Architects for new houses in Dublin and across Ireland
Build your new home from the ground up
How to make the most of a rare property opportunity
Most homeowners in Dublin never get the chance to build from scratch. Standalone sites in Greater Dublin rarely come to market. Land is expensive and competition for plots is fierce. That’s why most of our Dublin work involves home extensions or renovating existing homes.
But new build opportunities do exist. We see infill sites in established suburbs, where the existing property no longer does justice to the land. Or rural plots along the corridor north of Dublin towards Drogheda and Dundalk. We’ve also worked on coastal sites with views that deserve a home designed around them. We also work on knock-down-and-rebuild projects, where the house on the plot has reached the end of its useful life.
When one of these gold dust building sites comes along, the stakes are high.
You have one chance to build exactly what you want on this coveted piece of ground. The design decisions you make now will shape your home for decades. Definitely not the moment to compromise on your architect!
We design new homes across Ireland from our studios in Mount Merrion, Dublin and Hillsborough, Northern Ireland. Whether your site is in a Dublin suburb, on the Louth coast, a Donegal hillside or a Belfast avenue, we bring the same approach: listen first, understand your site, then design you a home that belongs nowhere else.
Where in Ireland do we design new homes?
We’ve designed new builds on sites across the Republic of Ireland, from the Dublin suburbs to the Louth coast. Every site is different, but the types of opportunity tend to fall into a few categories.
Where our studio is based in Greater Dublin, new build sites are almost always infill plots in established suburbs. A large garden subdivided in Foxrock. An older property in Blackrock that no longer justifies its plot. These sites come with constraints – neighbours, planning sensitivities, mature trees – but they also come with the kind of address that makes building from scratch worthwhile.
Along the N1 corridor from Dublin north through Drogheda and Dundalk, building sites are more available and often more generous. Coastal plots with sea views, elevated rural settings, edge-of-village sites with open countryside beyond. Our Blackrock, County Louth project (above) is a good example of what’s possible in this part of Ireland. We designed a contemporary family home on a site where the clients had the freedom to build something bold.
Further afield, we work on rural and coastal sites across Ireland, whether it’s a clifftop in Donegal or a hillside in the midlands. These projects are often for clients who’ve held a piece of land for years and are now finally ready to build on it.
Wherever the site, we start the same way. We visit, study the orientation, topography, views and planning context. The design grows from the ground up. Never from a developer’s template.
New build house design with McCann Moore
A new build home is your chance to get everything right. No inherited layout to work around by adding a home extension. No compromises left by a previous owner. Just your site, your brief and an architect who can turn it into a home that works exactly the way you want it to.
We design every home around two things: how you live and where you’re building. Those sound obvious, but most off-plan or developer-led homes start with a template and adjust it to fit. We start with your site and design from there. No two sites are the same, so no two homes we design look or feel the same.
What you get is a home that responds to its setting in a way that a transplanted design never could –
- A house that captures the light at the right times of day
- Rooms that face the best direction
- A layout shaped by your daily life, rather than a standard formula
We handle the full process from first conversation through to completion on site, so you have one team guiding your project throughout. If you want us to go further, we also offer a full interior design service, from spatial layout through to finishes, fixtures and furnishings, so the architecture and the interiors are conceived as one design.
“We had an amazing experience working with Sean and the McCann Moore team. His vision and attention to detail is exceptional, and he took the time to truly understand our wishes and to bring them to life. Throughout the process, he was incredibly helpful, responsive, and easy to work with – always offering thoughtful suggestions and creative solutions. Highly recommend.“
The Fitzgeralds
Not ready yet to start your new build home design?
If you’re earlier in your journey but still want to explore what’s possible, our free guide walks you through what’s involved when you work with an architect on a home design project.
How does your new home design project work?
A conversation about what you need for your home
Every project starts with a conversation about your site and how you want to live. We visit your site, study orientation, topography, neighbouring buildings and planning context. We talk about how your household moves through the day. Then we start to design.
Designs created with you
The design develops through close collaboration with you. We test layouts and refine the scheme until the house feels right, not just on paper, but as a place you can picture yourself living in. This stage takes time. That’s exactly as it should. The decisions made here shape everything that follows.
Planning application process
When the design is ready, we prepare and manage the full planning application on your behalf. We understand the Irish planning system and design with that knowledge built in from the start (meaning fewer surprises and a smoother path to approval).
Technical drawings
With planning secured, we develop the design into detailed technical drawings and specifications. These documents are what your builder will price against and build from. The more precise they are, the more accurately the project can be costed and the fewer problems emerge on site.
Site visits through to completion
Once construction begins, we stay involved. We carry out regular site inspections and deal with the questions that inevitably come up during the build.
Questions our clients ask about new build homes
Do I need planning permission for a new build in Ireland?
Yes. Every new house requires full planning permission. There are no exemptions for new builds the way there are for some extensions. We prepare and manage the full planning application on your behalf, from initial design through to approval. We understand what local planning authorities across Dublin and Ireland expect, and we design with those requirements built in from the start.
Can you help me assess a site before I commit to buying it?
Yes, and we actively encourage it. We can visit a site with you, give you an honest assessment of what’s buildable and flag any constraints that might affect the design, the cost or the likelihood of planning approval. This is one of the most valuable conversations you can have before you make an offer. It can save you from buying a site that won’t deliver what you’re hoping for. Or it can give you the confidence that it will.
What should I have in place before I contact an architect?
Less than you might think. You don’t need a brief or sketches in advance. A rough idea of the budget you plan to spend would be helpful. If you have a site, or you’re seriously considering one, that’s enough to start a conversation. Some clients come to us with a clear vision. Others come with a piece of land and a lot of questions. Both are fine. The first conversation is about understanding what’s possible.
How much do architects charge to design a new house in Ireland?
Our fees are based on a percentage of the construction cost and depend on the complexity of the project and the level of service you need. We always provide a detailed fee proposal before any work begins, so you know exactly what you’re committing to. We’re happy to talk through how our fees work during an initial conversation.
How much does it cost to build a new house in Ireland in 2026?
It varies enormously depending on size, specification and site conditions. As a broad indicator, construction costs for a well-specified new build in Ireland currently sit in the region of €3,000 to €4,000+ per square metre, before VAT, professional fees and contingency. A 200 square metre house at the upper end of that range would have a construction cost of around €800,000. We can give you a much more realistic picture of costs once we understand your site and your brief.
How big a house can I build on my site?
That depends on the site area, the local development plan, the planning context and the character of the surrounding area. Planning authorities always have views on the appropriate scale and massing of a house relative to its plot and its neighbours. In some cases, the site can accommodate something generous. In others, particularly infill sites in established suburbs, the constraints are tighter. We assess all of this before we design anything and advise you on what size is realistic.
Do you work with my builder or do I need to find one?
We can help with both. Once the design is complete and the technical drawings are ready, we prepare a tender package that goes out to a shortlist of builders with the right experience for your project. We help you evaluate the tender returns and choose the right contractor. If you already have a builder you’d like to work with, we’re happy to work alongside them, provided they have the capability and experience the project demands.
Let’s talk about your site for a new build home
Whether you’ve found a plot or you’re still weighing up the options, we’d love to hear about your design project. Every new home we’ve designed started with a conversation about a piece of ground and what it could become.