Garden home planning exemption is now law — S.I. No. 340/2026, effective 27 July 2026.See what it means for your garden →

From first call to keys in hand

The journey: from garden check to keys in hand

Nine steps, from your first planning check to the day you get the keys: what we do, what you do, and where the paperwork fits.

Start the free planning checkBrowse the floor plans
steps, one point of contact
9
Class 3A notice to your council
14 days
on-site ICF build
5–10 days
BER design target*
A0

*Design target, not a certificate: a BER is not legally required for a standalone building under 50 m², and we can arrange a BER assessment on request. A0 = 42 kWh/m²/yr or less primary energy plus SEAI zero-emission criteria (scale in force from 24 May 2026).

Step by step

Nine steps from garden check to keys

You deal with Nua Living throughout: one point of contact from your first call to handover. Timings are given where we know them; everything else is confirmed in your fixed-price quote.

  1. Step 01

    Free planning check & enquiry

    TimingReply within one working day

    Start with your name and number so we can follow up within one working day, even if you leave the optional questions unfinished. Then answer five quick questions for an indication of whether your garden fits the Class 3A exemption and add details for your quote.

    What we do

    • Come back to you within one working day to arrange your free site visit
    • Answer your questions on sizes, fixed prices and the planning exemption

    What you do

    • Leave your name and number for a callback, then complete the optional planning and site questions
    • Or call 089 453 2374, leave your number for a call-back, or ask the chat assistant on this site

  2. Step 02

    Free site visit

    TimingArranged when we call you back

    We walk your garden with you, measure up and check the site against the exemption conditions on the ground. It is free, with no obligation.

    What we do

    • Measure the garden and mark out where the home could sit
    • Check access for the build, from the rear or the side of the house
    • Check the 0.6 m gap to every boundary and the 25 m² of private garden that must remain
    • If the house has a septic tank or treatment system, check the percolation area and whether the system can take the extra load
    • Plan how water, power and drainage will connect back to the main house

    What you do

    • Show us where you would like the home and tell us how you plan to use it
    • Tell us about any sheds or garden rooms already built: they count towards the 45 m² limit
    • Confirm the main house is your sole or main residence
    • Have your Eircode to hand: the council notification needs it

  3. Step 03

    Design & fixed-price quote

    TimingAfter your site visit

    Choose a layout from our free floor plans or have one drawn for your garden, then get one fixed price for your site, with what is and is not included set out in writing.

    What we do

    • Draw up your layout, from one of our concept floor plans or a custom design, sized for your garden
    • Give you one fixed price: homes from €93,900 + VAT, including design, build and full project management
    • Spell out what is priced separately: site works, connections and professional fees
    • Set out your payment stages and the structural warranty in the quote

    What you do

    • Browse the floor plans, then print one at 1:50 and pace it out in your garden
    • Choose your finish: full builder finish (turnkey), or structure only
    • Review the quote: you see the price and payment stages before you commit to anything

  4. Step 04

    Paperwork we handle

    TimingLodged 14–28 days before work starts

    Two separate processes, both mandatory: a Class 3A planning notification to your council at least 14 days before work starts, and full building control, because a garden home is a new dwelling. We prepare both and you sign.

    What we do

    • Lodge the Commencement Notice and compliance documents on BCMS 14–28 days before work starts (€30 BCMS fee)
    • Prepare your Class 3A notification and lodge it with your council as your agent the same day, with your Eircode, the proposed start date and the compliance checklist. It is free, and it is a notification, not an approval
    • Buy an official Tailte Éireann site location map where your council asks for one, and add anything else it wants on the form (Kildare asks for the Commencement Notice number)
    • Line up what building control requires: a design certifier, an assigned certifier and a competent builder, with the compliance documents
    • Manage a full planning application instead of the notification when your site or size needs one: the 48 m² 2 Bed Granny Flat always does

    What you do

    • Register on BCMS (the Building Control Management System) and sign the Commencement Notice
    • Sign the declaration on the council notification form: only the owner can make it
    • Hold the start date: work begins at least 14 days after both are lodged, and within 28 days of the Commencement Notice

    Both are mandatory; we prepare them, you sign. We confirm your council’s exact requirements at the site visit.

    Your council’s notification form, by county

  5. Step 05

    Groundworks & foundations

    TimingConfirmed in your quote

    The site is prepared and the foundations go in before the build crew arrives. Water, power and drainage are routed from the main house, because Class 3A allows no separate utility connections.

    What we do

    • Project manage the site preparation and foundations so they are ready for the build
    • Route water, power and drainage from the main house, not as new separate connections
    • Quote the site works and connections separately from the fixed home price

    What you do

    • Keep the build area and the access route clear
    • Agree the start date with us once the notice periods have run

  6. Step 06

    The ICF build

    Timing5–10 days on site, once foundations are ready

    Primestructures’ own crew builds the structure on your site in 5–10 days once the foundations are ready: insulated blocks locked together, reinforced with steel and filled with poured concrete.

    What we do

    • Primestructures’ own crew builds every home, with 10 years of ICF construction behind them
    • Stack the insulated ICF blocks, fix the steel reinforcement and pour the concrete core on site
    • Manage the crew and the schedule from start to finish

    What you do

    • Watch it go up: the structure is built in days, not months
    • Nothing to organise: we project manage the build

  7. Step 07

    Fit-out & finishes

    TimingConfirmed in your quote

    Windows, doors and the roof go in, then the inside is finished to the level you chose in your quote: a full builder finish (turnkey), or structure only.

    What we do

    • Fit the windows, doors and roof, and finish the interior to the level set out in your quote
    • Build to the Building Regulations throughout, ready for sign-off

    What you do

    • Choose fittings and finishes where your quote includes them
    • On a structure-only build, line up your own trades for the parts you are finishing yourself

  8. Step 08

    Completion & handover

    TimingConfirmed in your quote

    Your home is designed to the BER A0 standard. The Certificate of Compliance on Completion is registered before anyone moves in, then you get the keys and your warranty documents.

    What we do

    • Prepare and lodge the Certificate of Compliance on Completion: it must be registered before anyone moves in
    • Build to the BER A0 design target, the top of SEAI’s new scale
    • Hand over the keys and your warranty documents. The warranty term is set out in your quote

    What you do

    • Walk through the finished home with us before you take the keys
    • Want a BER certificate? The Department’s guidance says a BER is not legally required for a standalone building under 50 m², but we can arrange a BER assessment on request
    • Keep your completion certificate and warranty documents safe

  9. Step 09

    Living in it

    TimingFrom handover

    The garden home is ready to live in, for family or a long-term lodger. It stays part of your property: it cannot be sold separately or let short-term.

    What we do

    • Answer questions about your home after you move in: call 089 453 2374
    • Stand behind the structural warranty set out in your quote

    What you do

    • Use the garden home together with the main house: Class 3A rules out selling it separately and short-term letting
    • Thinking of a long-term lodger? Rent-a-Room relief for 32–45 m² garden homes was announced in Budget 2027, subject to the Finance Act and Revenue guidance. Your accountant can confirm how it applies to you

Good to know

Before you start

  • Building the 25 m² Garden Studio? The Garden Studio is a Class 3 garden room, not a dwelling. It is not built under Class 3A, so neither the Class 3A notification nor the new-dwelling building control process (Commencement Notice, certifiers and completion certificate) applies to it. It is for use with your home — an office, studio, gym or hobby room — and cannot be lived in or slept in without planning permission. We confirm what applies at your free site visit.
  • The 5–10 days is the on-site structural build once the foundations are ready. Design, the paperwork and connections add lead-time before it.
  • Class 3A homes must be started and finished by 31 December 2030.

*Subject to site eligibility under S.I. No. 340/2026, Class 3A (32–45 m² in the rear garden, owner living in the main house, at least 25 m² of garden remaining, own access within the garden, 14-day notice to the council) — confirmed at your free site visit. Build time refers to the on-site structural build once foundations are ready; excludes design, planning and connections lead-time. Prices exclude site works, connections and professional fees. †Garden Studio: Class 3, Part 1, Schedule 2, Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as substituted by S.I. No. 338/2026. Not forward of the front wall; finishes to match the house if built to the side; not for human habitation. May not apply where planning conditions restrict exempt development. Counts towards the 45 m² Class 3A limit if you later add a garden home. Confirmed at your free site visit.

Free, no-obligation quote

Get a fixed price for your site

Start with your name and number so we can get back to you. Then check your garden and add any site details you know for your quote — the extra questions are optional. You deal with Nua Living throughout: one point of contact from your first call to handover. Primestructures’ own crew builds every home, with 10 years of ICF construction behind them.

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