Full House Renovation Cost London 2026: What to Budget
Planning a full house renovation in London? Here's what it actually costs in 2026 — room by room, finish tier by tier, with real numbers from completed projects.
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A full house renovation in London costs £1,200–£2,800 per m² in 2026. For a typical 3-bedroom Victorian terrace of around 120m², that is £145,000–£340,000 for a full gut renovation — the spread is specification, not surprise. The renovation cost hub breaks it down by area, the estimator prices your own house room by room, and the delivered projects show what each tier actually looks like finished.
A full house renovation is the biggest single investment most London homeowners will make. Get it right and you transform a dated property into exactly the home you want. Get it wrong — wrong contractor, vague contract, no itemised scope — and costs escalate unpredictably.
This guide sets out what full renovations actually cost in London in 2026, based on 2VP’s completed projects.
Full Renovation Costs per m² (London 2026)
| Specification Tier | Cost per m² | 3-bed terrace (~120m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimalist | £1,200 – £1,500 | £145,000 – £180,000 |
| Balanced | £1,600 – £2,000 | £192,000 – £240,000 |
| Signature | £2,200 – £2,800 | £264,000 – £336,000 |
These are shell and core + fit-out costs: structural work, MEP services, kitchen, bathrooms, floors and decoration. External works and extensions are additional.
What the Three Tiers Mean
Minimalist (£1,200–£1,500/m²)
The benchmark specification for a high-quality, liveable renovation without premium materials:
- Kitchen: supply-only from trade supplier (e.g. Second Nature, Roundhouse entry), installed by 2VP
- Bathrooms: trade-specification sanitaryware (Roca, Grohe, VitrA)
- Floors: engineered oak 14mm (mid-range)
- Walls: plasterboard and skim, trade emulsion finish
- Windows: PVC-U or aluminium powder-coat
Balanced (£1,600–£2,000/m²)
The most common spec for 3–5-bed family renovations in inner London:
- Kitchen: designer trade (e.g. deVOL, Naked Kitchen, Bespoke entry)
- Bathrooms: premium sanitaryware (Hansgrohe, Villeroy & Boch, Antonio Lupi tiles)
- Floors: engineered wide-plank oak or polished concrete
- Windows: Crittal-style or high-performance aluminium
- Joinery: painted MDF or hardwood built-ins throughout
Signature (£2,200–£2,800/m²)
Architecture-grade renovation for prime postcode properties:
- Kitchen: fully bespoke (e.g. Roundhouse, Plain English)
- Bathrooms: luxury natural stone, bespoke cabinetry, Vola or Gessi tapware
- Floors: large-format natural stone, reclaimed timber, heated throughout
- Windows: bespoke steel or bronze Crittal
- Everything custom-made or specified by Nick Elias
Room-by-Room Cost Guide
| Room | Minimalist | Balanced | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen (full fit-out) | £18,000–£28,000 | £32,000–£55,000 | £60,000–£120,000+ |
| Principal bathroom | £8,000–£14,000 | £15,000–£25,000 | £28,000–£55,000 |
| En suite | £5,500–£9,000 | £10,000–£18,000 | £20,000–£40,000 |
| Guest bathroom | £6,000–£10,000 | £11,000–£19,000 | £22,000–£42,000 |
| Full rewire (3-bed) | £8,000–£12,000 | £10,000–£14,000 | £12,000–£18,000 |
| Full replumb + heating | £12,000–£18,000 | £15,000–£22,000 | £18,000–£28,000 |
| Flooring throughout | £8,000–£15,000 | £16,000–£28,000 | £25,000–£50,000+ |
The Hidden Costs of a London Renovation
Party wall
A Victorian terrace renovation touching any wall adjacent to a neighbouring property triggers the Party Wall Act. Costs: £800–£2,500 per neighbour, depending on whether a surveyor is required.
Asbestos survey
Properties built before 2000 require an asbestos survey before any notifiable demolition or building work. Cost: £300–£600. If asbestos is found and needs removing: £1,500–£8,000 depending on type and extent.
Scaffolding
Any work on a terrace requires scaffolding. For a full terrace renovation, expect £2,000–£4,500 for a standard licence on a residential street.
Hidden defects
Old London houses regularly conceal damp, defective drainage, inadequate foundations or rotted timbers. 2VP includes a 10% contingency in every JCT contract to handle what the pre-contract survey can’t see. We don’t pass those on to you as unexpected variations.
How 2VP Prices a Renovation
Every 2VP renovation quote is based on:
- Measured survey — we measure every room, wall and ceiling area precisely
- Specification workshop — you choose your finishes from our specification sheets; we price exactly what you’ve chosen
- JCT contract — the scope you sign is the scope we price, and any change to it is costed and signed by you before the work happens
- Insurance-backed guarantee — a HomePro 10-year guarantee is available on request; ask us to price it with the rest
That is a different thing from a builder who says “probably around £150k, we’ll know more once we start”. A price against a measured scope can be held to; a guess cannot. What no honest builder can tell you is that the final figure will never move — it moves when the scope moves, which is why every change is priced and signed before anyone starts it.
What to Do Before Appointing a Contractor
- Get three comparable quotes — the same specification, the same contract type
- Ask for JCT contract or equivalent — not a letter, not an email, not a “quote sheet”
- Check Companies House — verify the company exists and has filed accounts
- Check insurance — ask for a copy of public liability and employers’ liability certificates
- Ask for references — not testimonials, not “we’ll send you photos” — speak to two previous clients
2VP is registered at Companies House (14122250), fully insured, and our clients are happy to speak to prospective new clients.
Get Your Renovation Estimate
Use our instant cost calculator for a personalised renovation estimate in under 2 minutes.
Straight answers
The home you actually want, finished on the date in the contract — and you watch every day of it happen from your phone.
You answer 3 questions. We do the drawings, planning, party wall, trades and snagging.
- 10% to mobilise, then weekly against work already done — with 5% held past handover: 2.5% released at practical completion and 2.5% at the end of the 12-month defects period
- £550 survey fee credited in full against your contract
- Every variation priced and signed before a penny is spent
No email needed to see your range. Quotes hold for 21 days, then materials re-price.
We are not the cheapest. If price is the only factor, we may not be the right fit — and that is fine.
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