House extensions in Galway
In Galway, building a house extension costs €1,400 to €2,000 per m² for one storey and €1,850 to €2,250 per m² for two, VAT included. With fees, a 20 m² ground-floor room comes to €39,000 to €50,000 and a 40 m² two-storey extension with an en-suite upstairs to €97,000 to €118,000. Behind the house, 45 m² can go on without a planning application if the conditions are met.
For homes in Galway city, Oranmore, Athenry, Tuam, Loughrea, Ballinasloe and Oughterard: the cost of extending, the county's housing, its council, and the price of moving instead.
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- €1,400–€2,000per m², one storey in Galway, VAT in
- €1,850–€2,250per m², two storeys
- 45%of Galway houses have three bedrooms or fewer
- €375,000median paid by movers in Galway, 2025
Extending a house in Galway
Galway has the biggest houses of any county on this site: only 45% have three bedrooms or fewer, so 55% have four or more (Census 2022). The average detached house has 3.8 bedrooms.
With most Galway houses at four bedrooms or more already, a family room, a utility or a ground-floor bedroom for a parent is often a better use of an extension than a fifth bedroom. On a detached house the upstairs exemption is 20 m², not 12 m².
People moving home in Galway paid a median of €375,000 in 2025, across 931 sales (CSO). Moving on that price costs €10,500 to €20,500 in stamp duty, the agent's fee with VAT and the solicitor.
Galway is in the lowest-priced region for building, Connacht and Ulster: €1,400 to €2,000 per m² for one storey and €1,850 to €2,250 for two, VAT included. The city has its own council; the rest of the county is Galway County Council.
- 33%of houses have exactly three bedrooms
- 55%have four or more
- 3.3bedrooms in the average semi
- 87,340houses in Galway (Census 2022)
What an extension costs in Galway
| Extension | Per m² in Galway, VAT in | Example, all in |
|---|---|---|
| One storey behind the house | €1,400–€2,000 | 20 m², mid-range: €39,000 to €50,000 |
| Ground-floor bedroom with an en-suite | €1,400–€2,000 | 16 m², standard finish: €32,000 to €45,000 |
| Two storeys, both floors counted | €1,850–€2,250 | 40 m² with an en-suite upstairs: €97,000 to €118,000 |
| Side extension | €1,700–€2,200 | 15 m², mid-range: €35,000 to €43,000 |
| Wraparound | €2,050–€2,900 | 40 m², mid-range: €105,000 to €126,000 |
| Mostly glass, or high spec | €2,600–€3,200 | 20 m² with a wall of glass: €57,000 to €74,000 |
| Garage conversion | One price for the job | €15,000–€45,000 |
Every example includes the build, the drawings and engineer's fees, any en-suite and VAT. Set aside 12% to 15% more for surprises.
Plan your house extension
Four quick taps, and your plan fills in as you answer: what it costs, whether it needs planning permission and how long it takes. Contact details come last, and only if you want a builder to price it.
25 m² single-storey rear in Galway, mid-range finish: €48,000 to €60,000, including VAT and fees.
How the estimate is worked out
Every kind of extension has a build rate per m² for each region of Ireland, VAT at 13.5% included. A standard finish uses the lower half of that range and mid-range the upper half; high spec or a wall of glass moves the build to the glazed rate. Design, engineer and BER fees go on top, with anything you tick (an en-suite, a kitchen, a steel beam into the house) priced at your finish. A garage conversion gets one price for the whole job, since the walls and roof are already standing. Totals are rounded to the nearest €1,000. Use it to plan with. It isn't a quote: a builder prices your house after seeing it.
Extend or move in Galway
On a €375,000 house, the median people moving home in Galway paid in 2025, stamp duty on the next house is €3,750, the agent's fee on the sale €4,600 to €11,500 with VAT, and the solicitor €2,000 to €5,000. That is €10,500 to €20,500 spent before the bigger house's higher price, against €39,000 to €50,000 to build a 20 m² room here. Extend or move house has every county side by side.
Planning in Galway
Planning rules don't change at the county line. Since 27 July 2026, 45 m² behind the house is exempt if it meets the conditions, and converting an attached garage shares that 45 m². Building at the side, and most two-storey extensions, need an application. In Galway you apply to Galway City Council and Galway County Council: €34 for an extension, or €80 for a section 5 declaration on whether your plan is exempt.
Three things can take the exemption away. A condition in the planning permission your house was built under can remove it, and newer estates often have one. On a protected structure, work that would affect its character isn't exempt. And no extension is exempt if it would obstruct a public right of way or create a traffic hazard. Planning permission for a house extension.
Every way to extend a Galway house
Each has its own page: costs by size, the planning rules that apply and the weeks of building.
Single-storey rearOne new room behind the house at ground level: a family room, a playroom or a bedroom for a parent.
Two-storeyTwo new floors in one build: more living space downstairs and an extra bedroom over it.
Side extensionThe strip beside a semi or detached house, built on at one level or two.
WraparoundAn L round the back corner of the house, for one big room with a utility or toilet off it.
Garage conversionThe garage you already have becomes a bedroom, an office or a playroom.
Bedroom and en-suiteOne more bedroom, downstairs or up, with a shower room of its own.House Extension coverage across every town in Co. Galway
Click your town or Eircode routing key below to get a fast local price for your property in Co. Galway.
Select your town, suburb or Eircode routing area in Co. Galway below to pre-fill your location and open our quick 30-second quote check:
Local house extension coverage across Co. Galway includes Galway City Centre, Salthill, Knocknacarra & Bearna, Oranmore & Clarinbridge, Tuam, Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Athenry, Gort & Kinvara, as well as Claregalway & Carnmore, Moycullen & Oughterard, Clifden & Connemara, Portumna, Mountbellew & Headford and surrounding rural townlands.
Galway questions
What does a house extension cost in Galway?
In Galway, building a house extension costs €1,400 to €2,000 per m² for one storey and €1,850 to €2,250 per m² for two, VAT included. With fees, a 20 m² ground-floor room comes to €39,000 to €50,000 and a 40 m² two-storey extension with an en-suite upstairs to €97,000 to €118,000. Behind the house, 45 m² can go on without a planning application if the conditions are met.
Does an extension in Galway need planning permission?
Since 27 July 2026 you can build up to 45 m² behind the house without applying for planning permission. That 45 m² includes every extension added since 1964 and any attached garage you convert. The extension can't rise above the house, the house has to keep 25 m² of private open space, ground-floor windows need 1 m or more to the boundary they look onto, and no more than 12 m² of it can be upstairs on a semi or terrace (20 m² on a detached house). Before that date the limit was 40 m². Applications go to Galway City Council and Galway County Council.
Is it cheaper to extend or move in Galway?
Moving on the Galway median of €375,000 costs €10,500 to €20,500 in stamp duty, agent's and legal fees before the bigger house's price. A 20 m² room costs €39,000 to €50,000 to build here.
Which parts of Galway do you cover?
All of it, including Galway city, Oranmore, Athenry, Tuam, Loughrea, Ballinasloe and Oughterard. Your plan goes to a single vetted builder who works in Galway.
Who will contact me?
One builder who works in Galway and has been vetted, and only that one. They price the job in writing after seeing the house, and you decide.
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