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.
Thinking about a whole-house renovation in Barnes? We take charge of the whole project, co-ordinating every trade involved, and one person keeps you updated. Guide prices for London sit at £58,000–£156,000 including VAT, and a typical job takes 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope. Your own figure depends on what the survey finds and the specification you settle on.
- Guide price
- £58,000–£156,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- SW13, SW14, SW15, TW9 and W4
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Greater London
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a whole-house renovation cost in Barnes?
Prices for a whole-house renovation vary from house to house, but in Barnes most projects fall within £58,000–£156,000 including VAT. That reflects costs in London, about 30% 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 Barnes |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £19,500–£58,000 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £58,000–£156,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £130,000–£234,000 |
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- Hidden problems such as damp, rot or outdated drainage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?
- Strip-out of old kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and finishes
- 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
Local housing and a whole-house renovation
London's housing is dominated by Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often in yellow London stock brick, with Georgian terraces in central districts and mansion blocks across many inner areas. Outer boroughs have large belts of interwar semis, and there are extensive post-war council estates. Many houses have been split into flats, and conservation areas are widespread.
Terraces suit side-return extensions and rear dormer loft conversions; interwar semis commonly take hip-to-gable lofts. Shared party walls, restricted parking and conservation rules often shape the plans and the programme.
That variety is why a guide price for a whole-house renovation in Barnes is only a starting point; the survey shows what your particular property needs.
Permissions for a whole-house renovation in Barnes
Which rules apply depends on where you live. For Barnes, 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.
How does the job run?
Free site survey
First, someone visits your home in Barnes to see the space, take measurements and note anything that could affect the work, such as access or the condition of what is there. There is no charge for this visit.
Price and scope agreed
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
Preparation matters as much as the build. We agree access, parking and working hours with you, order materials in good time, and confirm any permissions so the job isn't held up once it starts.
The work itself
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
Common questions
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.
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.
Do I need planning permission in Barnes?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Barnes 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.
Which postcodes in Barnes do you cover?
We cover SW13, SW14, SW15 and TW9, along with the rest of London. 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.
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 Barnes
If your address falls within SW13, SW14, SW15 and TW9, we cover it. The same goes for neighbouring Chiswick, Putney and Fulham, which we include alongside Barnes when arranging surveys and quotes.