% | 22% |
Professional fees come on top: contractor-led 0 to 3%, engineer consultation 2 to 5%, design plus engineer package 5 to 8%, full architectural service 8 to 12% of the build cost.
Three common renovations run through the calculator. These are Build Me estimates to show how the numbers add up, not prices from finished jobs.
110 m², mid-range renovation, average condition, design and engineer package.
Total budget
€129,000 to €223,000
80 m², light refresh, good condition, contractor-led with no architect.
Total budget
€47,000 to €84,000
130 m², full renovation, poor or original condition, full architectural service.
Total budget
€256,000 to €396,000
SEAI grants are not taken off the estimate. Build Me offers SEAI grant work through our SEAI-registered partner contractor, so insulation, a heat pump or solar panels can be part of your renovation, with the grant applied for before work starts. The heat pump grant is up to €12,500 for a house, or up to €14,500 with the €2,000 boiler scrappage top-up when you replace an oil, gas or solid fuel boiler (since 6 October 2026); check seai.ie for current amounts.
Renovation costs in Ireland fall into four broad levels, and location changes the range at every level. A light refresh covering decoration, flooring, and cosmetic upgrades runs €450 to €800 per m² nationally, or €550 to €950 per m² in Dublin. A mid-range renovation including a new kitchen, bathroom upgrade, rewiring, and insulation runs €800 to €1,400 per m² nationally, or €950 to €1,600 per m² in Dublin.
A full renovation involving structural changes, full replumb, and rewire runs €1,400 to €2,100 per m² nationally, or €1,600 to €2,400 per m² in Dublin. A major structural renovation or deep retrofit on a period property runs €2,100 to €3,000 per m² nationally, or €2,400 to €3,500+ per m² in Dublin.
For a typical 110m² three-bed semi-detached in Dublin, a mid-range renovation runs approximately €105,000 to €176,000 before professional fees and contingency, and a full renovation €176,000 to €264,000. In average condition the calculator adds a 5% premium, which brings the mid-range figure to about €110,000 to €185,000. For a full breakdown of renovation costs by room and property type, see our home renovation costs guide.
The calculator includes the build cost with VAT at 13.5%, an estimate for professional fees, and a contingency allowance. Fees range from 0 to 3% for a contractor-led project with no architect, up to 8 to 12% for a full architectural service, select the level that matches your project. Contingency scales with property condition, from 7.5% for a property in good condition up to 22% where structural, damp, or services issues are already known. As a rule of thumb, we recommend setting aside 15% for most existing homes and 20% for houses built before 1970.
The calculator does not include planning permission costs (€1,500 to €4,000 where required), development levies (€20 to €30 per m² in Dublin), a structural survey (€300 to €600, always recommended for pre-1980 properties), or skip hire and site clearance.
SEAI energy upgrade grants are not taken off the estimate, but they reduce the net cost of energy-related works. The current maximum for a heat pump grant is €12,500 for a house, or €14,500 with the €2,000 boiler scrappage top-up when you replace an oil, gas or solid fuel boiler (since 6 October 2026), external wall insulation is up to €8,000 and attic insulation up to €2,000 (detached house figures; check seai.ie for current amounts). The grant must be approved before any works begin, and the work must be done by an SEAI-registered contractor. Build Me offers SEAI grant work through our SEAI-registered partner contractor, so energy upgrades such as insulation, heat pumps and solar panels can be part of your renovation, with the SEAI grant applied for before work starts.
The single biggest variable beyond the renovation scope itself, and it’s condition, not age alone, that matters. A well-maintained 1930s house can cost less to renovate than a neglected 1980s house with decades of DIY work behind the walls. Once walls and floors are opened, older or poorly-maintained properties regularly reveal outdated wiring, lead pipework, and inadequate insulation. The calculator applies a premium based on condition: 0% for good/previously renovated, 5% for average condition, 12% for poor/original condition, and 20% for known structural, damp, or major services issues, with a site assessment recommended before budgeting further in that last case.
Has a larger impact than most homeowners expect. The difference between a budget-spec and high-spec kitchen renovation on the same footprint is €15,000 to €25,000. Deciding on specification before briefing a contractor, rather than during the build, is the most effective way to control costs.
Dublin projects typically run higher than the national average, but not by a fixed amount, the premium depends on area, trade, access, and whether the property is occupied during works. City-centre or difficult-access jobs can run 10 to 25% above national rates, while commuter-belt Dublin is often closer to 5 to 15%. The calculator’s Dublin and national rate bands reflect this rather than applying a single blanket uplift.
The figures from this calculator are planning numbers, not quotes. They will tell you whether a project is broadly feasible within your budget and help you assess whether a contractor’s quote is in a reasonable range. They will not tell you exactly what your specific renovation will cost.
Get a structural survey before finalising your budget for any property built before 1980. Get three written quotes from contractors who have physically visited the property. Compare quotes on scope, not just total price. A quote that excludes VAT, skip hire, or making good is not comparable to one that includes them.
Pricing one project rather than a whole house? Use the extension cost calculator, the bathroom renovation calculator, the attic conversion calculator or the garage conversion calculator, or see all our cost calculators.
If you are planning a renovation in Dublin and want a fixed written quote from a contractor who manages every trade from first fix to snagging, get in touch with the Build Me team.
An online estimate gets your budget right. A visit gets the price right, because the details that change a price only show up on site.
Use the calculator to set a realistic budget before you speak to anyone.
We visit, look at the house and talk through what you want.
A detailed quote in writing, with materials and every trade listed.
Managed by one team from start to finish.
Still have questions about your renovation? Call 01 270 9764 and we’ll be happy to help.
It gives a realistic budget range from current Irish rates and your answers, not a fixed price. What is behind the walls and under the floors only shows up once work starts, so a written quote after a visit to your home is the only accurate figure for your project.
For a 110 m² three-bed semi in Dublin, a mid-range renovation costs about €105,000 to €176,000 and a full renovation about €176,000 to €264,000, including VAT but before fees and contingency. In the rest of Ireland, the same house costs about €88,000 to €154,000 for a mid-range renovation and €154,000 to €231,000 for a full one. Set the floor area and level in the calculator above for a figure with fees and contingency included.
In Dublin, a light refresh costs €550 to €950 per m², a mid-range renovation €950 to €1,600 per m², a full renovation €1,600 to €2,400 per m² and major structural work or a deep retrofit €2,400 to €3,500 per m², including VAT. In the rest of Ireland the same levels cost €450 to €800 per m², €800 to €1,400 per m², €1,400 to €2,100 per m² and €2,100 to €3,000 per m².
A basic refresh starts from about €25,000, including VAT. If you are only doing a few rooms, the room by room calculator on this page adds up a kitchen, bathrooms and other rooms on their own, which is more accurate than a whole-house rate.
Set aside 15% for most existing homes and 20% for houses built before 1970. The calculator sets the contingency from the condition you pick, from 7.5% for a house in good condition up to 22% where structural, damp or services issues are already known.
Most whole-house renovations take 3 to 6 months on site, after 2 to 4 months of planning and design. From first drawings to moving back in, allow 5 to 10 months in total.
A full rewire costs about €7,000 to €20,000 and a replumb about €6,000 to €12,000, depending on the size of the house. A steel beam to open up a wall costs about €800 to €2,500 each, supplied and installed, more for long spans. The full renovation rate in the calculator includes a full rewire and replumb.
SEAI grants cover energy upgrades such as insulation, heat pumps and solar panels. The heat pump grant is up to €12,500 for a house, or up to €14,500 with the €2,000 boiler scrappage top-up when you replace an oil, gas or solid fuel boiler (since 6 October 2026); check seai.ie for current amounts. Grants must be approved before work starts. Build Me offers SEAI grant work through our SEAI-registered partner contractor. The Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) closed for work after 31 December 2018.