Homebuilder Cairn forecasting strong growth in housing delivery despite rising cost inflation

Property developer said ongoing volatility in the Middle East had impacted build cost inflation, which is now running at 2.5%

Michael Stanley, Chief Executive Officer of Cairn Homes.

Irish homebuilder Cairn has welcomed "continued momentum" in its housing delivery, with its closed and forward order book now standing at around 3,850 new homes, the company announced on Thursday.

In a trading update, the property developer said its order book grew by approximately 400 homes in the eight weeks since it reported its full-year results for 2025, which saw the group's revenue climb 10% to €944.6m.

The company said it expects this growth to continue, with further spring launches planned in the coming weeks, primarily targeted at first-time buyers, and a "strong pipeline" of apartments on large mixed tenure schemes for our state partners and private buyers.

"This continued momentum, supported by our prior year investment in operational scaling, will deliver a strong first half outturn, underpinning our full year growth," Cairn said.

That is despite ongoing volatility in the Middle East, which the homebuilder said has impacted build cost inflation, which is now running at around 2.5%. Whilst not weakening consumer sentiment, Cairn said it will "remain alert" to the conflict in the Middle East and any further inflationary pressures that may result as the year progresses. 

"However, as things stand today, we do not expect there to be a material impact on our full year outlook," the company added.

Looking forward, the homebuilder reiterated its outlook for 2026, saying that it is "firmly positioned" to achieve significant growth. This will include delivering around 6,000 new homes between this year and next, including approximately 3,200 homes in 2027. 

It is also seeking to achieve revenue of between €1.05bn and €1.08bn, with operating profit forecasted to fall between €180m and €185m.