Cost to Remove a Load-Bearing Wall in Dublin (2026)

StructuralEngineer.ie's summary of published 2026 Irish cost guides: the cost to remove a load-bearing wall in a Dublin house is typically €2,500–€5,000 where one storey sits above the wall and €4,000–€7,000 or more where two storeys do, all in. The structural engineer's share is usually €400–€900. Steel, propping, labour, fire protection and making good make up the rest.

Those figures come from published Irish cost guides for 2026, listed under Sources. They are market ranges, not a quote. The rest of this guide explains what sits inside each number and what pushes a job toward the top of the range.

Typical costs at a glance

Item	Typical range	Notes
Whole job, one storey above	€2,500–€5,000	Steel, padstones, propping, labour, basic making good
Whole job, two storeys above	€4,000–€7,000+	Heavier steel, more propping, often a longer span
Structural engineer’s fee	€400–€900	Visit, calcs, drawing; check whether inspection and cert are included
Engineer’s hourly rate (if charged hourly)	€90–€180	Fixed fees are more common for a single wall
Building control fee	€0 in most cases	Internal works that are exempted development and need no Fire Safety Certificate usually need no Commencement Notice

The engineer’s fee is the smallest line and the one that decides whether the rest is spent well. A beam sized from the actual loads is usually lighter and cheaper than one guessed with a safety margin, and the inspection before boxing-in is what makes the job certifiable when you sell.

What pushes the price up

Most of the spread between €2,500 and €7,000 comes from a handful of factors. An engineer can tell you which ones apply on the first visit.

Factor	Why it costs more
Span over about 4 m	Deeper or heavier beam, more padstone work, sometimes a splice or a steel post
Two floors or a roof strut above	Higher loads mean heavier steel and more props during the work
Chimney breast above the opening	Needs its own support, often gallows brackets or a second beam
Beam bearing into a party wall	Notice to the neighbour and their reasonable professional fees under the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009
Point load onto a weak floor or foundation	A new pad foundation or steel post may be needed
Terraced access	Steel carried through the house by hand, or delivered in sections and bolted
Services in the wall	Gas, water or heating pipes rerouted by the relevant trades
Fire protection and making good	Boarding or intumescent coating, plastering, flooring repairs where the wall stood
Protected structure	Planning permission and conservation-appropriate methods

What the engineer’s fee should include

Engineer quotes vary mostly in what they leave out. For a single wall, a complete fee covers:

• A site visit to check joists, roof struts and what bears on the wall
• A load take-down and beam calcs to I.S. EN 1993-1-1, with padstone bearing checks to I.S. EN 1996-1-1
• A drawing or marked-up sketch with beam size, bearing lengths and padstones
• A propping sequence for the builder
• A steel schedule the fabricator can price from
• An inspection of the installed steel before it is boxed in
• A signed opinion of compliance with Building Regulations Part A

A cheaper quote that drops the visit or the inspection costs more later. Without an inspection, an engineer cannot certify steel that is already plastered over, and opening up ceilings to check it after the fact costs more than the inspection would have.

Where homeowners overspend

The common expensive mistake is the order of events. Homeowners get builder quotes first, each builder prices a different steel by eye, and the quotes cannot be compared. Then an engineer is brought in late and the steel changes anyway.

The cheaper sequence is:

1. Engineer visits and issues calcs and a steel schedule.
2. Two or three builders price the same design, like for like.
3. The steel is fabricated to the schedule, so there are no site alterations.
4. The engineer inspects before boxing-in and signs off.

How to get a firm price

Tell the engineer the wall you want removed, the width of opening you want, the age and type of house, and what is above (bedrooms, bathroom, attic). Photos of the wall, the ceiling and the attic help. With that, StructuralEngineer.ie can give a fixed fee in writing before the visit, and the builder quotes that follow will be comparable.

Bottom line

Budget €2,500–€5,000 for a typical single-storey-above knock-through in Dublin and €4,000–€7,000+ for two storeys, with €400–€900 of that going to the engineer. Get the calcs before the builder quotes, and make sure the engineer’s fee includes an inspection before the steel is covered. To get a fixed engineering fee for your wall, call 01 270 9764.