2026 renovation budget guide
House renovation costs: a practical 2026 UK guide
There is no honest single price for renovating a house. Build the budget from the property, the rooms, the technical work and the finish you want—then compare written proposals for the same scope.
What does it cost to renovate a house?
Two homes with the same floor area can need completely different work. Start with the rooms, repairs, services and finish rather than applying a single whole-house average.
One property may need decorating, flooring and a kitchen replacement. Another may need rewiring, plumbing, plastering, heating changes, windows and several rooms rebuilt. London access, parking and delivery restrictions can add another layer.
A full kitchen renovation with Arch typically starts from around £40,000, and that figure is the whole job: the kitchen itself, removing the old one, building materials, labour, painting and decorating. The price depends on the size of the room and what you want to change.
Design and supply, where your own fitter handles the installation and room work, comes in lower.
That is a kitchen starting figure, not a price for renovating a whole home. For room-specific planning, read our kitchen renovation cost guide.
At-a-glance budget check
Useful 2026 planning figures
HomeOwners Alliance currently publishes the following typical UK figures. They are useful for testing whether an early allowance is plausible, but they are not a substitute for a measured specification and written quotes.
| Item | Published planning figure | What can move it |
|---|---|---|
| New bathroom | Around £6,000 | Layout, plumbing, repairs, products and finish |
| New kitchen | About £10,000–£20,000 | Cabinetry, worktops, appliances, services and installation |
| Double glazing | About £400–£600 per average uPVC window, including installation | Size, frame material, access and any consent needed |
| Central heating installation | Around £4,000 for an average three-bedroom property | Existing system, boiler, controls, pipework and property condition |
| New roof | About £4,500–£12,000 | Roof size, covering, structure, access and scaffolding. Separate specialist work, not Arch’s internal renovation service |
Source: HomeOwners Alliance, “UK house renovation costs”, checked 14 September 2026. Their guide recommends keeping around 10% of the total for unexpected additional costs.
Start with the level of work
Light refresh
Decoration, selected flooring, lighting and individual fittings, while the basic layouts and services stay in place.
Multi-room upgrade
A kitchen or bathroom combined with flooring, plastering, joinery, heating or electrical work across several rooms.
Full internal renovation
Joined-up work across rooms, services and finishes. The sequence and specification become as important as each individual item.
The costs people often miss
The visible kitchen, bathroom or flooring is only part of the budget. Name the work that makes the finished room possible:
- Surveys and advice: design, structural, planning or building-control input where needed.
- Strip-out and waste: removal, skips, licences and disposal.
- Repairs: damp, damaged timber, unsafe wiring, failed plumbing or poor previous work.
- Preparation: levelling, repairing, plastering and making good.
- Services: drainage, electrics, heating, ventilation and plumbing changes.
- Logistics: parking, protection, deliveries, access and restricted working hours.
- Temporary living: storage, moving out or temporary facilities.
- Fees and tax: professional fees, statutory charges and VAT.
Protect the budget
Keep a separate contingency
HomeOwners Alliance recommends keeping around 10% of the total for unexpected additional costs. Older services, extensive strip-out or uncertain property condition may justify more protection. Keep contingency separate from product upgrades.
Check the tax treatment
Allow for VAT
Work to an existing home is normally standard-rated at 20%. Certain qualifying work—such as renovation of a dwelling empty for at least two years—may be eligible for 5%, subject to HMRC’s detailed conditions.
Read HMRC VAT Notice 708Compare renovation quotes properly
The best comparison is not the lowest number. It is two or more written proposals describing the same job clearly enough to reveal what you are buying.
Rooms, removals, preparation and disposal.
Who supplies what, and what happens above an allowance.
Electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and approvals.
VAT, fees, payment schedule, exclusions and assumptions.
Expected duration, dependencies and important lead times.
How variations are priced, approved and recorded.
Ask for detailed written quotes, and agree how changes will be recorded before work begins.
Plan the work in the right order
- Record the current problems and must-have outcomes.
- Agree the rooms and work in scope.
- Check the property condition and technical constraints.
- Develop layouts and the core specification.
- Select important products and confirm lead times.
- Compare like-for-like written proposals.
- Set aside contingency and agree how changes are recorded.
How Arch KBB approaches an internal renovation
Arch takes responsibility for your agreed project, from design to the finished home.
Arch offers full internal home and flat renovation: flooring, plastering, plumbing, electrics, underfloor heating, windows, bi-fold doors, skylights, kitchens, bathrooms, wardrobes, bespoke joinery and TV units.
For the wider service, see full home and flat renovation in London. For room-specific planning, explore kitchen design and installation, bathroom renovation or fitted wardrobes in London.
Book a renovation consultationHouse renovation cost questions
Is there an average cost to renovate a house in the UK?
Published averages can be a useful sense-check, but they hide large differences in condition, scope, location and finish. Build the budget room by room and trade by trade, then replace planning figures with written quotes for the same specification.
How much contingency should I keep?
HomeOwners Alliance recommends keeping around 10% of the total for unexpected additional costs. The right amount depends on how much is known about the property and how invasive the work will be.
Does a renovation quote include VAT?
Not always. Ask every contractor to state whether VAT is included and which rate applies. Most work to an existing home is normally standard-rated, while limited reduced-rate rules can apply to qualifying long-empty dwellings.
Is it cheaper to renovate one room at a time?
Phasing can make cash flow easier, but repeating access, protection, strip-out and finishing may increase the total. If several rooms share plumbing, electrics, heating or flooring, plan the full sequence before deciding what to phase.
Does Arch KBB take on structural additions or roof-space conversions?
No. Arch does not offer extensions or loft conversions.
Can Arch renovate only a bathroom or bedroom?
Bathroom-only and bedroom-only jobs are accepted under the renovation umbrella.
Turn your budget into a clear renovation brief
Bring a list of the rooms, photographs of the property and the changes you are considering. Start with the scope, then build a proposal around the property and specification.
Book a renovation consultationOr call 020 8741 1589.