Mayo records 10 percent increase in house rebuilding costs 

THE cost of rebuilding a house in Mayo has risen by 10 per cent, which is the highest increase in the country. 

The latest House Rebuilding Guide published by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) shows that national average re-build costs, which include demolition and site clearance, have increased by an average of 6.2 per cent over the past 12 months.

The North West region, which includes Mayo, recorded the highest increase but still has the lowest rebuild costs. 

The cost of rebuilding a detached bungalow in the region was recorded at €2,368 per square meter. The most expensive form of house to rebuild in the North West was a four-bedroom detached house, with a cost of €2,639 per square metre. 

In Mayo and Donegal, thousands of homes infected with pyrite and mica will require total demolition and rebuilding. Many affected homeowners have said they have been left out of pocket even after accessing the government's redress scheme. 

Chartered Quantity Surveyor Kevin Brady said labour costs, skills shortages, the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, high energy prices and supply chain issues had led to ‘significant volatility’ over the past five years. 

“SCSI members are saying the demand for builders throughout the country remains at an all-time high and this is also a contributory factor to the increases we are seeing in this year’s figures,” Mr Brady said. 

He added that the concrete levy introduced to help fund the Defective Concrete Block Redress Scheme had increased the cost of pre-cast concrete ‘while the introduction of two new levies on waste and disposal in September is likely to increase costs going forward’. 

Dublin had the highest rebuild costs, with every type of house assessed more expensive per square metre than every type of house in the North West region.