Homeowner guides
Irish planning, in plain English
What needs permission, what's exempt, and how the process actually works - checked against the regulations, dated, and updated when the rules change. Written for homeowners; useful to everyone.
House extension rules in Ireland: what changes on 27 July 2026
New exempted-development regulations signed on 16 July 2026 raise the planning-free rear-extension limit from 40 m² to 45 m² on 27 July 2026 - plus new dormer, rooflight and subdivision classes. The full rules, before and after.
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Garden room, garden office or extension: which needs planning permission?
When a garden room or garden office is planning-exempt, when an extension is the better route, how prefabricated buildings are treated, and the new habitable garden dwelling exemption arriving 27 July 2026.
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How to apply for planning permission in Ireland: the 2026 process, step by step
The full Irish planning application process for a homeowner: pre-planning consultation, newspaper and site notices, fees (EUR 34 to 65), the 8-week decision clock, appeals to An Coimisiún Pleanála, and the commencement notice before you build.
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Granny flats in Ireland: the first planning-free routes arrive 27 July 2026
For the first time, Irish planning law will allow self-contained family accommodation without planning permission: the new garden-dwelling and house-subdivision exemptions commence 27 July 2026. The conditions, the 14-day notification, and what still needs permission.
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Attic conversions: when you need planning permission, and the new dormer exemption
Most attic conversions need no planning permission - the works are internal. Dormers and front rooflights did, until the new exemptions commencing 27 July 2026. The rules, plus the building-regulations side that actually decides whether it counts as a bedroom.
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Solar panels on your house: planning rules, the grant and the 0% VAT
Since 2022 there is no roof-area limit for solar panels on Irish houses - even near airports. The exact conditions, the ground-mounted and wall-mounted rules, the SEAI grant up to EUR 1,800, and the 0% VAT.
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Built without planning permission? Retention, enforcement and the 7-year rule
What to do about unauthorised works: how retention permission works (and its triple fees), the enforcement process and penalties, the 7-year immunity rule and its trap - immune is not authorised - and why the new 45 m² limit does not fix past builds.
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Terms you'll meet along the way are in the planning glossary; for your own property, the free Home Energy & Grant Report shows every grant it qualifies for.