House renovation cost in the UK: a 2026 breakdown
Per-square-metre rates for light, standard and full renovations, prices job by job, rates by region, and the VAT, fees and contingency that sit on top of the build.
A full house renovation in the UK costs £1,200 to £2,800 per square metre in 2026, which puts a 100 m² house at £120,000 to £280,000. A cosmetic refresh starts nearer £500 per m². We give the per-m² bands, prices job by job, rates by region, what £50,000 covers, and the VAT, fees and contingency that sit on top of the build.
How much a house renovation costs in 2026
The budget follows the scope more than the house. These are 2026 ranges for the building work itself: labour, materials and the builder's costs. Planning and building control fees and a contingency are added on top.
| Scope | Typical budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic or partial renovation | £25,000 – £75,000 | Redecoration, flooring and one or two rooms updated |
| Full internal renovation, 3-bed semi | £75,000 – £150,000 | Every room, including kitchen and bathroom; no extension or loft conversion |
| Full renovation, 100 m² house | £120,000 – £280,000 | Stripped back and rebuilt inside, from a basic to a high-end specification |
| Structural reconfiguration | £150,000 – £250,000 | Walls taken out and the layout changed |
| Extension-led renovation | £250,000 – £500,000+ | Extensions, loft conversions and major building work |
£75,000 to £150,000 is the most common range for a full internal renovation. The last row is where a renovation turns into a building project, and the price depends on the new space more than on the old rooms.
Renovation cost per square metre
A per-square-metre rate turns a floor area into a first budget. Take the internal floor area from a floorplan, pick the band that matches the work, and multiply.
| Level | Cost per m² | 100 m² house | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | £500 – £800 | £50,000 – £80,000 | Decorating, flooring and small repairs, with the layout unchanged |
| Standard renovation | £800 – £1,500 | £80,000 – £150,000 | A new kitchen and bathroom, some replastering and electrical work |
| Full renovation | £1,200 – £2,800 | £120,000 – £280,000 | Stripped back: rewire, heating, replastering, kitchen, bathroom and some layout changes |
Inside the full band, the specification sets the figure. A basic finish sits around £1,200 per m², mid-range around £1,800, and high-end at £2,400 to £2,800. Bespoke work runs past £3,000 per m².
Two things add to any band. Stripping the house back to bare walls and floors adds £150 to £300 per m². Waterproofing and tanking a basement adds £500 to £1,000 per m² of basement.
Renovation costs job by job
Builders quote room by room and job by job, so this is the table to hold a quote against. Each line is a typical 2026 price for that job on its own.
| Job | Typical cost | What the price covers |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | £10,000 – £25,000 | Units, worktops, appliances, plumbing and electrics |
| Bathroom | £6,000 – £15,000 | Suite, tiles and fittings; size and layout changes set the price |
| Living room | £4,000 – £12,000 | Plastering, flooring, built-in storage and lighting |
| Bedroom | £4,000 – £10,000 | From redecoration to a layout change |
| Hallway and stairs | £3,000 – £7,000 | Flooring, lighting, banisters and redecoration |
| Full rewire, 3-bed house | £3,000 – £8,000 | Whole-house wiring; size and access set the price |
| Fuse box replacement | £1,000 – £1,200 | A new consumer unit only |
| Central heating system, 3-bed house | £2,300 – £8,000 | A new boiler and radiators at the top of the range |
| Boiler replacement | £1,800 – £3,500 | A combi replacing a combi in the same place |
| Removing a non-load-bearing wall | £500 – £1,500 | A wall carrying no load from above |
| Removing a load-bearing wall | £1,800 – £3,500 | A beam takes the load the wall carried |
| Complex structural alterations | £3,500 – £6,000+ | Larger or multiple structural changes |
| Roof replacement | £5,500 – £16,300 | A new roof covering |
| External wall insulation, terraced house | £8,000 – £12,000 | Insulation and render on the outside walls |
| External wall insulation, semi-detached | £12,000 – £18,000 | More exposed wall than a terrace |
| Loft conversion | £40,000 – £70,000 | Structure, insulation and stairs; an en suite adds more |
| Single-storey extension | £40,000 – £120,000+ | From about £2,500 per m² built |
| Basement conversion | £35,000 – £90,000+ | Dig-out, tanking, lighting and access |
The per-m² bands and this table are two routes to the same budget. A full renovation priced line by line should land inside the band for its floor area. A total well outside it usually means a line is missing or counted twice.
Kitchen and bathroom costs
A new kitchen is the largest single room cost, at £10,000 to £25,000 for most jobs and past £50,000 for bespoke work. A new bathroom costs £6,000 to £15,000, and a basic refit can start around £3,000.
| Specification | Kitchen | Bathroom | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £10,000 – £20,000 | £3,000 – £5,000 | Budget units, standard appliances, a white suite and basic tiles |
| Standard | £20,000 – £30,000 | £5,000 – £10,000 | Mid-range units, branded appliances, better tiles and storage |
| Premium | £30,000 – £50,000+ | £10,000 – £20,000+ | Designer units, integrated appliances, stone and bespoke fittings |
In a bathroom, the spread comes from size, layout and tiles. Moving the toilet or shower means moving the pipes, and tiling a bathroom from floor to ceiling costs more than tiling around the bath and basin.
Heating and electrics
Test the wiring before you budget for it. An EICR on the existing wiring shows whether the house needs a full rewire, at £3,000 to £8,000 for a 3-bed, or a smaller job such as a new fuse box at £1,000 to £1,200.
A new central heating system for a 3-bed house costs £2,300 to £8,000, and the upper part of that range covers a new boiler with new radiators. Replacing the boiler alone costs £1,800 to £3,500 fitted when a combi replaces a combi. Converting a regular or system boiler to a combi costs £3,000 to £5,700, because the tank and cylinder come out.
With the floors coming up anyway, this is the stage to decide on underfloor heating, while the floor build-up is being redone rather than after the new flooring is down.
Knocking through and structural work
Removing a wall or taking out a chimney breast is priced as its own job, outside the per-m² rate. Taking out a wall that carries nothing costs £500 to £1,500. A load-bearing wall costs £1,800 to £3,500, because a beam has to take the load, and larger or multiple structural changes run £3,500 to £6,000 or more.
Roof and outside walls
A new roof costs £5,500 to £16,300. Replacing the windows is priced per window, so it follows the number of openings rather than the floor area. External wall insulation costs £8,000 to £12,000 on a terraced house and £12,000 to £18,000 on a semi, which has an extra exposed wall.
Extensions, lofts and basements
Added space is new construction, priced per job. Single-storey extension costs start at about £2,500 per m², so a 20 to 30 m² rear extension runs £60,000 to £90,000 across much of the UK, and more in London and the South East.
A loft conversion costs £40,000 to £70,000, and most land around £45,000 to £55,000. An en suite or structural alterations push it up. A basement conversion costs £35,000 to £90,000 or more, because of the dig-out and the tanking.
Renovation costs by region
Labour and demand set the regional gap, and London rates run 30 to 50% above northern England. These are full-renovation rates per m² by region, with a 100 m² house worked out.
| Region | Cost per m² | 100 m² house |
|---|---|---|
| London and South East | £2,000 – £2,800 | £200,000 – £280,000 |
| South West | £1,700 – £2,500 | £170,000 – £250,000 |
| Midlands | £1,400 – £2,200 | £140,000 – £220,000 |
| North West | £1,300 – £2,000 | £130,000 – £200,000 |
| North East | £1,200 – £1,900 | £120,000 – £190,000 |
| Scotland | £1,300 – £2,100 | £130,000 – £210,000 |
| Wales | £1,250 – £2,000 | £125,000 – £200,000 |
In London and the South East a full renovation runs £2,000 to £2,800 per m², so a London builder's quote of £200,000 or more for a 100 m² house is in line with the capital. In the North East, where the band is £1,200 to £1,900, the same quote would sit above the top of the range.
Scotland runs £1,300 to £2,100 per m² and Wales £1,250 to £2,000, both close to the Midlands and the North West. Prices in both swing with access and with how rural the house is.
VAT, fees and contingency
VAT on building work to a home that is lived in is charged at the standard 20%, on the builder's labour and on the materials the builder supplies. Under HMRC's VAT rules for building work, which apply across the UK, the rate drops to 5% for renovating a home that has not been lived in for the 2 years before work starts. The same 5% applies to a conversion that changes the number of homes in a building, such as splitting a house into flats.
Materials you buy yourself are charged at 20% in every case. On an empty home, that can make it cheaper to have the builder supply them.
Fees come on top. In England, a householder planning application for an extension or alteration to a house costs £548 from 1 April 2026, and prior approval for a larger rear extension costs £249. A lawful development certificate for proposed work costs half the full application fee, which is £274.
Building control fees are set by each council from its own costs, and depend on the type of work, the number of site inspections and the floor area, so there is no single national price.
In England, replacing a fuse box, fitting a bathroom that involves plumbing, replacing windows and doors, replacing a roof covering, and installing or replacing a heating system all need building regulations approval. An installer registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify their own work and tell the council for you.
Hold a contingency of 10 to 15% of the build cost for what the strip-out finds. On a £120,000 renovation that is £12,000 to £18,000, kept in your own budget rather than handed to the builder at the start.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The VAT rules are the same in all four nations. Planning and building standards are not: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own systems, so the £548 fee and the approval list above apply in England only. Ask your council for its current fees before you budget.
How to work out your own renovation budget
A first budget takes eight steps and a floorplan:
- Measure the internal floor area in square metres.
- Pick the band for the work: £500 to £800 per m² for a light refurbishment, £800 to £1,500 for a standard renovation, or £1,200 to £2,800 for a full one.
- Move within the band for your region, using the regional table above.
- Add the jobs the band does not cover: an extension, a loft, the roof, external wall insulation or a basement.
- Add £150 to £300 per m² if the house is being stripped back to bare walls.
- Add the fees: £548 for a householder planning application in England where one is needed, plus building control.
- Check the VAT: 20% on a lived-in home, or 5% if it has been empty for the 2 years before work starts.
- Add a contingency of 10 to 15%.
Is £50,000 enough to renovate a house?
£50,000 is enough for a cosmetic renovation, or for a new kitchen and bathroom with the other rooms refreshed. It is not enough for a full renovation of a whole house. At light-refurbishment rates of £500 to £800 per m² it covers 62 to 100 m² of floor, while at full-renovation rates of £1,200 to £2,800 it covers only 18 to 41 m².
Where the house needs rewiring, new heating or structural work, those come first and the finishes wait. A new kitchen fitted in a house with failing wiring still leaves the wiring to pay for, and the new kitchen walls to open up again.
What pushes a renovation over budget
Overspends trace back to a short list of causes, and most of them can be priced or planned for before work starts.
- The strip-out. Taking the house back to bare walls and floors adds £150 to £300 per m², and it exposes damp, rot and old wiring that nobody priced.
- Specification creep. Upgrading tiles, taps and units one decision at a time moves a standard renovation towards the high-end rate without a single big choice.
- Layout changes. Taking out a wall costs £500 to £3,500 before any finishes, and moving a bathroom moves the pipes with it.
- Non-standard sizes. Standard-size units, doors and materials cost less than made-to-measure ones.
- Too many contractors. One contractor running several trades is simpler and cheaper to manage than a separate firm for each job.
- VAT left off the quote. A price given without VAT grows by 20% on a lived-in home.
- No contingency. A budget without a 10 to 15% margin has nowhere to put the first surprise.
The order of works, and when each cost lands
Money leaves in the same order the work runs, which makes the order you renovate a house in your cash-flow plan as well.
- Survey and repairs: treating damp, rot or woodworm comes before anything new goes on the walls.
- Structure: taking out walls, fitting beams and any other structural changes.
- Roof, windows and outside walls, so the house is weathertight.
- First fix: new wiring, pipework and heating runs go in while the walls and floors are open.
- Plastering over the new cables and pipes, which is when a plasterer's day rate enters the budget.
- Second fix: the kitchen, bathroom, sockets, switches and radiators go in.
- Flooring and decorating come near the end, so nothing new gets damaged, and a painter and decorator's day rate is among the last labour costs.
- Outside finishes such as a new driveway, once the skips and scaffolding have gone.
Common questions
How much does it cost to renovate a house in the UK?
A full house renovation costs £1,200 to £2,800 per square metre in 2026, or £120,000 to £280,000 for a 100 m² house. A light refurbishment costs £500 to £800 per m² and a standard renovation £800 to £1,500. Planning and building control fees and a 10 to 15% contingency sit on top of the build cost.
How much does it cost to renovate a 3 bedroom house?
A full internal renovation of a 3-bed semi costs £75,000 to £150,000 in 2026, without an extension or loft conversion. A full renovation with layout changes costs £120,000 to £280,000 for a 100 m² house. In London and the South East the full rate rises to £2,000 to £2,800 per m².
What is the most expensive part of a house renovation?
The kitchen is the most expensive room, at £10,000 to £25,000 for most jobs and over £50,000 for bespoke work. Added space costs more than any room: a loft conversion runs £40,000 to £70,000 and a single-storey extension £40,000 to £120,000 or more. Behind the walls, a rewire and a new heating system each run up to £8,000 in a 3-bed house.
How much does a house refurbishment cost?
A house refurbishment costs £500 to £800 per square metre for light work and £800 to £1,500 per m² for a standard job in 2026. A light refurbishment covers decorating, flooring and small repairs, and a standard one adds a new kitchen, a bathroom and some electrical work. For a 100 m² house that is £50,000 to £150,000.
How much does it cost to renovate a house in London?
A full renovation in London and the South East costs £2,000 to £2,800 per square metre in 2026, so £200,000 to £280,000 for a 100 m² house. London rates run 30 to 50% above northern England, driven by labour and demand. Fees and a contingency come on top.
Do you pay VAT on house renovation work?
VAT is charged at 20% on renovation work to a home that is lived in, on the builder's labour and the materials they supply. The rate drops to 5% if the home has not been lived in for the 2 years before work starts, or where a conversion changes the number of homes in the building. Materials you buy yourself are charged at 20%.
How much contingency should a renovation budget include?
A renovation budget should hold a contingency of 10 to 15% of the build cost. On a £120,000 renovation that is £12,000 to £18,000. Plan for the top of that range in an older house or one being stripped back to bare walls, because that is where damp, rot and old wiring turn up.
How much does a planning application cost for a house?
A householder planning application in England costs £548 from 1 April 2026, for an extension or alteration to a single house. Prior approval for a larger rear extension costs £249, and a lawful development certificate for proposed work costs £274. These fees apply in England only, and each council charges building control fees separately.
Is it worth renovating a house?
Renovating is worth it when the purchase price plus the full renovation cost, contingency included, comes in below what finished houses on the same street sell for. At £1,200 to £2,800 per m², a full renovation of a 100 m² house needs a gap of at least £120,000 between the bought price and the finished price. For a home you plan to stay in, the test is whether renovating costs less than moving.