House Renovation Cost in West London: 2026 Price Guide
A full house renovation in West London runs roughly £1,200 to £1,900 per square metre in 2026. For a typical 90 square metre three bedroom semi that is about £110,000 to £170,000 for a proper job, kitchen, bathrooms, rewire, heating, plastering and decoration included. A lighter cosmetic refresh starts nearer £700 per square metre.
What you actually get at each level
The phrase whole house renovation covers wildly different jobs. These are the three levels we quote, and the difference between them is mostly what happens behind the plaster.
| Level | What it covers | Per m² | 90 m² semi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | Decoration, flooring, new kitchen and bathroom suites, light electrical work. Nothing structural, no rewire | £700 to £1,100 | £63,000 to £99,000 |
| Full refurbishment | Full rewire, new heating and plumbing, new kitchen and bathrooms, plastering throughout, joinery, decoration | £1,200 to £1,900 | £110,000 to £170,000 |
| Refurbishment with structural work | All of the above plus removing walls, a loft conversion or an extension, new openings and steels | £2,000 to £3,000+ | £180,000 to £270,000+ |
London runs roughly 25 to 40 per cent above the national average, which is why figures you read on national sites will look low here. The Federation of Master Builders publishes UK wide guidance that is a useful sanity check, as long as you adjust it upward for London labour and access.
Where the money goes
People budget for the kitchen and forget the things nobody sees. On a full refurbishment the invisible work is close to half the bill.
| Element | Share of a full refurbishment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rewire | 8 to 12 per cent | Whole house, new consumer unit, certified. Usually unavoidable in pre 1980s stock |
| Plumbing and heating | 10 to 15 per cent | New boiler, pipework, radiators or underfloor |
| Kitchen | 12 to 20 per cent | The line you control most. Units and appliances swing enormously |
| Bathrooms | 10 to 15 per cent | Two bathrooms is normal in a three bed. See our bathroom guide |
| Plastering and making good | 10 to 14 per cent | Whole house replastering after first fix |
| Joinery and doors | 6 to 10 per cent | Internal doors, skirting, architrave, fitted storage |
| Flooring | 6 to 10 per cent | Engineered oak and large format tile cost far more to fit, not just to buy |
| Decoration | 5 to 8 per cent | Everything, twice, after everything else |
| Scaffolding, skips, welfare | 4 to 7 per cent | Dull, unavoidable, and left out of optimistic quotes |
Our kitchen renovation cost guide and bathroom renovation cost guide break those two down properly, because together they are often a third of the whole budget.
The costs people leave out
- Living somewhere else. A full refurbishment is not habitable. Six months of rent somewhere is a real line in the budget and it is usually the one that gets forgotten.
- Professional fees. Architect or designer, structural engineer if walls move, building control. Budget 5 to 12 per cent on top.
- What is behind the plaster. In 1930s West London stock expect some combination of old wiring, lead pipe, rotten joist ends and a chimney nobody told you about.
- Contingency. Ten per cent is the minimum on a full refurbishment. On anything pre 1940 we would say fifteen.
- VAT. Usually 20 per cent on a standard refurbishment, which is why the next section matters.
When the VAT drops to 5 per cent
This is worth real money and most homeowners never hear about it.
If a property has been empty for two years or more before work starts, a renovation can qualify for the reduced 5 per cent VAT rate rather than 20. On a £120,000 job that is a difference of around £18,000. The same reduced rate can apply when you change the number of dwellings in a building, for example splitting a house into flats or turning flats back into a house.
The rules are set out in HMRC’s VAT Notice 708, and the evidence requirements are specific, so talk to your accountant and tell your builder before the quote is written, not after. Bathroom work needed because of a disability can be zero rated separately, which we cover in the bathroom cost guide.
How long it takes
- Cosmetic refresh, 90 m²: 6 to 10 weeks.
- Full refurbishment, 90 m²: 4 to 6 months.
- With structural work or an extension: 6 to 9 months.
The sequence is fixed and cannot be compressed much: strip out, structural work, first fix, plaster, dry out, second fix, decoration. Plaster drying is the step people try to rush and the one that punishes them later with cracking.
If structural work is in scope, read our guides to removing a load bearing wall and Building Regulations in West London first, because both add time before anyone lifts a tool.
Is it worth it against moving, or extending?
Against moving: stamp duty, agent fees and legal costs on a West London move comfortably exceed £40,000 on a mid priced house, and you get someone else’s layout. Against that, a refurbishment keeps the address, the school catchment and the garden.
Against extending: if the house is sound and the layout works, refurbishing is far cheaper per square metre than adding space. If you are short of rooms rather than short of quality, an extension is the better spend. Plenty of projects need both, and doing them together is cheaper than doing them two years apart.
Our Chelsea flat refurbishment case study shows a full strip back and rebuild from start to finish, and the renovation budget guide covers how to stage the spend.
How much does it cost to renovate a 3 bed house in London?
What is the cost per square metre for a house renovation in London?
Can I pay 5 per cent VAT instead of 20 on a renovation?
How long does a full house renovation take?
Should I move out during a full renovation?
Get a real figure for your house
Per square metre numbers are a starting point, not a quote. We survey the property, tell you what we expect to find behind the plaster, and give you a written price with the trades and the fees listed separately so you can compare it honestly against anyone else’s.
Call 020 8077 2121 or use the contact form. We are based in Hayes and work across Hillingdon, Ealing, Hounslow and the surrounding areas.
