Conservation Advice Grant Scheme for Traditional Houses

Two thirds (67%) of the cost of a conservation expert's survey and report on your traditional house, up to €5,000. You pay the rest.

Last checked October 2026

What it is

Pays 67% of the cost, up to €5,000, of having a conservation expert visit an old or traditional house, survey it and write a tailored report on its condition and on how to repair, restore and upgrade it, including its energy efficiency, before you start work or apply for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. Two streams. Stream 1 is for a traditional house in a village, town or city that is a protected structure or a historic structure in an Architectural Conservation Area, including a former shop or commercial building being turned into a home or homes above the shop. Stream 2 is for a traditional farmhouse, which includes a vernacular farmhouse with no statutory protection at all, the kind the Department describes as a cottage, a modest house built by ordinary people from local materials such as thatch, stone, slate, earth, wattle or unsawn timber. Since 2026 the house no longer has to be vacant, so an owner living in a period or heritage home can use it to plan an energy upgrade, and it now also covers fire safety advice for multiple-occupancy units in traditional houses. The 2026 round is closed. Applications closed on 8 May 2026 and, subject to funding, it is expected to reopen in 2027. You cannot apply today, so this is one to get ready for. How to apply is set out in the Department's guidance booklets for each stream, published when a round opens. In 2026 applications went to the National Built Heritage Service with photographs of the building and were assessed for heritage value and value for money. The report can support an application for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, which pays up to €50,000, or €70,000 for a derelict property.

Who can get it

• You own a traditional house that fits one of the two streams below
• Stream 1: the house is in a village, town or city and is a protected structure or a historic structure in an Architectural Conservation Area, or a former commercial building becoming a home or homes above the shop
• Stream 2: it is a traditional farmhouse, whether a protected structure, in a conservation area or a vernacular farmhouse with no statutory protection

How to apply

Applications go through Dept of Housing (National Built Heritage Service). The official page has the full eligibility rules and the application itself.

Checked against the official source on 20 October 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.

Questions people ask

Related guides

• Vacant / Derelict Property Grant
• Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan
• Ready to Build sites
• Living City Initiative
• Pyrite Remediation Scheme