House Renovation Contractor – Complete Home Refurbishment and Renovation Services

A house renovation contractor manages and carries out building work required to refurbish, modernise or substantially alter a residential property. Depending on the project, this can involve structural alterations, kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing, electrics, plastering, flooring, decorating, extensions and complete internal refurbishment.

For larger projects, using one experienced renovation contractor or principal contractor can simplify coordination between different trades and provide clearer responsibility for programme, workmanship and site management.

Through FraserBond.com, homeowners, landlords, investors and developers can explore house renovation contractors and property-refurbishment services across London and the UK.

What Does a House Renovation Contractor Do?

A renovation contractor may coordinate an entire project from strip-out through to final decoration.

Typical work includes:

• Property strip-out
• Structural alterations
• Wall removal
• Extensions
• Loft and garage conversions
• Roofing
• New kitchens
• Bathroom renovations
• Plumbing
• Heating
• Electrical work
• Plastering
• Joinery
• Flooring
• Tiling
• Painting and decorating
• Windows and doors
• External improvements

The precise scope should be documented before construction starts.

Full House Renovation

A full house renovation usually involves substantially more than redecorating.

A typical sequence might be:

Survey → Design → Permissions → Strip-Out → Structural Work → First Fix → Plastering → Second Fix → Kitchen & Bathrooms → Flooring → Decorating → Snagging

Older properties may also require work to roofing, damp problems, outdated wiring, plumbing, heating and insulation.

House Renovation Contractor vs General Builder

There can be considerable overlap between the two.

A general builder may handle individual building projects, whereas a renovation contractor specialising in whole-house projects will usually be accustomed to coordinating multiple trades and sequencing work across an entire property.

For a significant renovation, look for experience managing projects comparable in size, complexity and specification to yours.

House Renovation Contractor for a Fixer-Upper

Buying a property requiring substantial refurbishment can create opportunities, but the renovation budget needs careful assessment.

Before purchasing, potential work could include:

• Rewiring
• Plumbing replacement
• Heating
• Roofing
• Windows
• Damp remediation
• Structural repairs
• Kitchen
• Bathrooms
• Plastering
• Flooring
• Decoration

The cheapest-looking property is not necessarily the best renovation opportunity. Structural defects and extensive building-services replacement can materially change the project's economics.

How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House in the UK?

House-renovation costs vary dramatically.

For 2026, Checkatrade estimates that renovating an average three-bedroom UK house can range from approximately £43,530 to £110,350, with an illustrative average of £76,690. Its figures include a range of possible works rather than suggesting every three-bedroom property will cost this amount.

Its current examples include approximately:

These are national ballpark figures rather than quotations. Property condition, specification, location and the exact scope can change the cost substantially.

What Affects House Renovation Costs?

The main factors include:

Property Size

A larger property usually requires more:

• Labour
• Materials
• Flooring
• Plastering
• Decorating
• Heating equipment
• Electrical points

However, floor area alone does not determine cost.

Condition

A structurally sound but dated house may be relatively straightforward to modernise.

A neglected property with defective roofing, damp, rotten timber, obsolete services and structural movement can be considerably more expensive.

Specification

There is an enormous price difference between economical rental-grade finishes and bespoke luxury interiors.

Structural Alterations

Removing walls, creating openings and changing layouts can require structural engineering and additional construction work.

Location

Contractor rates, access, parking and logistics vary across the country, with London projects often carrying additional costs.

Keep a Renovation Contingency

Renovation projects can expose problems that were not visible before work started.

Examples include:

• Rotten joists
• Damp
• Damaged drains
• Defective wiring
• Old pipework
• Structural cracking
• Asbestos-containing materials
• Poor historic alterations

Current Checkatrade guidance recommends allowing approximately 10–15% contingency for unexpected renovation costs.

For particularly old or uncertain properties, professional cost advice may justify a different contingency.

Kitchen Renovation Contractor

Kitchen refurbishment can involve several trades:

• Kitchen fitter
• Plumber
• Electrician
• Gas engineer where applicable
• Tiler
• Plasterer
• Decorator
• Flooring installer

A renovation contractor can coordinate these packages rather than requiring the homeowner to schedule every contractor separately.

Bathroom Renovation Contractor

Bathroom projects can involve:

• Strip-out
• Plumbing
• Drainage
• Waterproofing
• Electrical work
• Tiling
• Sanitaryware
• Ventilation
• Decorating

Waterproofing and concealed plumbing need particular attention because defects can cause expensive damage after the bathroom has been completed.

Structural Renovation Contractor

Structural alterations can include:

• Removing load-bearing walls
• Installing steel beams
• Creating larger openings
• Changing internal layouts
• Altering floors
• Constructing extensions

These projects may require structural-engineer input and building-control approval.

Never assume that an internal wall can safely be removed simply because it appears lightweight.

House Extension and Renovation

Many homeowners combine renovation with an extension.

Popular projects include:

• Rear kitchen extensions
• Side-return extensions
• Wraparound extensions
• Two-storey extensions
• Utility-room additions
• Open-plan kitchen-diners

Combining the projects can allow the existing house and new space to be designed as one scheme.

Planning permission may or may not be necessary. Some householder extensions and alterations can fall within permitted development rights, but those rights have detailed limitations and do not remove separate requirements such as Building Regulations.

Do House Renovations Need Building Regulations Approval?

It depends on the work.

GOV.UK states that Building Regulations can apply to many alteration projects, including certain bathroom plumbing work, electrical work around baths and showers, replacement windows and doors, roof-covering replacement and heating-system installation or replacement.

By contrast, many ordinary repairs, maintenance jobs and some strai