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.
We take on a whole-house renovation throughout Portsmouth and the surrounding PO1, PO2, PO3 and PO4 postcodes, as well as in Southsea, Gosport and Fareham. The guide range for this work in the South East is £50,000–£134,000 including VAT; where your project falls depends on its size, the materials you pick and how easy the site is to reach. A free survey turns that range into a fixed figure.
- Guide price
- £50,000–£134,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- PO1, PO2, PO3, PO4 and PO5
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Hampshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Whole-house renovations prices in Portsmouth
Here is how the guide price for a whole-house renovation breaks down in Portsmouth. We start from national figures and adjust for the South East, which comes out about 12% above the national guide. The resulting range, VAT included, is £50,000–£134,000, and a survey, at no cost to you, firms it up.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Portsmouth |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £17,000–£50,000 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £50,000–£134,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £112,000–£202,000 |
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
- Structural or layout changes and associated approvals
- Hidden problems such as damp, rot or outdated drainage
Scope of the work
- Room-by-room survey and a planned order of works
- Heating and plumbing upgrades by qualified engineers
- 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
What are homes like around Portsmouth?
Southampton and Portsmouth have dense Victorian terraces, with plenty of post-war rebuilding after wartime bombing. Winchester keeps Georgian and medieval streets, Basingstoke expanded rapidly with 1960s and 1970s estates, and New Forest villages feature cob, thatch and brick. Brick and flint is common on the chalk downs, and new estates ring most towns.
Terraces suit loft rooms and side-return extensions; post-war and expanded-town homes often need window, roofline and cladding renewal. Cottages in the Forest may call for lime repairs and planning-sensitive windows.
Knowing the typical building types in Hampshire helps, but a survey of your own home in Portsmouth is what decides the right approach to a whole-house renovation.
Do you need permission in Portsmouth?
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Portsmouth is in England. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
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.
What happens after you get in touch?
Free site survey
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for a whole-house renovation, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Written quote
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.
Getting ready
We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.
The work itself
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.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
What happens at the survey?
We visit your home at a time that suits you, look at the area involved, take measurements and check access, condition and any services that might be affected. We talk through what you want from a whole-house renovation, explain the options and answer questions. There is no charge and no obligation; afterwards we send a written quote.
How long will a whole-house renovation take?
On a typical home, allow 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope. Larger projects, older buildings and extra work found once things are opened up can extend that, while simpler jobs may be shorter. Your quote includes an estimate of time on site, and your point of contact keeps you updated on the programme as the work progresses.
What contingency should I allow?
A contingency is money set aside for problems found once work starts, such as rotten joists, hidden damp or wiring that is worse than expected. For older houses, setting aside at least 10–15% of the build cost is sensible. We look for warning signs during the survey and price known issues upfront. If something unexpected is found, we explain it and price it before carrying on.
Nearby towns
Coverage for Portsmouth spans PO1, PO2, PO3 and PO4. Close by, Southsea, Gosport and Fareham are covered too, and the rest of our UK-wide area follows the same survey-then-quote process from start to finish.