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 arrange a whole-house renovation for homeowners in Guildford and the wider Surrey. The job is planned, priced and managed by us and carried out by tradespeople engaged under our contract, so there is one agreement and one contact. On a typical home the work takes 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope, and guide pricing in the South East is £50,000–£134,000, VAT included.
- Guide price
- £50,000–£134,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- GU1, GU2 and GU4
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Surrey
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a whole-house renovation cost in Guildford?
The costs listed here are typical for a whole-house renovation around Guildford and include VAT. They reflect labour and material costs in the South East, about 12% above the national guide, giving a range of £50,000–£134,000. 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 Guildford |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Your price depends mostly on:
- 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- Hidden problems such as damp, rot or outdated drainage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
- 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
- New kitchen and bathroom fitted to your chosen specification
- Flooring, internal doors, skirting and joinery
Building in Guildford
Surrey has many Victorian and Edwardian villas, interwar semis in the commuter towns near London, and Arts and Crafts houses with tile-hanging and tall chimneys. Bargate stone appears around Godalming, and large detached homes are common in Guildford, Woking, Weybridge and the Surrey Hills villages.
Larger homes often take kitchen extensions, bifold doors, landscaping and driveway renewal. Interwar semis suit loft and side extensions, while tile-hung and period properties may need roof and hanging-tile repairs.
With that background in mind, here is how we typically handle a whole-house renovation for homes in Guildford, from the first visit to the finished result.
Planning and building rules in Guildford
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Guildford 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.
The four stages
We look at the job
First, someone visits your home in Guildford 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.
Your fixed price
We put everything into a written, fixed-price quote: the specification, what's excluded, staged payments and the expected time on site. Take whatever time you need to decide; there's no pressure to commit.
Plan and prepare
With the quote agreed, we book the work in and handle preparation: permissions where needed, building control notifications, material orders and access arrangements for your Guildford property.
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
Whole-house renovations in Guildford: 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.
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.
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.
Do I need planning permission in Guildford?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Guildford 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.
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.
Also covering areas around Guildford
Whether you're in the centre of Guildford or on its outskirts, GU1, GU2 and GU4 addresses are covered. We extend the same service, and the same fixed-price approach, to Godalming, Woking and Aldershot.