House renovation cost in London

Possible additions (incl. VAT)

• Knocking through a wall, with steel£3,500 – £10,000
• An additional bathroom£6,000 – £13,000

On top of the build cost above, including VAT, London.

Example at a glance

• Estimated project cost£76,000 – £130,000 incl. VAT
• Build cost before VAT£63,000 – £108,000
• Not included: fees and permissions incl. VAT£6,000 – £28,500+
• Not included: contingency£7,500 – £19,500
• All-in budget incl. VAT, fees and contingency£89,500 – £178,000+
• Likely time on site12 – 20 weeks
• PlanningUsually building regulations rather than planning

Indicative only, not a quote. Based on published UK cost guides checked September 2026, adjusted for London. Includes VAT at 20%. Excludes professional fees, planning, building control, party wall costs, surveys and contingency. The published range spans different finishes; your finish choice has not changed this figure.

Where the money goes (before VAT)

The indicative building work, £63,000 – £108,000 before VAT, split across the stages of the build, so you can see how each quote splits the work.

• Strip-out, waste and enabling work£5,000 – £8,500
• Structural work and carpentry£9,000 – £15,000
• Rewire£8,000 – £14,000
• Plumbing and heating£9,000 – £15,000
• Plastering£7,500 – £13,000
• Joinery, doors and windows£7,000 – £12,000
• Kitchen and bathrooms£11,000 – £19,500
• Decoration and flooring£6,500 – £11,000

NxtFind estimate, indicative: typical proportions for this kind of project. Yours will differ.

How long it takes

• Time on site12 – 20 weeksOnce work starts. Design, planning and finding the right builder usually take longer than the build itself.
• Planning and permissionsNew kitchen and bathroom, partial rewire, replasteringInternal work does not usually need planning permission, but removing a load-bearing wall, moving drainage, rewiring, replacing windows and adding insulation are all notifiable under building regulations. Listed buildings, conservation areas and flats under a lease need consent for considerably more, including windows and internal features.

Other costs to allow for (before VAT)

None of these are in the estimate above, and they sit outside a builder’s price. Budget for the ones that apply to you.

• Architect or designer£4,000 – £16,500Typically 7–15% of the build cost. Full service, from first drawings to site visits. Drawings-only packages cost far less.
• Structural engineer£500 – £2,000A single beam calculation sits at the bottom of that range. A whole-project package, or a site with awkward ground, costs more.
• Building control£600 – £1,500+Varies a great deal by council and by project, and again depending on whether you use the local authority or a registered building control approver. Larger jobs run higher still, and VAT may be added.
• Party wall surveyor, where applicable£800 – £3,600Where you share a wall or dig near a boundary. Around £800–£1,800 is typical where both sides agree to a single surveyor handling the matter. It can be materially higher, commonly £1,500–£3,600 per affected neighbour, where each side appoints its own surveyor, and it is charged per neighbour, so a terrace with neighbours on both sides costs more again.

Typical UK ranges, shown before VAT. London and the South East sit at the top of most of them. Professional fees and building control usually carry 20% VAT; planning fees don’t. Together they come to £5,000 – £24,000+ before VAT, or £6,000 – £28,500+ including VAT, the figure in the summary.