A ballpark budgeting tool for refurbishments and full-home renovations. It separates core scope, room fit-out, systems, structural risk, finishing, fees, contingency, and VAT.
What makes this more useful
Property
Location + type
House Details
Size and room count
Rooms
Coverage and room fit-out
Scope
Renovation standard
Structural
Layout and hidden risk
Systems
Electrical, heating, plumbing
Finishing
Plaster, paint, floors, doors
Review
Check before calculate
Step 1 of 8
Property
Property Context
London remains the main pricing focus. Other UK regions are included as a budgeting benchmark so homeowners can still get a useful early estimate.
Useful for follow-up context. It does not need to be exact.
Budget guidance
Most renovation calculators ask for two or three inputs and spit out a single number, which is why so many renovation budgets are wrong before the first wall comes down. A full refurbishment cost depends on scope, the age and condition of the property, how much rewiring and re-plumbing is needed, whether walls are moving, and the finish you are aiming for. No early-stage tool can promise an exact figure, so an honest one gives you a range.
This calculator works through eight short steps: property and location, house details, which rooms are in scope, renovation standard, structural changes, systems, and finishing. It returns a low / expected / high budget with the components most tools hide shown separately: core scope, room fit-out, systems upgrades, structural and hidden-condition allowances, finishing, professional fees, contingency, and VAT at 20%. It also gives a confidence score based on how defined your scope is, and a downloadable PDF you can use to compare builders on a like-for-like basis.
Typical London budgets
Use these typical London ranges to sanity-check your result. They are planning-stage figures including fees and VAT at a mid-range specification.
| Renovation scope | Typical all-in budget (London, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Light cosmetic refurbishment (per room) | £8,000 - £20,000 |
| Full flat renovation | £40,000 - £90,000 |
| Full terraced house renovation | £80,000 - £200,000 |
| Full renovation, larger / detached home | £150,000 - £400,000+ |
| Per square metre (standard to high spec) | £1,000 - £2,500/m² |
For room-by-room costs, borough premiums, hidden costs and what is driving 2026 prices, read the full renovation cost breakdown for London in our complete 2026 guide.
Cost drivers
A renovation touching two rooms and a renovation touching the whole house are not on the same scale, and cost does not rise in a straight line. Once you are rewiring, re-plumbing and re-plastering throughout, the house-wide systems work dominates the budget regardless of how many rooms get a cosmetic refresh.
London's Victorian and Edwardian stock hides the costs that wreck budgets: damp, old wiring, lath-and-plaster walls, undersized foundations, and asbestos in anything built before 2000. Older properties carry a wider estimate range because more is unknown until work starts.
A full rewire, a new boiler or heating system, and re-plumbing are among the largest line items in any whole-house renovation. They are easy to underestimate because they are invisible in the finished result, but if you are upgrading these, expect the estimate to climb accordingly.
Removing walls, forming open-plan space, or altering layout means steel beams, structural engineering and often building control and party wall involvement. These works usually affect both budget and programme because several trades need to coordinate around the same decisions.
Inner-London boroughs typically run 15-30% above outer London for the same scope, driven by labour rates, access, parking and scaffold licensing. The calculator's London zone setting accounts for this.
If your renovation also includes an extension, budget that separately with our house extension cost calculator. If the kitchen or bathrooms are a big part of the scope, the kitchen cost calculator and bathroom cost calculator will sharpen those line items.
Next steps
01
It includes the full low/expected/high breakdown with components separated - useful for finance planning and for comparing builder quotes on identical scope.
02
Our complete 2026 home renovation cost guide covers room-by-room costs, hidden fees, timelines, borough variation and renovate-vs-move economics - everything between rough budget and ready to start.
03
When you want a real answer for your property, book a consultation with our full home renovation team in London. We will pressure-test the scope, budget and sequencing before anything gathers momentum - no pressure, no jargon.
For the full explanation behind the ranges, hidden fees and borough premiums, read our complete 2026 home renovation cost guide. For project-specific advice, talk to our design-and-build renovation team.
FAQ
Renovation budgeting questions
It is built for early budgeting, not final quoting. It gives a low / expected / high range and widens that range when the scope is still vague or the property is older and more complex. Accuracy improves once you have a room-by-room scope, survey information, and clearer service / structural decisions.
Exact-looking numbers for refurbishments are usually misleading. Renovation cost moves with hidden conditions, service upgrades, structural discoveries, access, and finish decisions. A useful planning tool should show range and assumptions openly.
The calculator separates core scope allowance for the affected area, room fit-out allowances such as kitchens and bathrooms, systems upgrades like rewire / heating / plumbing, structural and hidden-condition allowances, finishing, fees, contingency, and VAT.
Common exclusions include appliances, furniture, specialist lighting, window treatments, removals, and temporary accommodation. Ask every contractor to confirm exclusions in writing so quotes are comparable.
Sometimes, yes, but it usually increases cost and duration because work must be phased and the site protected more carefully. The calculator includes an occupancy allowance for that reason.
A full renovation in London typically runs £1,000 to £2,500 per square metre depending on specification and property condition, with inner boroughs at a 15–30% premium. A full terraced-house renovation commonly lands between £80,000 and £200,000 all-in, though older properties with structural or systems work can exceed that. Per-square-metre figures usually exclude VAT, professional fees and contingency — this calculator includes them so your budget is realistic from the start.
The calculator is free and you can see your low/expected/high estimate on screen without entering any contact details. If you'd like the full PDF breakdown with the budgeting guidance and comparison tips, we ask for your name and email so we can send it to you.
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Whether you're looking to transform your bathroom, renovate your kitchen, or undertake a complete home renovation, we're here to bring your vision to life with our signature blend of quality, reliability, and attention to detail.
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