A whole-house renovation is a planned refurbishment of an entire home, typically combining rewiring, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration, and sometimes layout changes, carried out in a logical order under one project.
Whatever prompted you to look into a whole-house renovation, whether wear and tear, a growing family or plans to move, we can survey your Carrickfergus home and give you a price in writing. Homes in Northern Ireland typically come in at £38,500–£103,000, VAT included, for this kind of work. We also cover Newtownabbey, Bangor, County Down and Larne, and the same steps apply wherever you are in County Antrim.
- Guide price
- £38,500–£103,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- BT38
- Planning rules
- Northern Ireland
- Local area
- County Antrim
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for a whole-house renovation in Carrickfergus?
These are guide costs, not quotes. For a whole-house renovation in Carrickfergus the range is £38,500–£103,000, VAT included, reflecting prices in Northern Ireland that are about 14% below the national guide. Once we have visited for a free survey, you get a firm figure for the scope you approve.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Carrickfergus |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £13,000–£38,500 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £38,500–£103,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £86,000–£155,000 |
What moves the price up or down:
- Size of the house and number of rooms being renovated
- Whether rewiring, new heating and full replastering are needed
- Kitchen and bathroom specification
- Structural or layout changes and associated approvals
What’s included?
- Room-by-room survey and a planned order of works
- Rewiring and new consumer unit by qualified electricians, with certificates
- Heating and plumbing upgrades by qualified engineers
- New kitchen and bathroom fitted to your chosen specification
- Flooring, internal doors, skirting and joinery
- Decoration and a final clean before handover
Homes in County Antrim
Belfast has long rows of red-brick Victorian terraces, Edwardian villas in the north and south of the city and large post-war estates, while towns such as Ballymena, Antrim, Larne and Carrickfergus mix terraces, semis and newer developments. Dark basalt appears in older rural buildings, and pebbledash or roughcast is a very common finish.
Terraces suit loft conversions and rear extensions, and many need window and roof renewal. Pebbledashed homes commonly need re-rendering, and detached rural houses often take extensions, porches and driveways.
With that background in mind, here is how we typically handle a whole-house renovation for homes in Carrickfergus, from the first visit to the finished result.
Permissions for a whole-house renovation in Carrickfergus
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each handle planning a little differently. Carrickfergus comes under Northern Ireland, covered below, and we raise any questions with the council before your quote is finalised.
Internal improvements do not need planning permission in Northern Ireland unless the building is listed.
The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) apply to structural work, drainage and ventilation; electrical work should be tested and certified.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
From survey to handover
We look at the job
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price a whole-house renovation properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Quote in writing
We put everything into a written, fixed-price quote: the specification, what's excluded, staged payments and the expected time on site. Take whatever time you need to decide; there's no pressure to commit.
Getting ready
Before anyone starts, we confirm the programme in writing, check whether consents are required and arrange deliveries. If a skip or scaffolding on the road needs a permit, we apply for it.
Build and hand over
The job proceeds in the order set out in the programme, with dust and debris kept under control. Finally we tidy away, inspect the work together and pass the finished project over to you with its paperwork.
How we work
Questions about a whole-house renovation in Carrickfergus
In what order should renovation work be done?
A renovation should follow a set order so finished work is never damaged by later trades. It usually runs from roof and structural repairs, through strip-out, first-fix electrics and plumbing, then plastering, second-fix electrics and plumbing, kitchen and bathroom fitting, flooring and finally decoration. Windows are usually fitted before plastering. We plan the programme around this sequence so each trade follows on smoothly.
Do I need planning permission in Carrickfergus?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Carrickfergus is in Northern Ireland, so Northern Ireland's rules apply. Many smaller jobs need no planning application, but some still need building control approval. We check what applies to your address before quoting.
How much does it cost to renovate a whole house?
A full refurbishment of a typical 3-bed house costs £38,500–£103,000, covering rewiring, heating, plastering, a new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration. A light refresh costs much less, while renovations with structural changes cost more. The biggest variables are the condition of the house and the kitchen and bathroom specification. We survey every room and give you a written price for the agreed scope.
Do you cover Newtownabbey, Bangor, County Down and Larne?
Yes. As well as Carrickfergus, we cover Newtownabbey, Bangor, County Down and Larne and the rest of County Antrim. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
Do I need planning permission to renovate?
Most internal renovation work does not need planning permission, but it depends on what changes, your home's location, whether it is listed or in a conservation area, and which UK nation you are in. Listed buildings usually need consent for internal and external changes. Altering windows, adding dormers or changing the outside appearance in a conservation area may also need permission. We check before quoting.
Also covering areas around Carrickfergus
We cover every part of Carrickfergus, including BT38, and nearby Newtownabbey, Bangor, County Down and Larne. Wherever you are within that patch, the survey is free and the quote comes to you in writing.