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13/01/23

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Home Improvement

Your complete home renovation guide

Renovating is one of the best ways to get the home you want, but it can be difficult to know where to start.

Renovating a property can make you a good amount of money when you come to sell, if done right.

And therein lie the crucial words: Done right.

Renovating a house can be costly when mistakes are made and hugely stressful, too.

The answer?

Proper preparation and planning – and that’s where our step-by-step guide to home renovation comes in…

Types of home renovation

Common home renovation projects include

A whole property renovation
Single-storey extension
Multi-storey extension
Conservatory build
Loft conversion
Kitchen remodelling
Bathroom remodelling
Basement conversion
Garage conversion
Garden landscaping

How long does it take to renovate a house?

A whole host of factors can affect how long your renovation project takes to complete.

However, general timeframes for the most common renovations are:

Renovation	Average time
Kitchen renovation	4-10 weeks
Bathroom renovation	3-6 weeks
Loft conversion	7-12 weeks
1-2-storey extension	8-16 weeks

How much does it cost to renovate a house?

The total cost of a renovation project will depend on:

The work you carry out
The builder you use
Whether or not you use an architect
Whether you need planning permission
How long your project takes to complete
Any unforeseen circumstances

Generally, though, these are the figures you can expect to pay for common renovation work:

Renovation work	Estimated average cost
Extension	£25,000 - £50,000
Loft conversion	£40,000
Bathroom renovation	£6,000 - £10,000
Kitchen renovation	£7,000 - £15,000
New windows	£400 - £600 per window
New heating system	£4,000

The correct order to renovate a house

No two renovation projects will be the same.

But there are some common steps you’ll need to take in a certain order when taking on a major renovation project:

Work out your budget and finance
Property search, assessment, and purchase
Carry out a property survey
Hire designer and architect
Explore and apply for planning permission
Find a builder
Assess access and waste disposal issues
Draw up a schedule of works
Break ground
Carry out a snagging survey

How to renovate a house

Any house renovation project requires sound planning but also a willingness to expect the unexpected.

Here are the steps you should take, and considerations you should make, to achieve the perfect renovation…

1. Budget and finance

The first thing to do before any renovation is planning your budget.

How much your property and subsequent renovation will cost depends on a whole multitude of factors.

Buy at the right price

The most important financial factor that can affect the success of your renovation is how much you pay for your property.

By buying as cheaply as possible, you’ll give yourself the best chance of adding considerable value once your project is completed.

Consider the time factor

As well as the amount of work you’re planning to undertake, think about the amount of time it will take to complete your renovation.

When it comes to building work, time is always money.

Secondly, your budget will be affected by any issues you encounter during the renovation.

Run-down properties can have gremlins and surprises lurking, so you should always expect your budget to be tested no matter how prepared you are.

2. Buying the right property

Buying the right property to renovate is crucial, but not always easy.

You’ll need a property that will work for you once your renovation has been completed, but also one that will hopefully see you make a profit when you do eventually come to sell it.

It’s easy to spot a property in need of work simply by looking through the online portals like Rightmove and Zoopla and speaking to your local estate agent.

But that doesn’t always mean value for money – particularly if the property is on a road with a ceiling price.

When looking for a property to renovate, you should always:

Look at any work neighbouring properties have had done, like extensions
Consider the outdoor space to the rear and sides if you’re planning an extension – is there enough room?
Research the most recent sale prices in the road and check out any work that has been done at those properties to establish if the road has a ceiling price
Have a survey done on the property you’re looking at – a surveyor will check for major, potentially costly problems like subsidence, damp, or drainage issues
Obtain a building report, which will tell you which construction methods were used throughout the house so you can plan how you’ll renovate the property
Get a measured survey, which will provide detailed drawings of the property’s layout – you’ll need this for any planning application

3. Planning permission

When looking for properties to renovate, it’s hugely important to consider planning permission before buying.

Buying a property only to later be denied planning consent is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make.

So, when looking for properties, start by searching for those that have outline planning permission, or full permission, already in place.

Outline permission means the local planning department are aware of proposed work to a property and have agreed to it in principle ahead of more detailed plans being submitted.

Alternatively, you should look for properties where work can be completed under Permitted Development.

A lot of work can often be carried out under permitted development, including:

Single storey extensions
Loft conversions
Conservatories
Porches
Decking
Basement development
Parking

However, while this means no planning permission will be required, there are some size and scale limitations for things like extensions.

You will almost certainly need building regulations approval for any structural work or electrical installation.

4. Design, builders, and architects

Once you’ve found and purchased a property that suits your needs, you’ll need to plan and design how you want it to look.

As part of the planning phase, you should consider work you want to do yourself (if any) and what you’ll outsource to contractors and professionals.

And if you’re thinking of using an architect to plan your renovation, now is the time to start contacting them.

The best way to plan a home renovation project is to spend plenty of time considering all the options for work.

Then speak to several builders before opting for the best fit.

Once you have your builder in place, you’ll be able to agree a clear schedule of works, so everyone involved in the project is abreast of what’s expected and the timeframes.

5. Schedule of works

When renovating a house, you’ll require a clear schedule of works.

This is essentially a list of every job that needs to be done during your renovation project, listed in order.

When working with a builder or contractor on a home renovation, a schedule of works also acts as a loosely binding contract between you, the homeowner, and the person doing the work, helping you ensure everything remains on track and within budget.

Here’s an example of a schedule of works for a large renovation project:

External work

Brickwork and pointing to match
Render and paint exterior
Clean, repair and replace roof tiles where needed
Repair chimney where needed
Repairs to render on front elevation
Replace front elevation windows x4
Full clean of render to side elevation
Replace frosted window to side elevation
Remove climbing vegetation to rear elevation
Replace rear elevation windows x4
Remove sliding doors to ground floor kitchen and replace with French doors

Internal work

Remove all carpets on ground floor and replace with supplied wood flooring throughout
Remove kitchen and internal wall between kitchen / dining room
Remove radiators and replace with new wrought iron rads
Fit new kitchen and appliances
Remove existing fire surround, plaster wall, and make good
Remove all carpets on first floor
Remove internal wall between bedrooms four and five, plaster walls and make good
Remove existing first floor bathroom suite, tiles, and flooring
Fit new bathroom flooring, tiles, and suite
Remove existing front door and fit new composite door
Remove all rubbish and skip
Lay new resin driveway to front

6. Work begins

This is where your schedule of works becomes to the go-to document for your home renovation.

Once your property is stripped back and ready to be remodelled or any extension built, your builder or contractor will move on to what’s known as first fix jobs.

These include:

Removing or adding internal walls
Adding door linings
Adding floors
Adding window frames and units
Fitting plumbing structures like soil pipes and drainage connections
Fitting items that will sit behind plastered walls, like ducts, alarms, and wiring for things like heating thermostats

Once the first fix stage is complete, your property’s walls will be ready for plastering and any floor screed will be laid.

Second fix jobs come next and include:

Fitting light fittings, sockets, TV, and phone points
Door hanging and fixing of architraves
Bathroom and kitchen fitting installation
Fitting all radiators, boiler system and controls
Installation of kitchen
Boxing in and plastering any exposed pipework

7. Snagging your renovation

If you think of your home renovation like a major surgical operation, it should come as no surprise that your property needs time to recover from lots of renovation work.

And during that time, problems can occur, including:

Newly plastered walls cracking
Minor leaks
Heating system issues
Decorative scuffs and scrapes

Your builder should honour any snagging issues and return to rectify them after the house has settled for a few weeks or months at no extra cost.

But if you’re not comfortable doing snagging yourself, you could bring in a snagging surveyor.

They’ll list everything that needs to be rectified and help you ensure your builder carries out the work.

What to consider when renovating a house

Renovating a property is a huge undertaking and there are lots of things to consider, including:

1. The age of the property

Most property renovations take place in older homes.

However, that means there are often a few surprises lurking beneath floors or in walls – and these surprises could affect your budget.

So, it’s always worth factoring in just how old a property is before considering buying it to renovate.

To find out how old your house is, the best place to start is the Land Registry.

The Land Registry holds records of all land in England and Wales, but your local authority could also be a good place to glean more information about your property, too.

2. Consider original features

Period homes in the UK are often packed with character and original features.

Decide whether you want to preserve these before starting your renovation.

Period features can often add value to a property, so if you’re thinking of selling in the near future, you might wish to keep or refurbish things like ornate fireplaces, tiled floors, or decorative mouldings.

When undertaking a large-scale renovation, it can be easy to fall into the trap of stripping a house back to its bare bones.

And while turning a property into a shell can enable you to tackle every area with your own touch and taste, it will also mean more expense – when there could be elements of your property you should keep.

Before starting out with major work, think about your property’s original features and how you could use them with the plans you have in mind.

Not only will keeping some things save you money, it could also help preserve the character of your property.

3. Access to your property

Major renovation work often requires major machinery.

So, before you start any work, you’ll need to establish, with your builder or contractor, how they are going to get large machinery on to the site of your property.

You may also have to speak with your neighbours if access is required via their land or if machinery access will impact on them in any way.

4. The order of work

The order in which you undertake work to remodel your house is key.

Generally, most renovations will follow this order of work:

Strip out and removal
Structural work – floors, ceilings, walls
First fix work – plumbing, heating wiring
Plastering, flooring
Second fix work – plumbing, heating, wiring
Bathroom, kitchen fit-out
Decoration

Looking to find out how much your property is currently worth? Book your free home valuation today.