Renovating a Period House in Dublin

A Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian or 1930s Dublin house costs 15% to 25% more to renovate than a modern house of the same size, and runs longer. 46.6% of homes in Rathmines and 42.9% in Cabra were built before 1946. The extra goes on damp, lime plaster, timber and services that have to be replaced without wrecking what's worth keeping.

What old houses hide, what to keep, and the rules for protected structures.

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15% to 25%more than a modern house
46.6%of Rathmines homes predate 1946
€3,000 to €8,000damp remediation

Where Dublin's old houses are

Area	Homes built before 1946	Includes
Rathmines	46.6%	Rathmines, Rathgar, Terenure
Cabra	42.9%	Cabra, Glasnevin, Drumcondra
Pembroke	42.5%	Ballsbridge, Sandymount, Donnybrook
Dublin 2 and 4	37.8%	Dublin 2, Portobello, Ringsend
Dublin 1 and 7	36.7%	Dublin 1, Phibsborough, East Wall
Dublin 8	33.8%	Dublin 8, the Liberties, Kilmainham
Clontarf	29.3%	Clontarf, Marino, Fairview
Dún Laoghaire	25.5%	Dún Laoghaire, Monkstown, Glasthule
Ballyfermot	20.5%	Ballyfermot, Drimnagh, Inchicore
Blackrock	18.7%	Blackrock, Booterstown, Mount Merrion

What an old house hides

A room taken back to brick, with the ceiling joists open and doors stacked against a chimney breast

What	Why it matters	Our price guide
Rising or penetrating damp	Solid walls with no damp-proof course	€3,000 to €8,000
A damp-proof course or tanking	Basements and returns below ground	€5,000 to €12,000
Old wiring and lead or iron pipes	Replaced through walls you want to keep	€20,000 to €35,000 for a rewire and new water system
Movement	Shallow foundations on Dublin clay	€10,000 to €30,000 and up to underpin
Asbestos	In 1950s to 1980s alterations: flues, tiles, soffits	€5,000 to €15,000

What to keep

The hall of a period house mid-renovation, with a dark timber staircase and the walls being painted

Sash windows: repaired and draught-proofed, they outlast replacements.
Lime plaster and cornices: patch in lime. Gypsum on a solid wall traps damp.
Floorboards, doors, fireplaces: the reason people buy these houses.
Breathability: insulate with materials that let a solid wall dry.

Protected structures and conservation areas

If the house is on the council's Record of Protected Structures, work that affects its character needs planning permission, inside as well as out. That can include windows, plaster, fireplaces and the layout. In an Architectural Conservation Area the outside is controlled. Ask the council's conservation officer before you price anything, and use a builder who has done one before.