Refurbishment Cost - What Does It Take to Renovate a House?

Is it Worth To Renovate an Old Property?

Before you start buying materials or looking for specialists to help you renovate your home, it is worth contemplating whether such refurbishment will add to the value of your property, or would you moving to a new place be the better option? To estimate that, you should make sure that the cost of renovating a house doesn't outweigh the overall value of your property by comparing it with the highest selling price of similar houses in your area. This calculation will come quite handy when you wish to move in the future or buy an older home and renovate it.

However, if the reason behind the refurbishment of your house is only to enjoy it for many years to come, then, of course, the only concern you should have is whether the needs of your property and people living in it. The renovation on the basis of sentimental value when it comes to property is always worthwhile.

The Costs of Repairing The Roof

Roof damage can be a very dangerous sign of your house needing refurbishment. In this case, we will talk more about security over aesthetics and functionality. A roof was probably one of the most expensive parts of your house when you first built it, and its renovation can be also significantly expensive, especially if you fail to detect the early signs of damage. When taking on any refurbishment project, the roof should be the first thing that you inspect.

What to look for? Search for missing or loose roof tiles, any damp patches located on the ceilings inside, etc. If you face problems with only a couple of tiles, all you have to do is replace them and start other refurbishment work, but if you see any warnings of problems with insulation, your house renovation costs will increase significantly. Make sure to investigate the state of your roof at least once a year, so you can avoid any safety problems and a major renovation. However, if it comes down to repairing your roof, here are some of the sums you can see on your bill:

• Re-tiling a roof - natural slate from £150 per square metre, artificial slate from around £100 per square metre, clay tiles from £110 per square metres, and concrete tiles from around £50 per square metre.
• Repairing a flat roof - anywhere from £40/m2 to £80/m2.
• Pesticide treatment of roof purlins - around £500, depending on the size of the roof.
• New ridge tiles and a hip - from £70/m2, labour included.

How Much Do You Have to Pay to Add an Extension?

Extending a house is one of the most popular renovations, as your family's needs grow so does your property in a lot of cases. Adding more space to your home, apart from increasing the level of comfort for the household, will make its value soar. There are plenty of different factors that will affect the cost of adding an extension, and we recommend that you use for the many online extension cost calculators for a more precise estimate.

However, to give a better picture, you can assume that for a 4m x 5m extension you will be handed a bill of around £30,000 for a basic single storey design and around £40,000 for more sophisticated construction work. This is a price without any professional fees or VAT included, for those you might need to factor in around 20% more money.

Keep in mind that a two-storey extension will cost significantly more and will require a different set of fees and permissions.

The Budget Needed for Window Replacement

Making sure that there is proper ventilation in your house, and that it is insulated well, is the next much-needed assessment you should make when planning a renovation. Your windows are a significant part of the property, they help shape its character and increase the overall security of your home. However, you should know that windows do have an expiration date and should be replaced every decade. This is mainly because of the development of new window technologies. Another reason to start thinking about window replacement is when you can observe visible damage to their frame or glass.

Having up to date windows is also crucial for heat loss prevention. Only modern windows in the perfect state are efficient enough not to increase your energy bills over time. If you are an owner of damaged of single-pane windows, you might want to look into upgrading them to double-glazed windows or at least rely on secondary glazing to reduce heat loss and sound transfer.

When you are replacing windows, there are plenty of different types of models you can buy, but it is best to stay true to the current style that you have in your house. Timber frames with high-quality glass panes are most popular for vintage properties, and for modern houses, a PVC, budget-friendly option will do just fine.

Let's look closely at possible costs of repairing and replacing windows for your house. Patching up paint and repairing rot in your timber windows can be done by yourself for less than a hundred pounds. Another thing you can do by yourself is secondary glazing that will cost you around £300 per window. Replacing timber windows with fitting can cost you anything from £800 per unit. PVC window installation will saddle you with a bill of around two hundred pounds per unit. The French window replacement can cost from £1,000 per metre.

Add Space to Your House with a Relatively Inexpensive Loft Conversion

A loft conversion is yet another fantastic refurbishing idea for your house when you need more functional space. If you are an owner of a house built back in the 1960s, you might find out that it is the perfect way to add more space with a room-in-roof conversion, which requires the least amount of work. For a basic loft conversion, you can expect the costs to range between £1,100–£1,400 per square metre, and that's for a new set of stairs, a floor, roof lights and getting the loft room insulated and plastered. A dormer loft conversion will be more expensive at around £100 to £200 more per square metre.

The Bill You Can Expect For Rewiring

Undertaking a complete rewiring is a massive and messy operation, as you will have to move furniture in order to access cabling. You will also most likely find yourself in a need of re-plastering work. This particular refurbishment can cost you from £4,000 for a complete rewiring, with the typical day rate costing you from £200. The renovation will become more expensive if you are an owner of a periodical property, as you will have to add the cost of decorative period-style sockets (priced at around £75). You might have to pay even more for additional work if you want to hide most of the cabling from view.

How Much Does House Insulation Cost?

Insulating your house is a popular refurbishment choice that will add significant value to your property and ensure that you are not wasting energy, which, as a result, saves you a lot of money on heating bills. It is also relatively inexpensive when it comes to house renovation costs as some works can be done DIY. Insulation renovation should be started with a loft where the estimates show the biggest heat loss inside a house. It is recommended to insulate the floors and walls (internally and externally). External wall insulation is more costly, as it requires planning permission, but internal wall insulation will simply use footprint and affect the appearance of the rooms.

Loft insulation costs can range between £235 to £550 depending on whether you will be insulating between boards or using rigid insulation boards. Internal wall insulation can come to anything between £4,000 to £15,000. External wall insulation cost, on the other hand, can fall anywhere between £8,000–£22,000 depending on the complexity and size of your property.

Fees and Paperwork Explained

The amount that you will have to pay for the renovation will be a sum of material and labour costs as well as the bill for fees and paperwork needed to complete the process. During your refurbishment, you will most probably stumble upon fees for design work, specialists surveys, or building permission. You should also consider investing in additional insurance to protect yourself if something goes wrong. Regular insurance policies usually do not cover large scale renovations.

Here are some of the most expected fees and their values:

• Building regulation fee - it will depend on the scale of the job and number of visits on site required, it starts at £80 but could go up to a couple of thousands.
• Insurance costs - based on the location of your house, the property's rebuild value, and value of the new building work, you can be expected to pay between £600–£1,200.
• Warranty - it should cover the building work, a 10-year warranty can be currently valued at £1,000 to £5,000.
• Planning permission - necessary when you wish to renovate listed properties, houses in conservation areas, or large extensions outside the permitted development rights; In England, the permission costs £206, and you might want to consider buying pre-application advice for around £100–£200.
• Bat survey - if you live in an area where bats are present, you might need to pay around £300 for a preliminary survey and more than a thousand if bats turn out to be present.

Please note that there might be other fees to pay depending on the building laws in your local area.

House Refurbishment Costs -Frequently Asked Questions

House renovation cost is a relatively broad topic, so to help you understand it even more, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.

How Much Does It Cost to Completely Renovate a House?

In the United Kingdom, the average price to renovate a house is £14,500 to £55,000, depending on the extent of renovations, the home's size, and quality of materials and appliances. Whole house renovation can be priced at £120 to £450 per square metre on average, while remodelling only a bathroom or kitchen runs £750 to £1250 per square metre.

How to Refurbish a House on a Budget?

One of the most popular ways you can save some money while renovating a house is to combine high-end construction work with standard materials and products to achieve an effective, yet not too costly, finish.

You can also engage in some renovation work yourself and perform minor parts of the refurbishment as a DIY project.

Make sure to also use online price comparison sites to get the best deal for the materials and products you will need.

What Part of House Renovation Can Be a DIY Project?

You can tackle some refurbishment work yourself and as a result, save a lot of money. Basic tiling, decorating, sanding floors, and any prep work before major refurbishment are all within the capabilities of an experienced DIY’er.

How to Estimate Decorating Costs?

Decorating costs can be difficult to estimate as there are many variables involved. A professional is most likely to charge you £175 for a day worth of work. Choosing paint and a few smaller decorations will be the most cost-effective options available. To paint each room you will need a budget of around £350 for decorations and materials. Setting up a budget of £500 for accent lighting is a fantastic idea as well, as light features will emphasize the beauty of your interiors.

Final Thoughts

House refurbishment is a major project that involves a lot of costs and smart budgeting along the way. It is most helpful to know the average prices for every type of renovation work as you make plans. We hope that this analysis of the possible costs of renovating a house will help you find the refurbishment specialist and product that will offer the best price to value ratio. Make your home more modern, secure and let it serve for another couple of great years.