Cost · checked 29 October 2026
Underpinning cost in Ireland
What's actually published here, with dates and VAT status, what drives the price, and what an insurer pays.
Underpinning cost in Ireland: the short answer
- No Irish contractor or public body that we could find publishes an underpinning price list. We looked on 29 October 2026.
- The one published Irish figure: €16,000 for mini-piling under a semi-detached house in Rathgar, Dublin 6, 6 m deep, costed by a structural engineer in 2020 at trade rates he put at about 20% below retail.
- Before any work: a ground investigation at about €3,000 and a CCTV drain survey at €385 including VAT, both 2020 figures.
- Depth, method, access, how many walls, the drains and making good drive the price. Every job is designed for the house.
- If an insurer pays, it can hold back up to 5% of a settlement under €40,000, or 10% of a settlement of €40,000 or more, until the work is done.
Every published figure on this page was checked at its source on 29 October 2026, with its date and VAT status. Nothing here is an estimate of ours. How we check
Every published Irish figure we found
| What | Figure | Date | VAT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-piling under one semi-detached house, Rathgar, Dublin 6, piles 6 m deep | €16,000 | April 2020 | Not stated | The Irish Times: a structural engineer's costing at trade rates, which he estimated at about 20% below what most buyers would pay |
| Ground investigation, including trial holes | About €3,000 | April 2020 | Not stated | The Irish Times: the same engineer's estimate |
| Pre-purchase CCTV drain survey, with maps of the drains | €385 | April 2020 | Incl. VAT | The Irish Times: one drain company's price |
| Commencement Notice fee, where a notice is needed | €30 per building | February 2014 | n/a | Kildare County Council guide to the 2014 regulations |
These are dated figures for particular jobs, not a price list. They are what has been published in Ireland, and they are all we will show. If you know of a dated Irish figure published at its source, send it to us.
Why there's no Irish price list
Kieran McCarthy, a building engineer who has renovated many Cork houses, explains why underpinning costs what it does. It is labour- and machine-intensive: mini diggers, jack hammers, grouting drills and a grouting rig, trucks to take away waste soil and bring in aggregate and concrete, and a team to run it. Groundworks is heavy work done in all weathers. It is carried out by a small number of specialist contractors with specialist equipment, a niche with a price to match. Much of the work is paid for by insurers, which he says pushed prices up in the past, though the sums sanctioned have been reduced since the Celtic Tiger (Irish Examiner, 2022).
Every job is also designed for one house, after the building is surveyed and analysed (Irish Examiner, 2021), so contractors price the engineer's design rather than work from a list.
What drives the price
- Depth. How far down firm ground is. The depth of the dig influences cost (The Irish Times).
- Method. Mass concrete, beam and base, mini-piles or injection, chosen by the engineer (Wikipedia).
- How much of the house. In the cases The Irish Times described, a terrace needed the front and back walls, a semi-detached house all but the party wall.
- Access. Whether machines can get in. A mini-piling rig can go through a front door (The Irish Times).
- The drains. Digging out old clay drains and laying new uPVC ones is part of a typical repair (Irish Examiner).
- Before and after. The engineer's survey and design, the ground investigation, the drain survey, project supervisors, making good the garden and floors, and repairing the cracks months later.
What a quote can leave out
Ask whether each of these is in the price, and if not, who is paying for it:
- The engineer's fees for the design, inspections and sign-off
- Ground investigation and drain survey
- New drains, and testing them
- Project supervisors for design and construction (PSDP and PSCS)
- A Commencement Notice, if one is needed
- Making good: paths, patios, garden, floors
- Repairing and redecorating the cracks later
- VAT
Resin injection and cost claims
One company that offers geopolymer injection in Ireland says its method is typically around half the cost of traditional underpinning (Geobear). That is the company's own claim. We have not found independent Irish figures to check it against. See resin and grout injection.
Why we don't use UK prices
Most underpinning cost guides we found online are British, in sterling, for British jobs. Labour, materials and VAT are different here, so we don't convert them or quote them as Irish prices.
If your insurer is paying
- One Irish policy pays the full cost of repairing the damaged part of the building if the work is done without delay, or the insurer can choose to arrange the work itself (Aviva Homeshield booklet).
- The same policy covers reasonable fees for architects, surveyors and consulting engineers, and the cost of complying with council requirements, but not fees for preparing a claim. It doesn't pay for undamaged parts of the building, except the foundations of the damaged parts (Aviva).
- A subsidence excess, shown on your schedule, comes off the claim (Aviva).
- The insurer can release part of the money before the work is finished and keep back up to 5% of a settlement under €40,000, or up to 10% of €40,000 or more, until you send VAT invoices for the completed work (Aviva; Bank of Ireland home insurance summary).
- Some policies pay for alternative accommodation if you have to move out after an insured event. One summary puts the limit at 20% of the contents sum insured (Bank of Ireland).
Getting quotes you can compare
- Give every contractor the same engineer's design
- Ask for the method, depth and length in writing
- Ask what's excluded, line by line
- Ask for VAT to be shown
- Ask who is PSDP and PSCS
- Ask how long the works take and when the cracks get repaired
Questions people ask
How much does underpinning cost in Ireland?
No Irish contractor or public body that we could find publishes a price list. The one published Irish figure is €16,000 for mini-piling under a semi-detached house in Dublin 6 in 2020, at trade rates. Your price comes from your engineer's design.
Why is underpinning so expensive?
It's labour- and machine-intensive groundwork, done by a small number of specialist contractors with specialist equipment, according to an Irish building engineer. The drains, investigations and making good add to it.
Does house insurance pay for underpinning?
If the damage was caused by an insured event such as subsidence, policies typically pay to repair the damaged part, including the foundations under it, less a subsidence excess. Exclusions apply. See the insurance guide.
How much is an engineer's report for subsidence?
We haven't found an Irish engineer's published fee for a subsidence assessment. The Irish Times put a ground investigation at around €3,000 in 2020, which is a larger piece of work than an initial inspection.
Is resin injection cheaper than underpinning?
A company that sells it says it typically costs around half as much. We haven't found independent Irish figures to check that claim.
Who will ring me?
We pass your request to one experienced groundworks and underpinning contractor who covers your county. Your number isn't sent to a list. They ring you, ask what's happening and about any engineer's report, and price the work from the engineer's design. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
Sources (3)
Prices and facts on this page were checked against these published pages. We are not connected to these businesses.
- Geobear: residential.geobear.com
- Aviva Homeshield booklet: arachas.ie
- Bank of Ireland home insurance summary: personalbanking.bankofireland.com
Get the job priced from the design
Five quick questions and one experienced groundworks and underpinning contractor who covers your county rings you. Or call 087 162 1846 between 8am and 8pm.