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.
In Derby, as anywhere in Derbyshire, the price of a whole-house renovation is driven mainly by size, materials and access. Across the East Midlands our guide sits at £43,000–£115,000 with VAT, but restricted parking, a narrow side passage or extra preparation can move the figure either way. That is why every price we give follows a visit to the house.
- Guide price
- £43,000–£115,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- DE1, DE21, DE22, DE23 and DE24
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Derbyshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Whole-house renovations prices in Derby
In Derby, guide figures for a whole-house renovation sit at £43,000–£115,000, VAT included. We set them using rates for the East Midlands, currently about 4% below the national guide. The table shows what pushes a project towards either end of the range; your own price is set after a free survey.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Derby |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £14,500–£43,000 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £43,000–£115,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £96,000–£173,000 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- 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
- Strip-out of old kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and finishes
- Plastering, skimming and repairs to ceilings and walls
- New kitchen and bathroom fitted to your chosen specification
- Flooring, internal doors, skirting and joinery
- Decoration and a final clean before handover
Building in Derby
Derby has wide areas of Victorian red-brick terraces and interwar semis, while Peak District villages use gritstone and limestone under stone-slate or Welsh slate roofs. Former mining towns in the north-east of the county have brick terraces and post-war housing built for mining communities, and modern estates have grown around Derby, Chesterfield and the M1 corridor.
Brick terraces frequently suit loft conversions and rear extensions, and many need repointing. Stone properties in the Peak may call for lime work and planning-sensitive windows, while interwar and estate homes commonly take side extensions and garage conversions.
Whatever era your Derby home dates from, we plan a whole-house renovation around how it is actually built rather than a one-size-fits-all specification.
Permissions for a whole-house renovation in Derby
Which rules apply depends on where you live. For Derby, the answer is England, and the points below reflect that; we verify them with the council before quoting.
Internal work such as a new kitchen, bathroom, flooring, plastering or decorating does not need planning permission in England, unless the house is listed, when listed building consent may be needed even for internal changes.
Some internal work is covered by Building Regulations: new electrical circuits and work in bathrooms (Part P), new drainage, structural changes, extractor ventilation and any new window. Notifiable work is certified by a registered installer or by building control.
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
It starts with a survey at the property, free of charge. We check condition, access and services, ask how you want the finished result to look, and answer any questions you have about a whole-house renovation.
Written quote
Next you receive a written quote with a fixed price for the agreed specification. It lists what is included, what is not, and how payments are staged, so you can compare it properly.
Plan and prepare
Once you accept, we agree start dates, order materials and deal with any planning, building control or neighbour notices the job needs. You'll know who is coming and when before work begins.
Build and hand over
On site, the agreed plan is followed and any change is put in writing first. At completion we do a final clean, go through the snagging list with you and leave you with the relevant documents.
Why homeowners choose us
Questions about a whole-house renovation in Derby
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.
Can you combine a whole-house renovation with other work?
Yes. Because we manage several trades under one contract, we can plan a whole-house renovation alongside other work on your Derby home, such as new windows with rendering, or a kitchen refit with an extension. Combining jobs can reduce repeat set-up such as scaffolding, skips and access, and every element is listed and priced in the same written quote.
Who do I deal with during the job?
One point of contact manages your project from survey to handover. They schedule the trades working under our contract, keep you updated on progress, and are the person to call with any question. You don't need to coordinate builders, electricians or decorators separately, because that is part of what we do.
What happens if you find damp or rot?
If we find damp or rot during a renovation, we stop that area, show you the problem and explain the likely cause, such as a leaking gutter, bridged damp-proof course or poor ventilation. We then give you a written price to fix the cause and repair the damage before carrying on. Treating the cause matters more than treating the symptom, so we focus on that first.
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.
Also covering areas around Derby
We survey and quote throughout Derby's DE1, DE21, DE22 and DE23 postcodes and in surrounding places such as Belper, Ilkeston and Heanor. The process and pricing approach are identical in each of them.

