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Clar-Con handles the full groundwork stage across Dublin, from site clearance to excavation, foundations, and drainage, built to Building Regulations TGD Part A. Groundwork on a new 200 m² house typically runs €15,000 to €30,000 depending on ground conditions.
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Vegetation removal, topsoil strip, demolition of existing structures, hardstanding break-out and waste disposal to licensed facilities.
Bulk excavation, reduced level dig and trench excavation for foundations, drainage and services. Engineer-set levels with spoil managed on or off site.
Strip, trench fill, raft and pad foundations to structural engineer specification. Underpinning of existing foundations and groundwork for retaining walls also covered.
Foul drainage to Irish Water connection points, surface water with soakaways or attenuation tanks, manhole and gully installation, ACO channel drainage.
Type 804 stone sub-base laid and compacted to engineering specification. Blinding sand and damp proof membrane (DPM) installed ready for the floor slab.
C20 blinding concrete, C25 and C30 structural concrete for floor slabs, foundations and pad bases, all to NSAI standards. Pour, level and finish handled in full.
Every job follows the same sequence: investigation, clearance, foundations, sub-base. Same process, residential or commercial.
We visit the site, review the engineer’s design and check levels, ground type and site constraints. You get a fully itemised written quote, VAT at 13.5% shown.
The site is cleared, topsoil stripped and bulk excavation set to engineer’s levels. Foundation trenches and drainage runs follow, co-ordinated with your engineer and council inspections.
Foundations formed, reinforced where required and poured to the specified mix. Foul and surface water drainage laid, jointed and tested, with Irish Water connections or soakaways as appropriate. Drainage laid to falls under Building Regulations TGD Part C.
Type 804 hardcore laid and compacted, blinding sand screeded, damp proof membrane installed, floor slab poured if in scope. Site left clean, level and ready for the building contractor.
Why this matters for private builds too: A contractor who works to council and NSAI standards every day applies the same compliance discipline to private foundations. The reinforcement, mix design and drainage falls you get on a self-build are signed-off to the same standard a council inspector would accept.
| Extension Type | Typical Cost (Dublin) | What Moves The Price |
|---|---|---|
| Strip Foundations | €150 – €250 / linear m | Width, depth, reinforcement spec |
| Raft Foundations | Higher than strip | Used where ground is soft or fill |
| Bulk Excavation | €30 – €60 / m³ | Best space-per-euro, structural scope |
| Foul & Surface Drainage | ~€50 / linear m | Pipe size, depth, manholes, connections |
| Site Clearance | €1,000 – €5,000+ | Vegetation, structures, hardstanding |
| Hardcore Sub-Base & Slab | Included with foundations | Slab thickness, mesh, DPM spec |
For a typical residential groundwork package, the cost breaks down roughly like this. The single biggest variable across all four is ground condition.
Most build failures (settlement cracks, damp through the slab, drainage backing up, walls moving) start below slab level. By the time the problem shows, the house is finished and the cost to fix is many times what it would have cost to get right the first time.
Clar-Con has 17+ years of construction experience and public sector standards to back it up. We work to council and tender requirements every day, so a self-builder’s foundation gets the same compliance discipline as a Dublin City Council project. One team spans civil engineering and main contracting, reading the engineer’s drawings and the council inspection process so the groundwork hands over cleanly.
Every quote is itemised by stage: clearance, excavation, foundations, drainage, sub-base and concrete. You compare like with like, with no vague headline figures and no surprise extras mid-pour.
A groundwork contractor handles the foundational stage of a build, the work below slab level. That includes site clearance, excavation, foundations (strip, raft, pad or piled), foul and surface water drainage, hardcore sub-base preparation and the concrete slab. Once groundwork is complete, the site is ready for the main contractor to begin blockwork and the structure above.
For a typical new-build 200 m² house, groundwork generally costs €15,000 to €30,000 depending on ground conditions. The biggest variables are soil type, the foundation type required, drainage runs and site clearance. Strip foundations run €150 to €250 per linear metre, drainage runs around €50 per linear metre installed. See our groundwork cost guide for the full breakdown.
Site clearance and demolition, bulk and trench excavation, foundations (strip, raft, trench fill or pad to engineer specification), foul drainage, surface water drainage with soakaways or attenuation where required, hardcore sub-base, damp proof membrane and the concrete floor slab if part of the scope. We can deliver the full scope or any individual stage as a subcontract.
For a standard new-build of 150 to 250 m² on a clear site with good ground, groundwork from clearance to slab-ready usually takes three to six weeks. Difficult ground (rock, soft fill, high water table), drainage adoption issues or weather delays can extend this. We give a realistic programme as part of the quote.
For any new build, extension or alteration that touches foundations, yes. The engineer designs the foundation type, depth and reinforcement based on the soil and the loads. We work to the engineer’s drawings and can recommend engineers we have worked with where you do not already have one.
Dublin sites commonly sit on boulder clay, which is generally firm and suits strip foundations. Alluvial deposits near rivers and the coast can be soft and may require raft or piled foundations. Made ground (previous fill, demolition rubble) is unpredictable and almost always adds cost. Rock is encountered occasionally and slows excavation. A site investigation before quoting is what protects the budget from these surprises.
Yes. Foul drainage to Irish Water connection points, surface water drainage including soakaways and attenuation tanks, manhole and gully installation, and ACO channel drainage are all standard parts of our groundwork scope. Drainage is laid to the falls required under Building Regulations TGD Part H.
Yes. We work directly for self-builders and developers, and we also provide groundwork as a subcontract package for main contractors who need a reliable groundwork team for a phase of a larger project. Quotes are provided in the form most useful for the main contractor’s tender or programme.
Ready to start your project with a groundwork team that delivers to council standards and engineer drawings? Clar-Con prepares sites that pass inspection first time. Fill out the form for a quick response on cost, or call us straight away to discuss your project. The quote is built around your actual site and engineer’s design, not a generic per-metre rate.
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