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.
Cost is usually the first question about a whole-house renovation, so here is the guide for the South West: £46,000–£122,000 including VAT. We cover the whole of Somerset, with Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton and Yeovil among the main centres. Because each UK nation sets its own rules, we check the requirements in England for your property, then put a firm price on paper following a free survey.
- Guide price
- £46,000–£122,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Planning rules
- England
- Price level
- About 2% above the national guide
- Towns listed
- 11
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Whole-house renovations prices in Somerset
Budgeting for a whole-house renovation in Somerset? The numbers below include VAT and are adjusted for the South West, where costs are about 2% above the national guide. The headline range is £46,000–£122,000. Nothing is final until we have measured up at a free survey and agreed the specification with you.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £15,500–£46,000 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £46,000–£122,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £102,000–£184,000 |
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- Hidden problems such as damp, rot or outdated drainage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
- 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
Homes in Somerset
Somerset's building stone varies widely: Bath stone in Bath, golden Ham stone around Yeovil, blue lias in villages on the Levels and Mendip stone in the north. Weston-super-Mare has Victorian villas and terraces, Taunton and Bridgwater have brick terraces and post-war estates, and new housing continues to spread around the larger towns.
Stone properties often need lime pointing, stone repairs and windows that respect conservation areas, especially in Bath. Brick terraces suit loft rooms and extensions, and estate homes commonly take garage conversions.
The Somerset Levels are low and prone to flooding, coastal areas face Bristol Channel winds, and Exmoor is wet and exposed.
Do you need permission in Somerset?
Because Somerset falls under England's rules, the guidance below is the version relevant to you. Before sending a price, we check your property's position with the council.
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.
Price and scope agreed
You get the price in writing, itemised so you can see where the money goes. As long as the specification stays the same, that is the price you pay for a whole-house renovation.
Plan and prepare
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.
Finish and handover
Our trades complete a whole-house renovation while your point of contact keeps you updated. When everything is finished, we clear the site, take away waste and go through the result with you before handover.
What you can expect from us
Questions about a whole-house renovation in Somerset
How much will a whole-house renovation cost in Somerset?
As a guide, expect to pay £46,000–£122,000 including VAT for a whole-house renovation in Somerset. That range is adjusted for the South West, which runs about 2% 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.
Which parts of a renovation need building regulations approval?
Several parts of a renovation fall under building regulations, including rewiring and new circuits, new boilers and heating systems, structural changes such as removing walls, replacement windows and changes to drainage. Some of this is self-certified by suitably registered trades, and some needs building control approval. In Scotland a building warrant may be needed for certain works. We arrange the right approvals and certificates.
Do I need planning permission in Somerset?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Somerset 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.
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.
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.
Towns in Somerset
Below is our list of Somerset towns for a whole-house renovation. If yours isn't shown, we may still cover it, so it is worth asking us directly.