County Kildare · checked 29 October 2026
Underpinning in County Kildare
Kildare has the youngest housing of the 14 counties on this site, but it also has bog, fen and heavy clay, and it is one of the pyrite scheme areas.
Facts on this page checked against each source on 29 October 2026. Each one links to its source. How we check
In Census 2022, 15.6% of the 82,543 households in County Kildare lived in homes built before 1971, against 28.5% nationally, and 3.8% in homes built before 1919 (CSO).
Underpinning here works the way it does everywhere: a chartered structural engineer first, then the cause, then the design. This page adds what is particular to County Kildare: the age of its houses, its ground, and the schemes that apply.
The age of the housing in County Kildare
| Area | Households | Pre-1919 | Pre-1971 | Pre-1991 | 1991 to 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Kildare | 82,543 | 3.8% | 15.6% | 38.7% | 46.9% |
| Ireland | 1,836,728 | 8.4% | 28.5% | 50.8% | 39.1% |
Source: CSO Census 2022, table SAP2022T6T2CTY, permanent private households by year built. Shares are of all households, including those whose year built wasn't stated.
Why age matters: civil engineer Kieran McCarthy says most Irish suburbs built in the early 1970s or before will likely have clay drains, and that leaking drains cause most of the subsidence he sees (Irish Examiner, 2021). And the national Building Regulations, including requirement A2 that foundations cope with ground movement, apply to buildings from 1 June 1992 on (TGD A). In County Kildare, 38.7% of households live in homes built before 1991.
Ground conditions in County Kildare
- Most of Kildare is limestone glacial till. From Athy north to Kildare and Naas the soils are mostly luvisols, where clay has moved down into the subsoil and slows drainage (Farmers Journal soil survey of Co. Kildare).
- In the north-east, around Straffan and Cellbridge, surface-water gley soils on heavy glacial till are poorly drained. To the west, basin peat sits in the lower ground, and the Bog of Allen extends into the north-west and south-west of the county (Farmers Journal).
- Pollardstown Fen, west of Newbridge, is the largest remaining calcareous spring-fed fen in Ireland (Farmers Journal).
- Geological Survey Ireland lists landslides, subsidence, flooding and coastal erosion as Ireland's most prevalent geohazards, with peat among the ground types involved (GSI natural geohazards).
These notes describe the county's soils and geology in general. They are background for a conversation with an engineer, never a verdict on one house.
Pyrite and defective blocks in County Kildare
Pyrite Remediation Scheme: County Kildare is in the scheme. As published in 2020, homes had to be built and completed between 1 January 1997 and 12 December 2013, certified with a damage condition rating of 2 attributable to pyrite heave, and meet the scheme's other conditions (C&AG). Pyrite heave lifts floors; underpinning doesn't fix it.
See pyrite and defective blocks.
Getting a house in County Kildare looked at
- Record the cracks.Dated photos, inside and out, with a ruler in the shot. Don't fill them yet.
- Get a chartered structural engineer.The engineer grades the cracks, finds the cause and decides whether underpinning is needed at all. Engineers Ireland awards the CEng MIEI title (Engineers Ireland).
- Check the drains.A CCTV drain survey shows whether old drains are leaking, the usual cause.
- Tell your insurer if you're claiming.As soon as reasonably possible. See the insurance guide.
- Get the design priced.Send your details and one experienced groundworks and underpinning contractor who covers your county rings you to talk it through.
The full order of work is on the underpinning process page, and the methods on underpinning methods.
Nearby counties
Dublin · County Meath · County Offaly · County Laois · County Carlow · County Wicklow · All county pages
Questions people ask
Does the pyrite scheme cover Kildare?
Yes. Kildare County Council's area is one of the scheme areas. To be eligible, a home had to be built and completed between 1 January 1997 and 12 December 2013 and meet the scheme's other conditions.
Is peat a problem for foundations?
Peat is compressible ground. Whether it affects a particular house depends on what is under that house and how the foundations were designed, which a site investigation and an engineer establish.
How old are Kildare's homes?
In Census 2022, 15.6% of Kildare's 82,543 households lived in homes built before 1971, and 46.9% in homes built between 1991 and 2010.
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.
Cracks in a house in County Kildare?
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.