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 Skelmersdale home and give you a price in writing. Homes in the North West typically come in at £43,000–£114,000, VAT included, for this kind of work. We also cover Ormskirk, Wigan and Kirkby, and the same steps apply wherever you are in Lancashire.
- Guide price
- £43,000–£114,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- WN8
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Lancashire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Whole-house renovations prices in Skelmersdale
In Skelmersdale, guide figures for a whole-house renovation sit at £43,000–£114,000, VAT included. We set them using rates for the North West, currently about 5% 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 Skelmersdale |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £14,000–£43,000 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £43,000–£114,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £95,000–£171,000 |
The main things that change the figure:
- Size of the house and number of rooms being renovated
- Kitchen and bathroom specification
- Structural or layout changes and associated approvals
- Hidden problems such as damp, rot or outdated drainage
What do you get?
- 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
- Heating and plumbing upgrades by qualified engineers
- Plastering, skimming and repairs to ceilings and walls
- Decoration and a final clean before handover
Local housing and a whole-house renovation
East Lancashire mill towns such as Burnley, Blackburn and Accrington have long rows of stone and brick terraces, while Preston is mostly red brick. Lancaster uses sandstone for its Georgian centre, Blackpool and the Fylde coast have guest-house terraces and many bungalows, and interwar and newer estates surround most towns.
Mill-town terraces commonly suit attic conversions, kitchen extensions and repointing. Bungalows on the coast often take loft rooms and porches, and stone properties may need lime pointing and roof repairs.
With that background in mind, here is how we typically handle a whole-house renovation for homes in Skelmersdale, from the first visit to the finished result.
Planning and building rules in Skelmersdale
For anyone in Skelmersdale, 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.
From survey to handover
Survey and measure
Book a visit and we'll come to you. The survey covers measurements, the state of what's there now and any obvious constraints, so the price that follows is based on your actual home, not an average.
Your fixed price
We turn the survey notes into a written quote. The price is fixed for the specification we agree, and the document sets out materials, scope and payment stages in plain language.
Booking the work
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.
Finish and handover
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.
How we work
Frequently asked 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 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 Skelmersdale 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.
How long does a full house renovation take?
A full renovation of a typical 3-bed house usually takes around 8–16 weeks on site, and longer if there are structural changes or extensive repairs. A light refresh may take only a few weeks. Material lead times for kitchens, windows and bathroom fittings also affect the programme. We give you a week-by-week plan with your quote and update it as the work progresses.
Do I need planning permission in Skelmersdale?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Skelmersdale is in England, so England'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.
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.
Near Skelmersdale
We survey and quote throughout Skelmersdale's WN8 postcodes and in surrounding places such as Ormskirk, Wigan and Kirkby. The process and pricing approach are identical in each of them.

