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 type of house you own in Harlow, we start by looking at how a whole-house renovation would fit it rather than offering a standard package. We cover CM17, CM18, CM19 and CM20 and neighbouring places such as Hoddesdon, Bishops Stortford and Waltham Abbey. One named person looks after you from survey to handover, and nothing is booked until you hold our figure in writing, fixed for the work described.
- Guide price
- £47,000–£126,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- CM17, CM18, CM19 and CM20
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Essex
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for a whole-house renovation in Harlow?
Prices for a whole-house renovation vary from house to house, but in Harlow most projects fall within £47,000–£126,000 including VAT. That reflects costs in the East of England, about 5% above the national guide. Treat the table as a budgeting aid; the written figure follows a survey we carry out for free.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £16,000–£47,000 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £47,000–£126,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £105,000–£189,000 |
The main things that change the figure:
- 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 does the job include in Harlow?
- Room-by-room survey and a planned order of works
- Strip-out of old kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and finishes
- Rewiring and new consumer unit by qualified electricians, with certificates
- Plastering, skimming and repairs to ceilings and walls
- New kitchen and bathroom fitted to your chosen specification
- Flooring, internal doors, skirting and joinery
Homes in Essex
Essex ranges from timber-framed and weatherboarded cottages in the north, some with decorative pargeting, to Victorian terraces in Colchester, Chelmsford and Southend. Basildon and Harlow were built as post-war new towns, much of the south-east has interwar suburbs and bungalows, and large new estates continue to appear around Chelmsford and Braintree.
Essex is one of the driest counties in England, and London Clay in the south shrinks in dry spells, so trees and foundation depth matter.
In Harlow, as elsewhere in Essex, we take the building's age and construction into account before recommending anything, because both can change what is involved in a whole-house renovation.
Do you need permission in Harlow?
For anyone in Harlow, the relevant framework is England's. The summary below is general, so we always contact the council about your address before putting a price in writing.
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.
The four stages
A visit to your home
We arrange a free site survey on a date convenient to you. We measure up, look at the existing structure and access, and discuss your plans for a whole-house renovation so the price reflects your home.
Your fixed price
After the survey we send a quote for a whole-house renovation that fixes the price for the scope we've agreed. If you want to change materials or scope, we revise it in writing before anything is booked.
Dates and permissions
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.
On site to finish
During the work we protect the areas around it and tidy up at the end of each day. Once complete, we check the finish, remove our materials and hand over paperwork such as building control sign-off where it applies.
Why homeowners choose us
Whole-house renovations in Harlow: questions
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 we live in the house while it is renovated?
Living in a house during a full renovation is possible but hard, especially while rewiring, plastering and the kitchen and bathroom are being done. Many people move out for the noisiest weeks or stay elsewhere for the whole project. If you stay, we can phase the work room by room and keep one bathroom and a basic kitchen working for as long as possible. We discuss this at the survey.
Which postcodes in Harlow do you cover?
We cover CM17, CM18, CM19 and CM20, along with the rest of Essex. If your postcode is not listed, get in touch anyway: our coverage is UK-wide, and we can usually arrange a survey wherever you live. Enter your postcode in the guide-price tool or contact form and we will confirm.
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.
How much will a whole-house renovation cost in Harlow?
As a guide, expect to pay £47,000–£126,000 including VAT for a whole-house renovation in Harlow. That range is adjusted for the East of England, which runs about 5% above the national guide. Where your project lands depends on size, materials, access and the condition of what is already there. We confirm a fixed price in writing after a free survey of your home.
Near Harlow
Homes across CM17, CM18, CM19 and CM20 in Harlow are within our coverage, as are those in Hoddesdon, Bishops Stortford and Waltham Abbey. If you are just outside these areas, ask anyway, because we work right across the UK.