HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a structural engineer in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
A structural engineer in Ireland costs €500–€3,000 per job, typically around €1,200. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.
- Search and compare — no account needed
- Nearest to you first
- One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a structural engineer in five steps
- Are you on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, and what is your number?A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — design and calculation — design and calculation of structural elements.
- Will I get a Certificate of Compliance on Completion, and when?On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — site assessment and — site assessment and analysis of existing structures.
- How does what does this service include? change the price?It decides how much of the day the job takes. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does residential Structural Assessment change the price?It changes the risk the provider is taking on. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does commercial Building Design change the price?It decides whether the work can be done in one go. — ask before the quote rather than after.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI)
CIRI is a VOLUNTARY register today. The Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 was signed on 5 July 2022 and S.I. 429/2022 commenced parts of it on 29 August 2022; the Construction Industry Federation was appointed registration body on 16 January 2023. Registration is NOT yet mandatory: the divisions regulations had not been drafted as of a May 2025 Dáil answer, and CIRI itself projects mandatory registration from 2027. So being absent from CIRI breaks no law in 2026 — and being on it is still the only independent check of a builder that exists here.
Search the Construction Industry Register Ireland for the name or the registration number before you agree a price. ciri.ie →
a Certificate of Compliance on Completion
Issued by the assigned certifier and the builder, where the work needed a commencement notice on completion, before the building is occupied. It matters because it is lodged on the statutory register and is what a buyer's solicitor looks for; work done without one surfaces on sale.
Agree before the work starts that you will be handed a certificate of compliance on completion, and keep it with the house papers.
Insurance
Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.
Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.
Trader or private seller
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.
Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.
VAT
VAT at 13.5%, the reduced rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.
Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →
A good answer: A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — design and calculation — design and calculation of structural elements.
A good answer: On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — site assessment and — site assessment and analysis of existing structures.
A good answer: It decides how much of the day the job takes. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: It changes the risk the provider is taking on. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: It decides whether the work can be done in one go. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Initial consultation to — initial consultation to discuss project requirements — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a structural engineer job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
A good answer: Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it — what does this service include? — this service typically includes structural design, analysis, and documentation necessary for construction.
Getting the quote right
- What does this service include? — it decides how much of the day the job takes.
- Residential Structural Assessment — it changes the risk the provider is taking on.
- Commercial Building Design — it decides whether the work can be done in one go.
- Renovation Support — it decides how much of the day the job takes.
- In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
- What is NOT included, named
- Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register
Walk away if
- They are not on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, or the number does not resolve to the name on the quote
- No a Certificate of Compliance on Completion is offered, or you are told you do not need one for work of this kind
- They will not talk about it: what does this service include? — it decides how much of the day the job takes
- They will not talk about it: residential Structural Assessment — it changes the risk the provider is taking on
- They will not talk about it: commercial Building Design — it decides whether the work can be done in one go
- A price for the structural engineer before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
What a structural engineer costs: €500–€3,000 per job
The figures are for the job, per job, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Residential structural assessment and Commercial building design each carry their own band. Structural Engineer price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Structural engineers near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- Look firstWhat does this service include? — it decides how much of the day the job takes — that is what the structural engineer is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
- Agree what is being doneResidential Structural Assessment — it changes the risk the provider is taking on — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
- The work itselfCommercial Building Design — it decides whether the work can be done in one go — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
- Check it togetherRenovation Support — it decides how much of the day the job takes — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the structural engineer is still there.
- What you are handedA Certificate of Compliance on Completion, the invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, retrofitting and Strengthening — it sets how much preparation the job needs.
- What does this service include?
- This service typically includes structural design, analysis, and documentation necessary for construction.
- Initial consultation to
- Initial consultation to discuss project requirements.
- Site assessment and
- Site assessment and analysis of existing structures.
- Design and calculation
- Design and calculation of structural elements.
- Residential Structural Assessment
- Evaluating the structural integrity of homes to identify potential issues.
- Foundation Design
- Designing foundations that support the weight of structures and withstand environmental forces.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a structural engineer: questions people ask
They work on a wide range of projects, including residential homes, commercial buildings, bridges, and infrastructure. The scope of a structural engineer's work can vary greatly, from residential extensions to large commercial projects, influenced by factors such as site conditions and material choices.
Yes, they can assess existing structures and provide guidance on safe renovation practices. Structural engineers play a crucial role in the construction process, collaborating with architects, contractors, and other professionals to deliver robust and efficient designs.
Search the name or the registration number. If the number does not resolve to the name on the quote, stop there.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.
Two or three, each for the same written scope. Quotes for different scopes are not comparable, which is how the cheapest one wins and then grows.
Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it. Ask who the insurer is, not just whether they have it.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in trades & construction
Structural engineers near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022
- S.I. 429/2022 — Commencement Order
- Construction Industry Register Ireland
- Department of Housing — Building Control
- Consumer Rights Act 2022
- Revenue — MOTOR VEHICLES - REPAIRS (Certain repair and related services) — Reduced rate
- Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
- Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only