# Structural Engineer Dún Laoghaire | Period Houses & Extensions > Chartered structural engineer in Dún Laoghaire, Monkstown and Blackrock: period houses, basements, protected structures, extensions and wall removal. URL: https://structuralengineer.ie/service-areas/dun-laoghaire/ # Structural Engineer in Dún Laoghaire for Period Houses, Basements and Extensions Georgian and Victorian houses over basements, protected structures and conservation areas, two minutes from the Blackrock office. [Call 01 270 9764](tel:+35312709764) [Book a Dún Laoghaire site visit](#quote) _Image: Victorian terrace over basements in Dún Laoghaire with the harbour at the end of the street_ [StructuralEngineer.ie](https://structuralengineer.ie/) is a Chartered structural engineering practice based in Blackrock, next door to Dún Laoghaire. If you need a structural engineer in Dún Laoghaire, Monkstown, Sandycove or Dalkey to open up a period house, repair a basement, extend a 1930s semi or assess cracking, Joachim Louw (CEng MIEI) visits, designs and signs off the work. Fees are fixed in writing before the visit. Dún Laoghaire situations ## Structural problems we see in Dún Laoghaire homes ### Opening up a period house Removing a spine wall or chimney breast in a Victorian or Georgian house needs steel and bearings designed for solid brick and lime mortar. ### A damp or leaking basement Basements below the street have retaining walls, vaults and timber built into damp masonry. Diagnosis comes before waterproofing. ### Protected structure or ACA Many internal works on a protected structure need planning permission. The engineering has to stand up to conservation scrutiny. ### Extending a 1930s–60s semi Glenageary and Kill o' the Grange semis are being extended and opened up, which needs foundations and steel designed to the house. Services ## Structural engineering services in Dún Laoghaire [_Image: Victorian red-brick terrace over basements with cast-iron railings on a south Dublin street_ ### Period Properties Georgian and Victorian houses, basements and protected structures. Details](https://structuralengineer.ie/period-property-structural-engineer/) [_Image: New steel beam on concrete padstones across a kitchen knock-through in a Dublin semi, props still in place_ Most requested ### Load-Bearing Wall Removal Steel beam and padstone design, propping, inspection and a signed certificate for knock-throughs. Details](https://structuralengineer.ie/load-bearing-wall-removal/) [_Image: Foundation excavation in boulder clay for a rear extension behind a Dublin semi-detached house, mini digger on the lawn_ Most requested ### Extensions Foundations, steel and BCAR sign-off for rear and side extensions, including the new 45 m² exemption. Details](https://structuralengineer.ie/structural-engineer-for-extensions/) [_Image: Ground-floor chimney breast removed with a steel beam supporting the breast above in a Dublin house_ ### Chimney Breast Removal Gallows brackets or a beam when the breast comes out downstairs but the stack stays. Details](https://structuralengineer.ie/chimney-breast-removal/) [_Image: Engineer inspecting roof timbers by torchlight in an attic during a pre-purchase structural survey_ ### Structural Surveys Pre-purchase structural survey with clear limits and a written report before you sign. Details](https://structuralengineer.ie/structural-survey/) [_Image: Crack-width gauge held across a stepped crack in rendered blockwork on an Irish house_ Most requested ### Crack Inspections Diagnosis of cracks by category and cause: thermal, settlement, subsidence or heave. Details](https://structuralengineer.ie/structural-crack-inspection/) How it works ## How a structural job in Dún Laoghaire runs - 01 ### Call and fixed quote Describe the job by phone or form. You get a fixed engineering fee in writing. - 02 ### Site visit The engineer checks what the structure is carrying, the ground and the bearings, and agrees the scope with you. - 03 ### Design and calcs Calcs, drawings and a steel schedule, issued to you and your builder. - 04 ### Inspection and sign-off Key stages are inspected before they are covered, then the signed certificate is issued. Local knowledge ## Ground, housing and council rules in Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire grew around its 19th-century harbour, and the streets between the seafront and Monkstown, Sandycove and Glasthule are lined with Georgian and Victorian houses, many of them three storeys over a basement. Those houses have solid brick walls in lime mortar, timber floors bearing into the masonry, back-to-back chimney breasts on the party walls, and basement retaining walls holding up the street. Structural work in them, whether opening up a spine wall, supporting a removed chimney breast or lowering a basement, has to work with that construction. A large share of these houses are protected structures, and parts of the area, including Monkstown, are Architectural Conservation Areas. On a protected structure, works that would materially affect its character need planning permission, including many internal works. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's conservation officers review proposals, and An Coimisiún Pleanála has refused schemes on protected houses in Monkstown on appeal. Engineering that is minimal, reversible where possible and clearly explained makes those applications easier. Further inland, Glenageary, Kill o' the Grange and Sallynoggin are mostly 20th-century semis and terraces, where the work is rear extensions, knock-throughs and attic conversions. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown was also added to the pyrite remediation scheme after pyrite was found in homes in the county. The Blackrock office is minutes away, so site visits here are the easiest in the service area. ### Areas of Dún Laoghaire we cover - Monkstown - Glenageary - Sandycove - Glasthule - Dalkey - Blackrock - Kill o' the Grange - Sallynoggin ### Dún Laoghaire landmarks - East and West Piers - People's Park - dlr LexIcon - National Maritime Museum - James Joyce Tower, Sandycove - Dún Laoghaire Harbour Why homeowners call us ## Why Dún Laoghaire homeowners call a Chartered Engineer StructuralEngineer.ie is a Chartered structural engineering practice based in Blackrock, serving Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. The engineer who visits is the engineer who designs, inspects and signs. - ### Chartered, so BCAR-eligible Joachim Louw is a Chartered Engineer (CEng MIEI), so he can act as designer and assigned certifier for extensions over 40 m² under the Building Control Regulations. - ### Fixed fee before the visit You know the engineering cost in writing before anyone comes out. There is no hourly meter running. - ### Calcs a builder can build from Beam sizes, padstones, foundation details, a propping sequence and a steel schedule your fabricator can price. Not a vague letter. - ### Three countries' experience Structural engineering experience in Ireland, South Africa and the UK, applied to Irish Building Regulations and the Eurocodes. Getting there ## How we reach you in Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire is minutes from the Blackrock office along the N31, the closest area in the service map. - N31 Rock Road - N11 - R118 coast road - DART stations at Dún Laoghaire, Salthill & Monkstown, Sandycove & Glasthule and Glenageary, plus Dublin Bus routes Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is the planning and building control authority. Schematic, not to survey accuracy. [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=D%C3%BAn%20Laoghaire%2C%20D%C3%BAn%20Laoghaire-Rathdown%2C%20Ireland) Dún Laoghaire questions ## Structural engineer in Dún Laoghaire: questions **How much does a structural engineer cost in Dún Laoghaire?** Fees follow the wider Dublin market. Published 2026 Irish cost guides put a single wall removal at €400–€900 for the engineer, extension structural design at €1,200–€3,500, and a pre-purchase structural survey at €400–€800. Period and protected houses can cost more because they take longer to assess. StructuralEngineer.ie confirms a fixed fee in writing first. **Do I need planning permission for internal works to a protected structure in Dún Laoghaire?** Often yes. Works that would materially affect the character of a protected structure need permission, even internally. A Section 57 declaration from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council confirms which works are exempt for your particular house. **Can I lower or waterproof my basement?** Sometimes, but basements in period houses hold up the street and the party walls, so lowering means underpinning, temporary works and neighbour considerations. Waterproofing that traps moisture in solid walls can cause decay. The engineer diagnoses the moisture source and the structure first. **Why is my Victorian house's front wall bowing?** Usually the wall has lost its connection to the floors and cross walls, through decayed joist ends, removed internal walls or ties that were never fitted. The engineer checks whether it's still moving and designs discreet ties or straps to reconnect it. **How quickly can an engineer get to Dún Laoghaire?** Site visit usually within 5 working days. The office is in Blackrock, minutes away. Call 01 270 9764 for a fixed fee before the visit is booked. ## Nearby areas [### Structural engineer Bray Co. Wicklow Victorian seafront terraces, Dargle flood history and Bray Head erosion.](https://structuralengineer.ie/service-areas/bray/) [### Structural engineer Greystones Co. Wicklow Coastal cliff erosion, Edwardian Burnaby houses and 2000s Charlesland estates.](https://structuralengineer.ie/service-areas/greystones/) [### Structural engineer Lucan South Dublin Lucan and Clondalkin: 1970s–80s semis, the county's busiest extension market.](https://structuralengineer.ie/service-areas/lucan/) Next step Need a structural engineer in Dún Laoghaire? Site visit usually within 5 working days. Fixed fee confirmed in writing before the visit. [Call 01 270 9764](tel:+35312709764) Book a structural engineer in Dún Laoghaire Prefer to talk? [Call 01 270 9764](tel:+35312709764). A live person answers during office hours.