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 Washington and the wider Tyne and Wear. 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 North East is £40,500–£108,000, VAT included.
- Guide price
- £40,500–£108,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 8–24 weeks on site, depending on scope
- Postcodes
- NE37 and NE38
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Sunderland
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a whole-house renovation cost in Washington?
Every figure below is a guide for a whole-house renovation in Washington, inclusive of VAT. Regional pricing for the North East works out about 10% below the national guide, and the overall span is £40,500–£108,000. The survey costs you nothing, and after it we commit to a firm price for your specification in writing.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Light refurbishment | Decoration, flooring, minor repairs and perhaps one new kitchen or bathroom. | £13,500–£40,500 |
| Full refurbishment | Rewire, heating, plastering, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration throughout a 3-bed house. | £40,500–£108,000 |
| Renovation with structural changes | A full refurbishment plus wall removal, layout changes or extra bathrooms. | £90,000–£162,000 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- 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- Hidden problems such as damp, rot or outdated drainage
What’s included?
- 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
- 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 Washington
Tyneside flats, pairs of upper and lower flats behind a terraced front, are a distinctive feature of Newcastle and Gateshead. Sunderland is known for its single-storey terraced 'Sunderland cottages', and both cities have Victorian brick and stone terraces, interwar estates and post-war housing. Washington was built as a new town from the 1960s.
Terraces and Tyneside flats commonly need repointing, roof work and window replacement. Houses suit loft rooms and rear extensions, and new-town homes often take garage conversions and cladding upgrades.
For a whole-house renovation in Washington, this means checking things like wall construction, roof structure and existing services before we put a figure on paper.
Planning and building rules in Washington
As Washington is in England, read the following with that system of planning and building control in mind. We check what applies to your house with the council before you receive a quote.
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?
Survey and measure
First, someone visits your home in Washington 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.
Quote in writing
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.
Getting ready
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 Washington property.
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
Whole-house renovations in Washington: questions
How much does it cost to renovate a whole house?
A full refurbishment of a typical 3-bed house costs £40,500–£108,000, covering rewiring, heating, plastering, a new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration. A light refresh costs much less, while renovations with structural changes cost more. The biggest variables are the condition of the house and the kitchen and bathroom specification. We survey every room and give you a written price for the agreed scope.
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.
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 Washington 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.
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.
Nearby towns
We welcome enquiries from all NE37 and NE38 postcodes in Washington, plus Chester-le-Street, Felling and Houghton-Le-Spring. Each one gets the same survey at no charge and a written price fixed for the work described.