A full house renovation in the West Midlands costs between £80,000 and £250,000 in 2026, or roughly £1,000 to £2,000 per square metre of floor area depending on specification and the condition you start from.
That is an enormous range, and unlike an extension — where you can price a known quantity of new build — a renovation is priced against unknowns. The house has been standing for decades and nobody knows exactly what is behind the plaster until it comes off.
The single best thing you can do to control the cost is spend money on finding out before you commit, not after.
What a renovation costs in 2026
Ranges for a typical three-bedroom West Midlands house. A light refurbishment keeps the layout and services; a full renovation strips back to brick and joists.
| Level of work | Typical range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | £25,000 – £45,000 | Redecoration, flooring, new kitchen and bathroom, no structural or services work |
| Standard renovation | £65,000 – £120,000 | Rewire, replumb, replaster, new kitchen and bathrooms, some opening up |
| Full renovation | £120,000 – £200,000 | Strip to brick, new services, structural alterations, insulation, all finishes |
| Period property restoration | £180,000 – £250,000+ | As above plus lime plaster, sash restoration, heritage detailing |
Why renovation quotes vary so much
On a new extension, a builder is pricing work they can see on a drawing. On a renovation, they are pricing work they can partly guess at. The honest response to that uncertainty is a survey and a written specification. The dishonest response is a low number that grows.
The most common overruns in West Midlands housing stock are consistent: cabling that predates modern regulations and cannot be reused, lead or steel pipework, timber decay under bathroom floors and around bay windows, chimney breasts previously removed without support, and damp from failed or bridged damp-proof courses.
None of these are exotic. All of them are invisible until the plaster comes off. A builder who has opened up a few sample areas before quoting will give you a higher number and a more accurate one.
The right order to do the work
Sequence is what separates a renovation that runs smoothly from one that undoes itself. The order is: strip out, then structural work, then first fix services, then plaster, then second fix, then decoration and floors.
Getting this wrong is expensive in a specific and avoidable way. New plaster chased out for cable that should have gone in first. A finished floor lifted because the heating pipework was an afterthought. A kitchen fitted before the electrics were signed off.
It is also why single-contract renovations tend to beat trade-by-trade self-management on cost, even though the day rate looks higher. The saving is not in the labour, it is in not paying twice for the same wall.
Should you live in it?
If the house is being fully renovated with a rewire and replaster, living in it is genuinely difficult. There will be periods with no heating, no kitchen and no working bathroom, and plaster dust reaches every room regardless of sheeting.
Phasing is the alternative. Renovate the upstairs first, move up, then do the ground floor. It adds roughly fifteen to twenty per cent to the programme and a little to the cost, because trades return to the house more than once — but for many households it is cheaper than several months of rent.
The decision is worth making early. Phasing changes the sequence of work and needs to be designed into the programme, not bolted on in week three.
What is worth spending on and what is not
Spend on the things that are expensive to revisit. Insulation, wiring, plumbing, windows and anything structural are all buried behind finishes, and going back to them later means undoing work you have paid for.
Be more relaxed about the things that are easy to change. Kitchen doors, tiles, paint, light fittings and flooring can all be upgraded in five years without touching the fabric of the house. If the budget is tight, these are the right place to economise — not the wiring.
The exception is anything that affects daily use in a way you will notice constantly: the position of sockets, the layout of the kitchen, where the light switches are. Those cost almost nothing to get right at first fix and are irritating forever if they are wrong.
How long a renovation takes
Eight to twenty weeks for a standard renovation of a three-bedroom house. Full strip-back renovations run to thirty weeks and period restorations longer, particularly where heritage consent or specialist trades are involved.
Add four to eight weeks beforehand for survey, drawings, structural calculations and any Building Regulations or planning submissions. A renovation that starts on site without that groundwork done is a renovation that will stop halfway through waiting for it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a full house renovation cost in the West Midlands?
Between £80,000 and £250,000 in 2026, or roughly £1,000 to £2,000 per square metre. A standard renovation of a three-bedroom house with a rewire, replumb, replaster and new kitchen and bathrooms typically costs £65,000 to £120,000. Full strip-back renovations run £120,000 to £200,000.
In what order should renovation work be done?
Strip out, structural work, first fix plumbing and electrics, plastering, second fix, then decoration and flooring. Getting the sequence wrong means paying twice — chasing new plaster for cable, or lifting a finished floor for pipework that should have gone in earlier.
Can I live in the house during a renovation?
It is difficult during a full renovation, as there will be periods with no heating, kitchen or bathroom, and plaster dust travels throughout. Phasing the work — renovating upstairs first, then moving up while the ground floor is done — adds about fifteen to twenty per cent to the programme but avoids paying rent elsewhere.
Why do renovation quotes vary so much?
Because a renovation is priced against unknowns behind the plaster. Common hidden costs in West Midlands housing include obsolete wiring, lead or steel pipework, timber decay under bathroom floors, unsupported chimney breast removals and failed damp-proof courses. A builder who opens up sample areas before quoting gives a higher but more accurate figure.
What should I prioritise if the budget is tight?
Spend on anything buried behind finishes — insulation, wiring, plumbing, windows and structural work — because revisiting those means undoing work you have paid for. Economise on kitchen doors, tiles, paint and flooring, which can be upgraded later without touching the fabric of the house.