This chapter contains information on house building & other construction in Ireland. It includes information on planning permissions, the construction sector, new dwellings completions and residential property prices.
Construction statistics are compiled by the CSO using inquiries to construction firms or, in the case of planning permissions data, to the planning authorities. Statistics for production in construction are compiled using the quarterly CSO survey, Production in Building and Construction. A measure of new orders in the sector is provided by the CSO inquiry on planning permissions.
New Dwelling Completions data has been compiled using an innovative approach to linking the best available housing related datasets together, resulting in the most accurate analysis available to date. The CSO linked data from ESB Network domestic connections with Building Energy Rating datasets, Revenue datasets, Geodirectory and Census of Population data.
| Houses | Apartments | |
| 2008 | 47806 | 19778 |
| 2009 | 26814 | 13742 |
| 2010 | 11604 | 6874 |
| 2011 | 9098 | 2547 |
| 2012 | 5389 | 861 |
| 2013 | 6002 | 1197 |
| 2014 | 6626 | 785 |
| 2015 | 10250 | 2794 |
| 2016 | 12481 | 3894 |
| 2017 | 15440 | 5336 |
Interactive table: StatBank link
In 2017, there was an annual increase of 23.7% in the number of new houses granted planning permission while there was a 37.0% increase in the number of new apartments granted permission.
Over the period 2008 to 2017 the number of new houses granted permission decreased by 67.7% and the number of new apartments granted permission decreased by 73.0%.
| Single | Scheme | Apartment | |
| 2011 | 4814 | 1358 | 822 |
| 2012 | 3501 | 964 | 446 |
| 2013 | 2947 | 1155 | 473 |
| 2014 | 2975 | 1795 | 748 |
| 2015 | 3252 | 3294 | 673 |
| 2016 | 3660 | 5078 | 1177 |
| 2017 | 4269 | 7913 | 2264 |
Interactive table: Statbank link
The number of new dwellings built declined from 6,994 in 2011 to 4,575 in 2013. However, over the following four years the number of new dwellings built has increased steadily each year to stand at 14,446 in 2017.
In 2017, there were 4,269 new single dwellings compared with 3,660 in 2016, an increase of 16.6%.
There were 7,913 new scheme dwellings in 2017, an increase of 55.8% on 2016 when 5,078 were built.
The number of new apartments built in 2017 was 2,264, an increase of 92.3% on 2016.
Interactive table: Statbank link
The county with the most new dwellings completed in 2017, with 5,602, was Dublin, the majority of which were scheme houses. The most single dwellings were completed in County Cork with 562. Outside Dublin and Cork, counties Meath (1,108) and Kildare (985) had the most dwellings completed, while Leitrim (73) and Longford (75) had the least. In the majority of counties new single dwellings outnumber new scheme dwellings and apartments.
| X-axis label | Urban | Rural |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2638 | 4351 |
| 2012 | 1810 | 3097 |
| 2013 | 2035 | 2539 |
| 2014 | 2963 | 2555 |
| 2015 | 4485 | 2732 |
| 2016 | 6902 | 3013 |
| 2017 | 10975 | 3471 |
The ESB connections dataset provides information on the type of connection, i.e. urban or rural. In 2011 and 2012, almost two-thirds (62%) of all new dwelling completions were rural. This trend is reversed from 2014 onwards when more than half of all new dwelling completions are urban (54%). In 2017, more than three quarters of all new dwelling completions are urban and 23% are rural.
Linking the coordinates of ESB substations to their corresponding Eircode Routing Key allows for a more detailed breakdown of new dwelling completions. However, Routing Keys may cross County boundaries and do not cover a standard geographical or population range.
In 2017, the Eircode Routing Key with the most new dwelling completions was D13 'Dublin 13' (799) followed by D15 'Dublin 15' (689) and A96 Glenageary (543). Eight out of the top ten Eircode Routing Keys with the most new dwelling completions are in Dublin and its commuter belts.
Outside Dublin, the most new dwelling completions can be found in V94 'Limerick' (462) and H91 'Galway' (407).
| Final BER | New dwelling completions | |
| 2011 | 2514 | 6994 |
| 2012 | 2348 | 4911 |
| 2013 | 2716 | 4575 |
| 2014 | 3976 | 5518 |
| 2015 | 4452 | 7219 |
| 2016 | 5961 | 9915 |
| 2017 | 10290 | 14446 |
The number of new dwelling Final BER audits for new domestic dwellings in 2017 was 10,290, an increase of 73% on 2016.
| Table 13.4 Residential Property Price Index | ||||||||
| Base January 2005=100 | ||||||||
| Year | National - All residential properties | National - houses | National - apartments | National excluding Dublin - all residential properties | National excluding Dublin - houses | Dublin - all residential properties | Dublin - houses | Dublin - apartments |
| 2005 | 105.5 | 105.9 | 102.1 | 104.7 | 105.2 | 106.9 | 107.5 | 105.3 |
| 2006 | 121.2 | 122.0 | 116.3 | 118.4 | 118.9 | 126.2 | 128.7 | 118.9 |
| 2007 | 130.3 | 131.5 | 123.0 | 128.5 | 129.3 | 133.2 | 136.3 | 124.2 |
| 2008 | 121.2 | 123.0 | 112.0 | 121.1 | 122.0 | 121.0 | 125.0 | 111.8 |
| 2009 | 98.0 | 100.9 | 82.2 | 101.0 | 102.4 | 91.4 | 95.7 | 81.3 |
| 2010 | 84.8 | 88.0 | 67.6 | 89.0 | 90.6 | 75.9 | 79.7 | 67.0 |
| 2011 | 70.3 | 73.0 | 56.1 | 73.1 | 74.7 | 63.7 | 66.8 | 56.9 |
| 2012 | 60.9 | 63.4 | 45.8 | 62.0 | 63.4 | 56.3 | 59.5 | 47.1 |
| 2013 | 61.6 | 64.1 | 47.5 | 57.7 | 59.0 | 61.8 | 65.8 | 49.4 |
| 2014 | 71.8 | 74.3 | 57.3 | 62.2 | 63.6 | 76.7 | 81.4 | 62.2 |
| 2015 | 80.1 | 82.8 | 65.2 | 70.4 | 72.0 | 84.4 | 89.3 | 69.5 |
| 2016 | 86.0 | 88.9 | 69.8 | 77.4 | 79.0 | 88.7 | 93.5 | 73.7 |
| 2017 | 95.4 | 98.5 | 77.5 | 86.8 | 88.5 | 97.1 | 102.3 | 80.9 |
| Source: CSO | ||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
The Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) measures the change in the level of prices paid for residential properties sold in Ireland. The index is mix-adjusted to allow for the fact that different types of property are sold in different periods. The index comprises various sub-indices, covering properties in Dublin and outside the capital, houses and apartments.
Table 13.5 shows the index results (Base: January 2005 = 100) for the RPPI and its sub-indices from 2005 to 2017. The overall National index peaked in 2007 and fell to its lowest level in 2012, declining by 53.3% over this period. The index showed its greatest annual increase between 2013 and 2014 (+16.6%) and its greatest annual decrease between 2008 and 2009 (-19.1%). However, from the historic low in 2012 to 2017 the National index rose by 56.7%.
Dublin residential property prices fell faster than property prices outside the capital, declining 57.7% from 2007 to 2012. However, they also recovered faster, increasing 72.5% from 2012 to 2017. In contrast, residential property prices outside the capital declined by 51.8% between 2007 and 2012. They fell a further 6.9% in 2013, but recovered 50.4% of their value between the low point in 2013 and 2017.
| Month | National | Dublin | Excluding Dublin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-05 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Feb-05 | 100.8 | 102.1 | 100.1 |
| Mar-05 | 101.4 | 102.9 | 100.5 |
| Apr-05 | 102.1 | 103.6 | 101.2 |
| May-05 | 102.8 | 104.4 | 101.9 |
| Jun-05 | 103.7 | 104.5 | 103.3 |
| Jul-05 | 105.3 | 105.7 | 105.1 |
| Aug-05 | 107.1 | 107.8 | 106.7 |
| Sep-05 | 108.2 | 109.7 | 107.4 |
| Oct-05 | 110.6 | 112.8 | 109.3 |
| Nov-05 | 111.5 | 114.3 | 110 |
| Dec-05 | 112.6 | 114.9 | 111.4 |
| Jan-06 | 113.2 | 115.4 | 111.9 |
| Feb-06 | 113.5 | 116.4 | 111.8 |
| Mar-06 | 114.1 | 117.1 | 112.4 |
| Apr-06 | 115.8 | 119.2 | 113.9 |
| May-06 | 118.2 | 122.3 | 115.8 |
| Jun-06 | 120.3 | 125.5 | 117.4 |
| Jul-06 | 123 | 129.5 | 119.5 |
| Aug-06 | 125.8 | 133.3 | 121.6 |
| Sep-06 | 126.8 | 133.5 | 123.1 |
| Oct-06 | 127.6 | 134.4 | 123.8 |
| Nov-06 | 127.6 | 133.9 | 124.1 |
| Dec-06 | 128.6 | 134.1 | 125.5 |
| Jan-07 | 129.7 | 134.3 | 127.1 |
| Feb-07 | 130.3 | 135 | 127.7 |
| Mar-07 | 130.5 | 133.7 | 128.6 |
| Apr-07 | 131 | 134 | 129.2 |
| May-07 | 130.6 | 132.7 | 129.3 |
| Jun-07 | 130.3 | 133 | 128.7 |
| Jul-07 | 130.6 | 133.7 | 128.8 |
| Aug-07 | 130.4 | 133 | 128.8 |
| Sep-07 | 130.4 | 133.3 | 128.7 |
| Oct-07 | 130 | 133.3 | 128.1 |
| Nov-07 | 130 | 132.2 | 128.7 |
| Dec-07 | 129.2 | 130.5 | 128.4 |
| Jan-08 | 128.1 | 127.5 | 128.2 |
| Feb-08 | 127 | 126.8 | 126.9 |
| Mar-08 | 125.9 | 126.1 | 125.6 |
| Apr-08 | 124.8 | 126.1 | 124.1 |
| May-08 | 123.5 | 126.2 | 122.1 |
| Jun-08 | 122.3 | 124.9 | 120.9 |
| Jul-08 | 121.6 | 123.4 | 120.5 |
| Aug-08 | 120.3 | 121.7 | 119.5 |
| Sep-08 | 118.8 | 117.5 | 119.1 |
| Oct-08 | 116.2 | 113.4 | 117.2 |
| Nov-08 | 114.1 | 110.2 | 115.7 |
| Dec-08 | 111.9 | 108 | 113.5 |
| Jan-09 | 109 | 105 | 110.8 |
| Feb-09 | 106 | 100.3 | 108.5 |
| Mar-09 | 103.2 | 96.6 | 106.3 |
| Apr-09 | 100.9 | 92.9 | 104.6 |
| May-09 | 98.5 | 90.9 | 102.1 |
| Jun-09 | 96.9 | 89.8 | 100.2 |
| Jul-09 | 95.5 | 88.9 | 98.5 |
| Aug-09 | 94.3 | 89 | 96.6 |
| Sep-09 | 94.2 | 88.6 | 96.8 |
| Oct-09 | 93.1 | 86.6 | 96.2 |
| Nov-09 | 92.8 | 85 | 96.4 |
| Dec-09 | 91.5 | 83.2 | 95.5 |
| Jan-10 | 90.6 | 81.1 | 95.2 |
| Feb-10 | 89.2 | 79.2 | 94.1 |
| Mar-10 | 88.1 | 77.5 | 93.6 |
| Apr-10 | 87.6 | 77.3 | 92.8 |
| May-10 | 86.1 | 76.5 | 90.7 |
| Jun-10 | 85.1 | 75.5 | 89.9 |
| Jul-10 | 84.2 | 75 | 88.8 |
| Aug-10 | 84 | 75.4 | 87.9 |
| Sep-10 | 83 | 75.2 | 86.2 |
| Oct-10 | 81.6 | 74 | 84.6 |
| Nov-10 | 79.9 | 72.5 | 82.9 |
| Dec-10 | 78.7 | 71.2 | 81.8 |
| Jan-11 | 78 | 70.5 | 81.3 |
| Feb-11 | 76.5 | 69 | 79.8 |
| Mar-11 | 74.7 | 67.1 | 78.1 |
| Apr-11 | 73.7 | 66.6 | 76.6 |
| May-11 | 72.4 | 65.5 | 75.2 |
| Jun-11 | 71.3 | 64.6 | 74.1 |
| Jul-11 | 69.8 | 63.6 | 72.2 |
| Aug-11 | 68 | 62.3 | 70 |
| Sep-11 | 66.6 | 60.6 | 68.9 |
| Oct-11 | 65.4 | 59.4 | 67.7 |
| Nov-11 | 64.3 | 58.1 | 66.9 |
| Dec-11 | 63.3 | 57 | 66.1 |
| Jan-12 | 62.3 | 56 | 65.1 |
| Feb-12 | 60.9 | 54.5 | 63.9 |
| Mar-12 | 61.2 | 54.9 | 64.1 |
| Apr-12 | 60.2 | 54.7 | 62.4 |
| May-12 | 60 | 54.7 | 62 |
| Jun-12 | 59.9 | 55 | 61.5 |
| Jul-12 | 60.5 | 56.1 | 61.5 |
| Aug-12 | 60.6 | 56.8 | 61 |
| Sep-12 | 61.1 | 57.5 | 61.2 |
| Oct-12 | 61.3 | 58 | 61.1 |
| Nov-12 | 61.1 | 58.4 | 60.3 |
| Dec-12 | 61.3 | 59.1 | 60 |
| Jan-13 | 60.2 | 58.6 | 58.3 |
| Feb-13 | 59.5 | 57.6 | 58.1 |
| Mar-13 | 58.7 | 57.2 | 56.8 |
| Apr-13 | 59 | 57.9 | 56.7 |
| May-13 | 59 | 58.3 | 56.2 |
| Jun-13 | 60.5 | 60.4 | 56.9 |
| Jul-13 | 62 | 62.6 | 57.4 |
| Aug-13 | 62.8 | 64.2 | 57.5 |
| Sep-13 | 63.8 | 65.3 | 58.3 |
| Oct-13 | 64.2 | 65.7 | 58.7 |
| Nov-13 | 64.5 | 66.5 | 58.4 |
| Dec-13 | 65.3 | 67.3 | 59.1 |
| Jan-14 | 65.4 | 67.6 | 58.9 |
| Feb-14 | 65.6 | 68 | 59.1 |
| Mar-14 | 66.1 | 69 | 58.9 |
| Apr-14 | 67.5 | 71 | 59.5 |
| May-14 | 69.3 | 73.6 | 60.5 |
| Jun-14 | 71.3 | 76.6 | 61.2 |
| Jul-14 | 73.5 | 79.7 | 62.3 |
| Aug-14 | 74.9 | 81.5 | 63.3 |
| Sep-14 | 76.5 | 83.5 | 64.4 |
| Oct-14 | 77.3 | 84 | 65.5 |
| Nov-14 | 77.6 | 83.8 | 66.3 |
| Dec-14 | 77 | 82.6 | 66.4 |
| Jan-15 | 77.3 | 83 | 66.6 |
| Feb-15 | 77 | 82.6 | 66.5 |
| Mar-15 | 77.3 | 82.5 | 67 |
| Apr-15 | 77.9 | 82.6 | 68.1 |
| May-15 | 78.8 | 83.2 | 69.2 |
| Jun-15 | 80.1 | 84.3 | 70.5 |
| Jul-15 | 80.7 | 84.7 | 71.2 |
| Aug-15 | 81.7 | 85.6 | 72.2 |
| Sep-15 | 82 | 85.5 | 72.8 |
| Oct-15 | 82.9 | 86.6 | 73.5 |
| Nov-15 | 82.6 | 86.2 | 73.4 |
| Dec-15 | 82.5 | 85.8 | 73.5 |
| Jan-16 | 83.2 | 87 | 73.8 |
| Feb-16 | 82.7 | 86.4 | 73.5 |
| Mar-16 | 83 | 86.6 | 73.8 |
| Apr-16 | 83.5 | 87.1 | 74.2 |
| May-16 | 83.7 | 86.8 | 74.7 |
| Jun-16 | 84.5 | 87 | 76.1 |
| Jul-16 | 86.4 | 88.1 | 78.5 |
| Aug-16 | 87.6 | 89.4 | 79.5 |
| Sep-16 | 88.6 | 90.8 | 80.1 |
| Oct-16 | 89.1 | 91 | 80.7 |
| Nov-16 | 90.2 | 92.1 | 81.9 |
| Dec-16 | 89.9 | 91.5 | 81.7 |
| Jan-17 | 90.5 | 92 | 82.4 |
| Feb-17 | 90.7 | 92.2 | 82.7 |
| Mar-17 | 91.1 | 92.8 | 82.8 |
| Apr-17 | 91.4 | 92.1 | 84.1 |
| May-17 | 92.8 | 94.5 | 84.4 |
| Jun-17 | 94.1 | 96.3 | 85.1 |
| Jul-17 | 96.4 | 98.5 | 87.4 |
| Aug-17 | 97.9 | 99.9 | 88.8 |
| Sep-17 | 99.2 | 101 | 90.2 |
| Oct-17 | 99.5 | 101.5 | 90.4 |
| Nov-17 | 100.3 | 101.8 | 91.6 |
| Dec-17 | 100.8 | 102.2 | 92.1 |
House Prices by Eircode
The total number of residential property transactions recorded by the Revenue Commissioners in 2017 was 43,362. The combined value of these transactions was €11,797.1 million. The median value of dwellings sold nationally in 2017 was €225,000.
In 2017 the Eircode area with the highest median price for household dwelling purchases was A96 'Glenageary' (€605,000). The ten most expensive Eircode areas by median price in 2017 were in Dublin. The Eircode areas with the next highest median price were A94 ‘Blackrock’ where the median price was €570,000. The third most expensive was D06 ‘Dublin 6’, which had a median price of €567,000.
The least expensive Eircode area within Dublin by median price was D10 'Dublin 10', with a median of €201,000.
Outside Dublin the most expensive Eircode area in 2017 was A63 'Greystones', with a median price of €385,000. The second most expensive Eircode area was A98 'Bray', where the median price was €350,000. The third most expensive was A86 'Dunboyne', which had a median price of €328,000.
The least expensive Eircode area in 2017 was F35 'Ballyhaunis', with a median price of €65,000. The second least expensive Eircode areas were F45 'Castlerea' were the median price was €66,750 and the third least expensive was H23 'Clones', which had a median price of €65,000.
Interactive Table: StatBank link
| Table 13.5 Value and volume indices of production in all building and construction | ||||||
| Base year 2010=100 | ||||||
| Total production in all building and construction | ||||||
| Value of production | Volume of production | |||||
| Year | Index | Annual % change | Index | Annual % change | ||
| 2007 | 309.3 | -9.3 | 318.8 | -13.4 | ||
| 2008 | 226.4 | -26.8 | 225.6 | -29.2 | ||
| 2009 | 140.7 | -37.9 | 142.3 | -36.9 | ||
| 2010 | 100.0 | -28.9 | 100.0 | -29.7 | ||
| 2011 | 81.3 | -18.7 | 83.3 | -16.7 | ||
| 2012 | 79.9 | -1.7 | 81.3 | -2.4 | ||
| 2013 | 89.7 | 12.3 | 90.5 | 11.3 | ||
| 2014 | 98.0 | 9.3 | 97.9 | 8.2 | ||
| 2015 | 106.6 | 8.8 | 105.6 | 7.9 | ||
| 2016 | 127.0 | 19.1 | 124.9 | 18.3 | ||
| 2017 | 152.4 | 20.0 | 147.4 | 18.0 | ||
| Source: CSO | ||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
Output in total building and construction increased by 20.0% in 2017 when compared with 2016. Between 2007 and 2017, the volume of output in building and construction decreased by 53.8%.
| Table 13.6 Building and Construction | ||||||
| Percentage change | ||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 - 2016 | |||
| Enterprises | No. | 47,349 | 50,546 | 51,568 | 2.0 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 47,333 | 50,533 | 51,554 | 2.0 | ||
| Large (250+) | 16 | 13 | 14 | 7.7 | ||
| Persons Engaged | No. | 99,860 | 108,720 | 120,341 | 10.7 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 92,289 | 102,690 | 113,558 | 10.6 | ||
| Large (250+) | 7,571 | 6,030 | 6,783 | 12.5 | ||
| Turnover | €m | 14,208 | 14,9451 | 19,428 | 30.0 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 13,090 | 13,443 | 17,395 | 29.4 | ||
| Large (250+) | 1,118 | 1,502 | 2,033 | 35.4 | ||
| Gross Value Added | €m | 5,620 | 5,8191 | 6,960 | 19.6 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 5,141 | 5,296 | 6,296 | 18.9 | ||
| Large (250+) | 479 | 523 | 664 | 27.0 | ||
| 1Revised | ||||||
| Source: CSO | ||||||
In 2016 there was an annual increase in Construction turnover of 30.0% from €14.9 billion in 2015 to €19.4 billion.
The year on year change in GVA showed an increase of 19.6% up from €5.8 billion in 2015 to €7.0 billion in 2016.
In 2016 the number of Construction enterprises increased by 2.0% from 50,546 in 2015 to 51,568.
The year on year change showed that the number of persons engaged in these enterprises in 2016 rose by 10.7% to 120,341.
| Turnover | Gross Value Added | |
| 2014 | 14.208 | 5.62 |
| 2015 | 14.945 | 5.819 |
| 2016 | 19.428 | 6.96 |
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