For owner-renovators in Ireland
Plan your renovation. Do what you can yourself.
One place for every step, every trade and every euro. Gaffr puts the work in the right order, lets you choose DIY or trade for each task, shows which professionals you actually need, and warns you before an Irish rule costs you a grant or a cert.
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- Planned
- €48,200
- Contingency
- €7,230
- Spent
- €12,450
Now on: Approvals and grants. 1 of 10 stages done.
- Approvals and grants
Legal gateGet SEAI grant approval in writing
You (DIY) - First fix
Chase walls and lift boards for electrician
You (DIY)Waiting on: Strip out kitchen and bathroom - First fix
Rewire, first fix
Registered trade onlyElectrical work must be done and certified by a Registered Electrical Contractor. - Insulation
Attic insulation
You (DIY)Doing this yourself forfeits the SEAI attic insulation grant.
Renovating is hard to hold in your head
Dozens of steps, in the right order
Survey, grants, strip out, first fix, insulation, plaster, second fix, finishes, certs. Get the order wrong and you pay someone to undo work.
A handful of trades to line up
Assessor, electrician, plumber, plasterer, installers. Each one waits on the one before, and all of them need quotes you can compare.
Rules that cost money if you miss them
Start before your SEAI grant is approved and the grant is gone. Rewire a room yourself and you've broken the law, and nobody will certify it.
How it works
- 1
Start with a plan in the right order
Every task sits in its stage, from feasibility to handover, and shows what it's waiting on so you know what can start today.
- 2
Choose DIY or trade for each task
Take on the painting, the floors or the strip out yourself. Work that legally needs a registered trade is marked, and you're warned when doing a job yourself would forfeit a grant.
- 3
Track the budget as it happens
Add estimates, quotes and what you actually spend, with VAT, against each task. Contingency is set aside so the overrun doesn't catch you out.
Only pay the people you need
A renovation can involve a dozen professionals. For most jobs you need far fewer, and the plan tells you which ones, for which tasks.
Your plan does the job
- Project manager
- Quantity surveyor
- Planning consultant
- Grant consultant
- Snagging inspector
Ordering the work, pricing it, checking planning exemptions, applying for grants and chasing snags are all in the plan.
Pay for one piece only
- Architectural technician
- Structural engineer
No Irish law requires an architect. When an extension needs drawings or a wall needs a beam, you pay for that piece of work, not the whole job.
Always a registered pro
- Registered Electrical Contractor
- Registered Gas Installer
- SEAI-registered contractor
- BER assessor
The law or the grant needs them. The plan books them at the right point and keeps their certs for when you sell.
Irish rules, built in
Generic project apps don't know that an SEAI grant must be approved before work starts. This one does, and it builds those rules into your plan.
- SEAI grants
- Written approval before any work starts, and an SEAI-registered contractor for the job.
- Electrics
- Done and certified by a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC).
- Gas
- Only a Registered Gas Installer (RGII) can work on gas appliances and pipework.
- Commencement notice
- Needed before some building work begins.
- Planning exemptions
- Rear extensions and garden rooms under the size limits updated in 2026.
- Asbestos
- Checked before any strip out in a home built before 2000.
- Two or more contractors
- Project supervisors appointed in writing, as the HSA requires.
- VAT
- The right rate on building work and materials, so quotes compare fairly.
Questions
Who is it for?
Homeowners in Ireland taking on a renovation or energy upgrade and managing it themselves, especially if you plan to do some of the work with your own hands.
Can I do the electrics myself?
Only small jobs: swapping a switch, socket or light fitting on an existing circuit. New circuits, a rewire or the fuse board must be done and certified by a Registered Electrical Contractor. You can still save by doing the prep, like chasing walls and lifting boards, and the plan shows where that fits.
Do I need an architect or a builder?
For most kitchens, bathrooms, energy upgrades and exempt extensions, no law requires an architect, and you can manage the job yourself. The plan does the project manager's, quantity surveyor's and grant consultant's work. Where the law or safety calls for a professional, like an engineer for a structural wall, it tells you and you pay for just that piece.
Are the grant amounts and rules up to date?
Each rule records its official source and when it was last checked. Rules and grant amounts change, so confirm with the source before you commit money.
Get your renovation out of your head
Start a plan for your home, decide what you'll do yourself, and see where the money goes.
Start your plan