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How Long a House Renovation Takes

On site, a light refurbishment takes 8 to 12 weeks, a full renovation 16 to 24 weeks and a gut renovation 24 to 36 weeks. A modern house runs shorter than a period one. Add the time before the builder starts: design, pricing, and planning permission if the job needs it.

Before the start, the stages on site, and the usual delays.

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  • 8 to 12 weekslight
  • 16 to 24 weeksfull
  • 24 to 36 weeksgut

By level

LevelOn siteOn a 150 m² house
Light refurbishment8 to 12 weeks€50,000 to €80,000
Full renovation16 to 24 weeks€100,000 to €200,000
Gut renovation24 to 36 weeks€200,000 to €400,000 and up

Before the builder starts

A big room stripped back to the walls, with a mixer and tools on a dusty floor
  • Survey and design: a month or two.
  • Planning permission, if needed: eight weeks for a decision, then four more before work can start, longer if it's appealed.
  • Pricing: three or four weeks for a builder to price drawings properly.
  • The builder's lead time: good ones are booked months ahead.

The stages on site

  1. Strip-out and demolition.
  2. Structural work: steel, walls, floors.
  3. Roof, windows and doors: the house made weathertight.
  4. First fix: wiring, plumbing, heating.
  5. Insulation and plastering.
  6. Second fix: kitchen, bathrooms, joinery.
  7. Floors, tiling, decoration.
  8. Snagging.

What causes delays

  • Changes after work has started.
  • Something found behind the plaster.
  • Windows, kitchens and stone on long lead times, ordered late.
  • A wet winter on a job with the roof off.
  • Decisions not made: tiles, sockets, door handles.

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More on renovating in Dublin

Costs, old houses, timing and grants.

New glazed doors in a block extension, with scaffolding outsideWhat it costs in Dublin€330 to €530 per m² light. €670 to €1,330 per m² full.A finished open-plan kitchen under rooflightsCost room by roomA kitchen €15,000 to €25,000. A bathroom €8,000 to €12,000.The hall and timber staircase of a period house mid-renovationPeriod housesAllow 15% to 25% more. Here's why.New pipes and cables fixed to a wall before plasteringRewiring and replumbingA rewire with a new water system, €20,000 to €35,000.An empty period room with the ceiling down to the joistsGrantsUp to €50,000 for a vacant house, €70,000 if derelict.

House renovations in every part of Dublin

Price your renovation

Four taps: the house, how much you're doing, when it was built and the scope. You see our price guide per square metre. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want one renovation company that covers your part of Dublin to ring you.

What kind of home is it?

It sets the size and the access.

Questions people ask

Can it be done faster?

With every decision made before the start, yes. Changes on site are what slow jobs down.

When's the best time to start?

Spring, for any job that opens the roof or the back of the house.

What's snagging?

The list of small defects at the end. A sum is held back until they're fixed.

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