Full House Renovation Costs in London: A 2026 Guide
A full house renovation in London costs £1,200–£1,800 per m² for mid-range work and £1,800–£2,500+ for high specification in 2026, so a 110 m² three-bed is £130,000–£200,000 plus VAT and fees. What is included, what moves it, and how to budget.
A full house renovation in London costs £1,200 to £1,800 per square metre for a mid-range specification in 2026, and £1,800 to £2,500 or more for high-specification work with structural changes and premium finishes. For a typical 110 m² three-bedroom house that means £130,000 to £200,000 before VAT and professional fees; for a 200 m² detached house at the upper end, £360,000 to £500,000+. Light refurbishment — decoration, floors, a new kitchen and bathroom, no structural or services work — is £800 to £1,200 per m². This guide explains what those figures include, why the range is so wide, and how to build a budget you can trust.
Three levels of renovation
| Level | What it involves | 2026 cost / m² (London) | 110 m² three-bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, new kitchen and bathroom in the same positions, minor electrical and plumbing, no structure | £800 – £1,200 | £90,000 – £130,000 |
| Mid-range full renovation | Full rewire, new plumbing and heating, layout changes with steels, new kitchen and bathrooms, plastering throughout, quality finishes | £1,200 – £1,800 | £130,000 – £200,000 |
| High specification | As above plus structural reconfiguration, premium kitchen and bathrooms, bespoke joinery, under-floor heating, lighting design, new windows | £1,800 – £2,500+ | £200,000 – £275,000+ |
Adding an extension or loft to the renovation is priced separately — see the extension cost guide — but doing them together saves on scaffold, site set-up and disruption, and lets the services and finishes run through the whole house.
Where the money goes in a full renovation
On a mid-range renovation of a 1930s semi the build cost typically breaks down roughly as follows. Every house is different, but the proportions are a useful sanity check against a quotation.
- Strip-out, skips, scaffold and site set-up: 5–8%. Under-estimated by almost everyone.
- Structural work: 8–15%. Steels for openings, chimney-breast removal with gallows brackets or steels, repairs to joists and lintels.
- Rewire and new consumer unit: 6–9%. A full rewire of a three-bed house is £6,000–£10,000 plus the lighting and data you add to it.
- Plumbing and heating: 8–12%. New boiler, radiators or under-floor heating, hot-water cylinder, new pipework.
- Kitchen: 12–20%. £15,000–£25,000 mid-range; £25,000–£60,000 bespoke.
- Bathrooms: 8–14%. £8,000–£20,000 each supplied and fitted.
- Plastering, joinery, doors, floors, decoration: 20–30%. The finishes people see.
- Windows and external works: 5–15% if included.
- Preliminaries and management: 8–12%. The builder's supervision, insurance, welfare and programme — what makes a good site run.
The five things that push a renovation to the top of the range
1. Starting condition
A house untouched since the 1970s has lead pipes, rubber-insulated cables, lath-and-plaster ceilings and floors that have never been up. Everything takes longer and reveals more. This is why we survey — lifting boards and opening ceilings where we can — before we price, and why we recommend 15% contingency on older houses.
2. Structural ambition
Opening the ground floor into one space means several steels, sometimes a moment frame, and temporary works while it happens. Removing chimney breasts at ground and first floor means supporting the stack above. Each opening is £3,000–£10,000 including engineering.
3. Period fabric
Victorian and Edwardian houses in Finchley, Muswell Hill and Highgate need lime plaster on solid walls, sash windows repaired rather than replaced where planning requires it, and cornices and fireplaces restored. Done properly it costs more than ripping out and replacing; done badly it costs more later. Our guide to the challenges of period properties goes further.
4. Specification
Under-floor heating throughout (£100–£180/m²), engineered oak or parquet (£80–£180/m² fitted), bespoke wardrobes and media walls, layered lighting, sintered-stone worktops. None of it is wrong; all of it should be decided at feasibility so the budget and the design are the same number.
5. Living in the house
A full renovation with the family in residence takes longer and costs more — dust sealing, temporary kitchens, working room by room. If you can move out for three to four months, do; it is usually cheaper than the extra weeks on site. See living at home during construction.
Fees, approvals and VAT
- Design and specification: £3,000–£8,000 for a three-bed house; more with interior design and 3D visuals. On a design-and-build contract these are fixed-fee stages.
- Structural engineer: £900–£3,000 depending on the number of openings.
- Building Regulations: full plans submission and inspections, £900–£2,000. Required for structural, electrical (Part P), drainage, glazing and thermal work.
- Planning: not needed for internal work; £258 householder application if the exterior changes in a conservation area.
- Party wall surveyors: £1,500–£4,000 per neighbour if works to a shared wall are dissented.
- VAT: 20% on most renovation work. HMRC's Notice 708 sets out the 5% rate for houses empty for two years or more and for certain conversions.
A worked example: 1930s semi in Hendon, 115 m², mid-range full renovation
- Build cost at £1,500/m²: £172,500 (includes mid-range kitchen and two bathrooms)
- Design, engineering, Building Regulations: £9,000
- Contingency at 12%: £21,000
- Subtotal £202,500; VAT at 20%: £40,500
- Total budget: c. £243,000, of which £217,000 is committed at contract
Add a 25 m² rear extension in the same contract and the total rises to roughly £360,000–£390,000 including VAT — typically £30,000–£40,000 less than doing the two as separate projects a year apart.
How to budget without regret
- Decide the specification before the drawings are finished, and price it.
- Survey the house properly before signing a contract: what is behind the plaster is the biggest unknown.
- Hold a written contingency and agree how it is spent.
- Insist on a fixed contract sum and staged payments against completed work.
- Do everything at once if you can afford to, in a logical sequence, rather than in phases.
Our house renovations page covers the process and timelines; Hill Crescent shows what a whole-house refurbishment of a 1930s house looks like when it is finished in one go.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to renovate a 3-bedroom house in London?
For a typical 110 m² three-bedroom house, a mid-range full renovation — rewire, new plumbing and heating, layout changes, new kitchen and bathrooms, quality finishes — is £130,000 to £200,000 in 2026 before VAT and professional fees. Light refurbishment without structural or services work is £90,000 to £130,000; high specification £200,000 to £275,000 or more.
What is the cost per square metre to renovate a house in London?
Roughly £800–£1,200 per m² for light refurbishment, £1,200–£1,800 for a mid-range full renovation and £1,800–£2,500+ for high specification with structural changes and premium materials.
Is it cheaper to renovate room by room?
Almost never over the whole project. Each phase pays again for scaffold, skips, set-up and disruption, and later phases often undo earlier work (a rewire after a decorated room). Phasing makes sense only when cash flow requires it, and then it should be planned so the sequence is logical.
Do I pay VAT on renovation work?
Usually 20%. The reduced rate of 5% applies to some conversions and to renovating a house that has been empty for two years or more; listed-building alterations lost their zero rate in 2012. Ask the builder to confirm the VAT position in the quotation.
How much contingency should I hold for a renovation?
10% for a house in reasonable condition; 15% for Victorian and Edwardian houses or one that has not been touched for decades. Old houses hide rotten joists, removed chimney breasts and wiring from three eras.
Want a range for your own project?
Project cost calculatorAbout this guide. Written by the Milkov & Son Construction team and reviewed by Stoyan Milkov, Director & Project Manager. Cost figures are North London market guides for the year stated and not quotations; planning and Building Regulations summaries are general and should be confirmed for your property. About the company.
