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.
Homes across Suffolk vary a great deal, so we price a whole-house renovation only after seeing the property. Our coverage takes in Ipswich, Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill and the surrounding districts. As a guide, expect £47,000–£126,000 including VAT in the East of England; the final figure depends on size, materials and access. Any permissions are checked against the rules for England before we quote.
- Guide price
- £47,000–£126,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Planning rules
- England
- Price level
- About 5% above the national guide
- Towns listed
- 7
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Whole-house renovations prices in Suffolk
The costs listed here are typical for a whole-house renovation around Suffolk and include VAT. They reflect labour and material costs in the East of England, about 5% above the national guide, giving a range of £47,000–£126,000. Exact pricing depends on your home, so we only fix it once a free site survey is done.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 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
- Hidden problems such as damp, rot or outdated drainage
Scope of the work
- Room-by-room survey and a planned order of works
- Strip-out of old kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and finishes
- Heating and plumbing upgrades by qualified engineers
- Plastering, skimming and repairs to ceilings and walls
- Flooring, internal doors, skirting and joinery
- Decoration and a final clean before handover
Homes in Suffolk
Suffolk villages are full of timber-framed cottages, many limewashed in traditional colours such as Suffolk pink, with pargeting and thatch in places. Flint and pale gault brick are common too. Ipswich has Victorian terraces and interwar estates, Bury St Edmunds has Georgian streets, and Lowestoft and Felixstowe mix Victorian seaside housing with newer estates.
Timber-framed buildings need breathable lime plaster and render, and roof repairs that suit the original materials. Terraces suit loft conversions and rear extensions, while newer homes commonly take garage conversions and porches.
One of the driest counties, but the coast is eroding in places, and clay soils inland can shrink and crack in dry summers.
Planning and building rules in Suffolk
The notes below cover England, which is where Suffolk sits. Rules change and every property is different, so we speak to the council before pricing your job.
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 Suffolk 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
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
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.
Finish and handover
The job proceeds in the order set out in the programme, with dust and debris kept under control. Finally we tidy away, inspect the work together and pass the finished project over to you with its paperwork.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked questions
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.
Who do I deal with during the job?
One point of contact manages your project from survey to handover. They schedule the trades working under our contract, keep you updated on progress, and are the person to call with any question. You don't need to coordinate builders, electricians or decorators separately, because that is part of what we do.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
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 Suffolk
Homes in all of the following Suffolk towns can get a written quote for a whole-house renovation. Open a town page to see prices and the postcodes we cover.