‘Direct labour’ homes liable to stamp duty

MY partner and I are about to purchase a site for a home. We are both first-time buyers and will be building by ‘direct labour’.

We have been told we will be liable to stamp duty because we have chosen this method of construction (as per section 29 of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act, 1999).

We would only be exempt from stamp duty if we had bought a site with an accompanying building agreement.