Cost comparison of old and new Ireland apartment design guidelines

The new apartment design guidelines were issued by the Government on 8 July, 2025.

There will be a number of  potential savings that could be made on existing schemes, however, the savings will vary a lot from scheme to scheme, depending on the unit mix in each scheme.

While the changes introduce some flexibility to apartment design, there is still an affordability gap and some financial support will be required to achieve viability prior to committing to a start on site.

​Our high level financial model looks to illustrate the quantum of savings that may be achieved per unit. Of course, one has to consider the impact on a total development of the new design guidelines and as such the overall mix of apartments will be critical. For example, the number of parking spaces will be closely linked to location and unit mix in addition to the price paid for land having to be apportioned across the total number of units.

The VAT paid by a purchaser on an apartment designed to the new standard will still be high ranging from €40k to €66k dependant on unit type - this contributes to affordability issues for purchasers.

​The high level indicative cost model can be accessed here

​ bit.ly/newapartmentstandardscost.

​Hope that it is useful and looking forward to getting feedback