From Concept to Completion: How to Build the Perfect Dublin House Extension

Expanding Your Dublin Home with Confidence

In a city like Dublin, where space is often at a premium and moving house can be costly and disruptive, extending your home offers a smart, flexible solution. Whether you’re looking to create a spacious open-plan kitchen, add an extra bedroom, or build a dedicated home office, a house extension allows you to reimagine your home without relocation hassle.

Beyond just increasing space, a well-designed extension can significantly enhance your property’s value, improve energy efficiency, and transform how you live in your home. It’s an opportunity to modernize, personalize, and future-proof your living space—all while staying rooted in the neighborhood you love.

As a trusted name in the Dublin construction industry, O'MAR Construction specializes in delivering high-quality house extensions tailored to your vision and lifestyle. With deep knowledge of local planning laws, a reputation for craftsmanship, and a commitment to transparent project management, our team ensures your extension journey is seamless from concept to completion.

Whether it’s a single-story rear extension or a complex wrap-around design, we bring precision, professionalism, and passion to every project. Let’s explore everything you need to know about extending your home in Dublin—with confidence, clarity, and the experts at your side.

What Is a House Extension?

A house extension is a structural addition built onto an existing home to increase the internal living space. This can be done by extending outwards (rear, side, or front), upwards (adding another storey or loft conversion), or even downwards (basement extensions). Unlike internal renovations, extensions physically expand the footprint or volume of the home and often involve more complex planning and construction processes.

Why Dublin Homeowners Choose to Extend

Here are some common reasons why homeowners in Dublin choose to extend:

Growing families:

As families expand, the need for extra bedrooms, bathrooms, or larger living areas increases.

Modern living needs:

Open-plan kitchens, home offices, and multifunctional spaces are increasingly in demand.

Increasing property value:

A high-quality extension can significantly boost your home's market value and appeal.

Futureproofing:

Aging homeowners may extend their ground floor to include accessible living spaces, planning for long-term comfort.

Maximizing unused space:

Many Dublin homes have untapped potential in side alleys, rear gardens, or underutilized lofts.

At O'MAR Construction, we understand the diverse needs of Dublin homeowners. From modest kitchen extensions to transformative two-story builds, we’ve helped families across the city unlock their home's full potential through smart, stylish extensions.

Types of House Extensions

When it comes to extending your home in Dublin, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Each property—and family—has unique needs and limitations. The good news? A wide range of house extension types suit different budgets, layouts, and planning requirements.

Here’s a breakdown of the most common extension options, including their benefits and best use cases:

Single-Storey Extensions
Ideal for expanding kitchens, and dining rooms, or creating open-plan living areas.
Single-story extensions are the most popular option for Dublin homeowners. Usually added to the rear or side of a home, they provide immediate extra space without major structural changes.
Benefits: Faster construction, often falls under exempted development rules, and is budget-friendly.
Perfect for: Kitchen extensions, playrooms, utility spaces, or garden rooms.

Double-Storey Extensions
Add significant square footage by building upwards.
If you need multiple new rooms—say, a larger kitchen downstairs and an extra bedroom upstairs—a two-story extension may be the right choice.
Benefits: More space for less cost per square meter than two separate single-story builds.
Considerations: Requires planning permission and may face height/privacy objections from neighbors.

Rear Extensions
Maximize unused garden space and bring the outdoors in.
A rear extension expands the back of the property, often opening up the kitchen or living room to the garden.
Benefits: Great for indoor-outdoor living, can dramatically improve natural light.
Planning tip: Be mindful of garden size and neighboring boundaries.

Side Return Extensions
Utilize narrow alleys and create smarter layouts.
Many period homes in Dublin, especially terraced or semi-detached ones, have unused alleyways to the side. A side return extension fills in this gap to create a wider, more functional internal space.
Benefits: Small but transformative, excellent for improving kitchen layouts.
Popular in: Victorian and Edwardian properties in urban Dublin neighborhoods.

Wrap-Around Extensions
Combine rear and side extensions for maximum flexibility.
A wrap-around extension offers the best of both worlds. It can completely reconfigure the ground floor, allowing for expansive open-plan kitchens, utility rooms, and more.
Benefits: Adds the most ground floor space, highly customizable.
Considerations: More complex structurally and from a planning standpoint.

Basement Conversions
Create a new living space beneath your feet.
Though less common, basement extensions are ideal for homes with limited outdoor space or in high-density urban areas.
Benefits: Adds considerable square footage, ideal for gyms, guest rooms, or home cinemas.
Challenges: These can be costly and involve significant groundwork, but the results can be spectacular.

Choosing the Right Extension for Your Home

At O'MAR Construction, we begin every project with a personalized consultation to understand your goals, budget, and property layout. Whether you're dreaming of a bright rear extension to open up your kitchen or need a full wrap-around transformation, our team has the local expertise and craftsmanship to bring your vision to life—on time and on budget.

Designing Your Extension: Aesthetic and Functional Considerations

Design is where your house extension truly comes to life—not just in how it looks, but how it works. A well-designed extension isn’t just extra space; it’s a space that adds meaning, flow, and personality to your home.

Aligning with Your Home’s Existing Architectural Style

A poorly designed extension can look like an awkward afterthought. A successful one blends seamlessly with the existing property—or contrasts it intentionally, with purpose.

Complementary design: Match existing materials (brick, render, window styles) for a harmonious look.

Contemporary contrast: Use glass, zinc, timber cladding or steel to create a modern extension that stands out in the right way.

Respecting period features: Dublin’s Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian homes have distinctive details that deserve thoughtful integration.

🛠 Pro Tip: Consider rooflines, window proportions, and façade symmetry when planning the connection between old and new.

Maximizing Natural Light and Ventilation

Light is one of the most transformative design tools available in any extension project. Done well, it makes your space feel bigger, warmer, and more inviting.

Rooflights & skylights: Perfect for side return or single-story extensions where rear windows are limited.

Bi-fold or sliding glass doors: Create seamless indoor-outdoor flow and fill living areas with daylight.

Internal glazing: Use glass partitions or borrowed light from adjoining rooms to brighten up even deeper parts of the home.

Cross-ventilation: Position windows and doors to allow airflow throughout the extension, improving comfort and air quality.

Incorporating Open-Plan Living Concepts

Open-plan living remains a hugely popular choice for Dublin homeowners—especially in kitchen and family spaces.

Kitchen-dining-living zones: The "heart of the home" layout that brings everyone together.

Broken-plan ideas: Use split levels, half-walls, or furniture placement to subtly divide spaces while keeping openness.

Consider acoustics: Open spaces echo more, so think about sound insulation in floors and ceilings.

Storage is key: Include built-ins and clever joinery to keep the space tidy and functional.

Design insight: Open-plan doesn’t mean “everything in one box.” Thoughtful zoning creates a space that feels both expansive and purposeful.

The Construction Process: Step-by-Step

What to Expect When Building Your House Extension with O'MAR Constructionpes

Starting a house extension can feel daunting—but with the right team and a clear plan, it becomes an exciting and empowering experience. At O'MAR Construction, we’ve refined the process into a smooth, transparent journey that keeps you informed and in control from start to finish.

Here’s how it all works:

Initial Consultation & Feasibility Study
Understanding your vision, goals, and possibilities.

It all begins with a no-obligation consultation where we meet you on-site or at your home to discuss:

Your goals for the extension (e.g., extra space, increased light, added value).
Your budget and timeline expectations.
Existing site constraints or opportunities.
Ideas for layouts, aesthetics, and materials.

From there, we conduct a feasibility assessment to determine:

If your plans are structurally and legally viable.
What planning permission, if any, is needed.
The most cost-effective way to achieve your goals.

Deliverable:

A feasibility report with rough sketches, ballpark costs, and initial recommendations.

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Initial Consultation & Feasibility Study

Design & Planning Phase. Turning ideas into actionable architectural plans.

This is where your extension starts to take shape:

Together, we refine the design to match your needs, lifestyle, and property layout.
Engineers are brought in for structural calculations if needed.
We ensure your extension complements the existing building—both aesthetically and technically.

Bonus:

We consider future-proofing (e.g., underfloor heating, energy-efficient glazing, smart home wiring) right from the start.

Construction & Project Management

Once approved, our skilled construction team takes over. We manage:

Groundworks, foundations, and structural changes.
Roofing, brick/block work, and insulation.
Electrical, plumbing, and heating installation.
Windows, doors, and internal fittings.
Plastering, painting, flooring, and finishing details.

On-site management:

Manage all trades and deliveries.
Ensure health & safety compliance.
Keep everything running on schedule and within budget.

Final Inspections & Handover

Before the final handover, we carry out:

Snagging checks to identify and fix any outstanding issues.
Quality assurance inspections across all works.
Final walk-through with you to ensure you're 100% satisfied.

We’ll also provide:

Completion certificates (including BER where applicable).
Advice on maintenance and future upgrades.

Handover moment:

You get the keys to your beautiful new space—clean, certified, and ready to enjoy.

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Why Process Matters

Extensions can be disruptive without proper planning. Our structured approach ensures:

Clarity at every step
No surprise costs
High-quality results

A stress-free experience

When you build with O'MAR Construction, you get a trusted partner committed to transparency, quality, and craftsmanship—from the first sketch to the final coat of paint.

O'MAR Construction

At O'MAR Construction, we’ve been helping Dublin homeowners extend their homes with confidence, creativity, and quality for years. From the first consultation to the final coat of paint, we guide you through every step—clearly, professionally, and with a genuine passion for building beautiful spaces.