Covid site safety measures “could add 10%” to house costs

Ireland’s Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has warned that Covid-19 site safety measures could add 5-10% – as much as €15,000 – to the cost of a new house.

The hike would be higher, around €20,000, for units in apartment blocks, where construction requires a higher concentration of labour, CIF Director General Tom Parlon told the Covid-19 committee of the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament.

Parlon also told members that building times would lengthen, rising from 15 weeks to 25 weeks for a house, reports Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE. 

Complex projects such as the National Children’s Hospital would be hit harder, with cost hikes of up to 40%, said Parlon.

He explained that, under social distancing rules, a large site with 1,800 workers before could now have only 500-600.

Image: Construction crane over Dublin (Dimitry Anikin/Unsplash)