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Typical UK whole-house refurbishment costs
Whole-house refurb costs are usually quoted per square metre of floor area in the UK, but the spread is wide because what's included can differ massively from project to project. Below are typical 2026 ranges for the three most common scopes.
Cosmetic refresh (paint, floors, kitchen + bathroom updates) No structural work; existing layout retained. ~£40k–£90k for a 100 sqm house. | £500 – £900/sqm |
Full strip-out refurb (new kitchen, new bathrooms, new floors, rewire, replumb) No structural changes but everything inside replaced. ~£120k–£180k for a 100 sqm house. | £1,200 – £1,800/sqm |
Refurb with structural changes (knock-throughs, extensions) Open-plan changes, possibly a side return or rear extension. ~£180k–£320k for a 100 sqm house. | £1,800 – £3,200/sqm |
Premium / heritage refurb (period property, conservation) Listed building consent, conservation-grade materials, full restoration of original features. | £2,500 – £4,500/sqm |
Per-room rough costs to plan against
Most homeowners find it easier to think in rooms than in £/sqm. The figures below are full-spec mid-range works including labour and materials.
Kitchen renovation (standard fitted) | £8,000 – £30,000 |
Family bathroom renovation | £8,000 – £15,000 |
En-suite renovation | £5,000 – £10,000 |
Living/dining room redecorate + new floor | £3,000 – £7,000 |
Bedroom redecorate + carpet | £1,500 – £3,500 |
Hallway redecorate + new floor | £2,000 – £5,000 |
Full house rewire (3-bed) | £5,500 – £9,000 |
Full house replumb (3-bed) | £4,500 – £8,500 |
Full house plaster (3-bed) | £8,000 – £15,000 |
What drives the refurbishment budget
Refurbs have more cost drivers than any other project type because there are so many trades involved. The big swings:
- Structural work. A single steel beam (RSJ) to open up a kitchen-diner can be £8,000–£20,000 by the time you've paid the structural engineer, the steel, the Building Control fees and the building work either side. Side returns or rear extensions add £40,000–£120,000+.
- Whole-house first fix. Rewiring + replumbing + central heating refresh on a 3-bed terrace is typically £15,000–£28,000 and is the single biggest first-fix cost most homeowners don't anticipate.
- Kitchen + bathrooms spec. As covered in the dedicated cost guides, a single bathroom can be £5k or £30k; kitchens range £8k to £60k+. On a full refurb with two bathrooms and a kitchen, this alone can be £25k–£100k+.
- Project management overhead. A managed refurb (one main contractor handling all trades) typically adds 10–20% over self-managing trades — but for most homeowners this is a sensible cost, because the schedule risk on self-managed refurbs is real.
- Period property surprises. Plaster lath needing to come off, joists rotted from historic leaks, lead pipes still in place — older houses always have a few. Allow a contingency of 10–15%.
How long it takes
Programme length matters as much as cost because it affects whether you can live in the house. Indicative durations:
- Cosmetic refresh: 4–8 weeks
- Single-room strip-out (kitchen or bathroom): 2–3 weeks each
- Whole-house strip-out refurb: 12–20 weeks
- Refurb with structural work: 16–28 weeks
- Full Victorian terrace + extension: 28–52+ weeks
Living in vs moving out
Most homeowners move out for the heavy phase of a full refurb — typically the 4–8 weeks while the kitchen + bathrooms are stripped and the first-fix is happening. Living in is possible for a phased refurb where rooms come back online sequentially, but you'll be living in a building site for months and the contractor will be working around your stuff, which slows them down and costs more.
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