Renovation cost in the Uk
(Information from Project Costs chapter in our Essential Project Guidance for full guide follow this link https://www.anartfullifestudio.com/project-guidance-pack )
Design consultancy fees
If you are choosing to use an architect, interior-architect or interior designer (or a mix) for
some or all of your project, you will want to understand what their fees are likely to be.
There is no set fee scale we can list here, since the size, type and quality of each project
plus the services offered (and quality of designer) can vary so greatly.
Architects fees are often calculated as a percentage of the total build cost and as a guide
can be somewhere in the region of the figures listed below:
£200k budget: 12%
£500k budget: 8%
£1m budget: 7.5%
Our own (An Artful Life studio) project services can range from anything from around £3k
up to £100k and over dependent on the size of project and our involvement (from single
room schemes up to full house turn-key transformation projects plus project management
and purchasing etc).
Every project is different, and your design consultant should be seen as an investment, so we
advise you to find your preferred people and discuss with them to find out their costs
tailored to your brief.
It will be hard to compare ‘like for like’. All designers are not created equal, and people run
their business in very different ways. Ensure you ask the right questions as to what is
included in the service as well where any trade discounts go etc.
Planning applications
Planning fees in England as of 1st April 2025 for an alteration/extension to a single dwelling
house will cost £613 (with VAT included) and this fee will rise with inflation every subsequent
1st April. Further information and guidance on planning applications and whether or not
you’re likely to need to submit one is covered in our ‘Project Steps’ chapter.
Listed building applications are free, however you might want to get pre-application advice
which is from approx £300.
If you’re planning on doing a conversion or demolition, a bat survey may be required. You
can find more info on this here
The cost of a survey is typically from £360.
Building Regulations
Again, the requirement and reason for building regs are covered in our ‘Project Steps’
section of our Essential Project Guidance. Application costs vary dependent on the size of the project, the location and the amount of inspections required. Most local authorities offer fee calculators on theirwebsites.
As a guide, a Building Notice charge for a single-storey extension could be between £450 -
£800.
Party wall
The reasons for needing to obtain a party wall agreement (or not) from your neighbour are
referenced in our ‘Project Steps’ chapter. The average cost for getting a party wall award is
around £1000 for a simple agreement. Complex cases can be up to £3000.
Build/renovation costs
How long is a piece of string? Inevitably this is going to be difficult to guesstimate!
For more standard home renovations Checkatrade has a useful guide with approximate
costs here https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/cost-renovating-house.
Building costs in the UK are currently estimated between £1775 - £3000 per square metre.
The cost estimation for building a 3 bed house is between £213,000 and £286,500. Prices
are ex VAT. For new-builds VAT is zero-rated.
To help make sure you haven’t missed anything you could also refer to our ‘Project People’
guidance sheet.
Kitchen / bathrooms / appliances
Kitchen costs including fitting can range from around £5,000 for a small budget kitchen up
to £60,000 and above. If you’d like to fit a high-end looking kitchen ‘on the cheap’ refer to
our separate guidance tips on this one!
The typical cost of a new bathroom is between £5,000 and £8,000 depending on size and
finishes, however a high-end bathroom will be £10,000+.
We have written lists of our suggested places to look at for kitchens and bathroom fittings,
for varying budgets.
Appliance costs vary wildly so factor in additional costs if you’re tempted by the expensive
ones…
Materials
Material costs vary widely. They can also be a little like art, very subjective. For longevity,
you should choose materials that please you and that are not just a passing phase. Real
materials are more honest, and usually have more depth and texture/tactility. They are
always more timeless and tasteful.
Joinery
Bespoke joinery is something we always aim to include in our projects as it means you get
storage or other interior details, tailored exactly to your requirements and can exert control
over the aesthetics for a fully holistic house concept. This might include anything from a
new staircase, internal screening/room separation to cupboards, shelving, fireplaces,
furniture etc.
To really embrace the inside-out, back-to-front home design idea, you will want to be
thinking about this right at the start and budgeting for it too if it’s going to form a key
part of your brief.
As always, costs vary on materials selected and size of room/piece of joinery. Below are
some guide figures based on our recent projects (construction and installation, including
VAT) to give you an idea:
Bespoke wardrobes - £3k upwards
Dressing room - £8k upwards
Staircase - £6k upwards for bespoke design
Bedhead & side tables - £3k upwards
Large TV media unit with sliding screen - £7k upwards
Under-stair storage cupboards and drawers - £5k upwards
Lighting
Options are pretty much endless these days with lighting, which means if you find it hard to
make decisions, you are going to REALLY struggle here! But, don’t be off-put. Lighting is
one of our favourite ways to add interest and personality to a space. And the good news is
since the options are endless, the price range is also endless so there is literally something
(or actually maybe a million things) for everyone/every budget…
Window dressings
Don’t forget to budget for window dressings in rooms where you might need/want them.
We would suggest running through room by room and adding a budget figure to your
furniture & fittings cost schedule (more on that next).
Furniture
Furniture is large reason why we find it extremely hard to give guide total project costs to
clients when we are working on whole house schemes. One client might be happy with a
£400 sofa, another might rather spend £15,000 on a sofa. Hence, if you multiply this by
every single piece of furniture needed for the house the total cost is going to differ by
hundreds of thousands!
We suggest creating a cost schedule for furniture and fittings, with a sheet/page per room,
listing out each item you can think of and giving them an approx figure.
This give you a good idea at the beginning of your project how much to leave for this (if
possible, you don’t want to find yourself at the end of the project with a newly finished
home but zero money left in the pot to furnish it). Not only that, as the project progresses
anartfullifestudio.comand you start making choices and purchases, you can keep this continually updated, and you
will see where the total budget figure is and if you need to make savings elsewhere.
Other
Bear in mind that there might be other costs you should factor in such as the cost of
renting another property while the work is carried out or short-term hotel/air bnb costs, and
meals out or takeaways whilst kitchen facilities are limited.
Another important piece of advice is to make sure you are clear on whether a quote is an
‘estimate’ or a fixed price and be aware of any items that are listed as PC (provisional cost)
sums where costs could go up.
Contingency
It’s important to factor in a contingency to cover any unexpected costs, however
thoroughly you believe you’ve planned things out. 10-15% on top of your projected cost is
recommended.
Help
A quantity surveyor will help you keep a handle on your project costs and make sure you are
getting good value for money. They can help you budget right at the start as well as ‘value
engineer’ as the project progresses. Not always required on smaller projects but they can
be invaluable in saving you money and removing a lot of financial stress, particularly on
larger builds.
You can find a chartered surveyor here https://www.ricsfirms.com.
As a general guide you can expect to pay around 2% of the project value for their services
and having them on board from the start can save you money in the long run.