If you are interested in the cost of a typical property renovation, you’ll find links here to a selection of actual figures from our projects delivered since 2004. These include the cost of major home renovations as well as specific trade tasks such as the cost of home electrics, decoration, flooring, and installing a new kitchen.
You’ll also want to know how to renovate a home successfully, keeping the costs under control; at the foot of this page, we provide links to guidance documents covering such issues as engaging contractors and writing contracts. We also give advice on how to check the total cost of your project before you start. These additional pages help you to manage your renovation with confidence. When you’ve found what you need from the individual cost pages, it would be worth returning to read through the additional advice offered.
Actual home renovation costs
By clicking on the following links, you’ll find prices from our projects and estimates gathered since 2004. Every situation is different, and will be different again for your refurbishment. But the figures should give you a good enough guide for property renovation cost in the UK.
The figures are for tasks carried out in the Bath-Bristol area, so there will be regional variation; London and the South East will be more expensive on average; the rest of the UK will be less so. We uplifted older figures to January 2016 economic conditions assuming an average annual inflation rate of 3.5%. It is important to note that, with the uncertainties surrounding Brexit and the fall in the value of Sterling, prices since the referendum have risen by approximately 15-20% per annum in some areas. We have written a separate blog on the effects of Brexit, and you will need to bear this in mind when estimating costs at current economic conditions.
- Cost of major home renovation
- Cost of a new bathroom
- Cost of home electrics, including house re-wire
- Cost of a new kitchen
- Cost of general building work
- Cost of home decoration, including tiling
- Cost of domestic plumbing and heating jobs
- Cost of home joinery and carpentry
- Cost of bespoke furniture
- Cost of flooring
- Cost of window dressing
Our major home renovation page contains additional links to projects in our portfolio, so you can read the story of each project. We also submit planning applications for major projects, engaging structural engineers and others in the production of building control documentation.
Cost breakdown for home renovation
When we calculate budgetary estimates for our clients we use extensive checklists for contractor activities, supply of fittings and furnishings, professional fees and risk provision for every room in the house, including the exterior and grounds. These combine to present the total budget. You can use the headings in our further guides below to make sure you’ve covered everything.
Total cost of home renovation
TV make-over shows leave the impression that jobs can be done quickly and cheaply. Watch out! One of the problems we face is that people generally have little idea of the price of things. People should do a bit of research beforehand to set expectation, which is why we’ve spent time putting these pages together.
“A recent client had an offer accepted on a property with a cost in mind to renovate the house. He believed that the purchase price plus cost of renovation would create a home valued at greater than the investment. He then asked us to quote to design and carry out the work. Seeing the budget he had in mind, we decided to spend some time checking this out before we went too far. Using our database and general experience, we were able to show that the cost of renovation would be about £150 000 above the estimate. Our client decided to withdraw his offer. Obviously he was grateful to us for establishing the true cost before he committed further (and we lost a potential £35 000 commission as a result!)
Another of our clients carried out a cost comparison of renovating his house in Bath against moving home; we helped him to calculate the overall saving he would make by staying in Bath as opposed to purchasing a similar property elsewhere, given the extensive fees that a house move entails.”
Cost of a new kitchen
A new kitchen is a good example for showing how figures can be deceptive. A showroom will tell you the price of the “kitchen”. But they won’t know your total cost: the building work, the plumbing, the joinery, the electrics, the decoration, the flooring and so on. You might get excited by the prospect of a £8 000 kitchen, only to realise that it will cost another £10 000 to install it as you would really like. We have maintained a large database of real costs from our renovations over the years from a variety of suppliers and contractors to give a good range of total costs for typical tasks. We offer this to help you to set a realistic budget for your project from start to finish.
Property renovation and interior design services
We’ve designed and delivered many home refurbishments over the years from single rooms to whole houses. Most are family homes; some started out derelict. You can find out more on our specialist property renovation services page.
