HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

Hiring a builder in Ireland
No licence applies. These checks do.

52 guides for hiring builders in Ireland, each one checked against the regulator, the statute or the official consumer guidance, with the sources and the month at the end. What to check, what to ask, what a fair quote looks like and what you should be handed when the job is done.

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52 guides. Pick the job you are hiring for.

Grouped the way you would ask for them. Every guide covers the checks, the questions and the quote for that job — then takes you to the builders who cover your area.

Booked by the job: a scope, a written quote and a company answerable for the result.

Booked by the job: a scope, a written quote and a company answerable for the result.

Booked by the job: a scope, a written quote and a company answerable for the result.

Booked by the job: a scope, a written quote and a company answerable for the result.

What every trades & construction guide covers

The checks before you book

TrustMark, a building control completion certificate and public liability, and professional indemnity from whoever designed it, and trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — each guide says which of them applies to its own job.

The questions worth asking

Six to eight questions for the job — what is included, who actually comes, what happens if something is damaged — each with what a good answer from a builder sounds like.

What a fair quote looks like

What the written quote should contain, the warning signs, and what you should be handed when the job is done — the invoice, and a building control completion certificate where the job produces one.

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Trades & Construction businesses on Locufy, across the UK

The most-reviewed builders listed with us. Enter your town above to see the ones that cover you.

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How these guides are made

Checked at the sourceEvery legal, safety or qualification point is taken from the regulator or the statute itself, linked in the guide's sources with the month it was reviewed.
IndependentNo provider is named or recommended. The guides describe what to look for; the search shows who is near you, nearest first.
Kept currentEach guide shows the month it was last reviewed. When a rule changes, the guides it affects are updated and the date moves with them.

Questions people ask

No. No register or licence applies to builders in Ireland, and nobody can be struck off a register that does not exist. The checks that matter are trader status, insurance, references and a written scope — each guide sets them out for its own job. 4 guides in this category cover work that IS restricted, and name the register.

The work itself, what is not included, the materials, the call-out if there is one, the dates, and the total with VAT shown separately. The quote should state the VAT rate; most work in this family is at 20%, so a price 'plus VAT' is that much dearer than it looks. In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts.

a building control completion certificate, issued by the building control body (local authority or registered building control approver in England), in England usually within 8 weeks of completion under a full plans application, if the work complies. Keep it: without it you may not have the certificates you need to sell the home. Plus the invoice and any guarantee.

Say what is wrong in writing first: under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a service must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and work that is not must be put right. If that fails, the Small Claims procedure handles consumer claims up to £10,000 (small claims track) in England and Wales, £5,000 (simple procedure) in Scotland and £5,000 (small claims) in Northern Ireland.

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ALSO READ

People hiring builders also read

Plumbing & Heating37 guides →Electrical32 guides →Home Repairs & Handyman32 guides →

All 19 categories →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
  2. gov.uk — building regulations approval (England)
  3. gov.uk — building regulations: how to apply
  4. gov.uk — building regulations: use a competent person scheme
  5. gov.uk — building regulations and Approved Documents index (England)
  6. gov.uk — competent person schemes: current schemes and how they are authorised
  7. FENSA — replacement windows and doors
  8. CERTASS — competent person scheme for windows and doors
  9. mygov.scot — if a builder is doing the work for you
  10. nidirect — how to apply for Building Regulations approval
  11. gov.wales — building control approval for higher-risk buildings
  12. gov.uk — party walls and building work
  13. HSE — CDM 2015: domestic clients
  14. HSE — deciding if asbestos work must be done by a licensed contractor
  15. HSE — asbestos: frequently asked questions
  16. Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, regulation 8 — licensing
  17. Control of Asbestos Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
  18. gov.uk — VAT rates
  19. gov.uk — VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (Notice 708/6)
  20. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  21. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  22. Citizens Advice — problem with building work, decorating or home improvements (England)
  23. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  24. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  25. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)