Cost per square metre is the most useful single figure for early-stage renovation budgeting. It lets you quickly test whether a project is financially viable before committing to architectural fees, surveys, or detailed specification. It is not a substitute for a formal tender — but it is a reliable sense-check.
The figures below are based on 2026 UK market rates including materials and labour, but excluding VAT (which is currently 20% on most renovation work — a significant addition for budget planning), professional fees, and structural engineer costs.
What Affects Cost Per m²
Before looking at the figures, it is worth understanding what drives variation. A £1,200/m² kitchen renovation and a £1,200/m² full whole-house refurbishment are very different propositions — the kitchen includes expensive fittings concentrated in a small area; the whole-house rate covers much more floor area but with lower fitting density.
Key variables:
Finish level — the single largest driver. A budget bathroom at £4,500 in a 5m² space is £900/m²; the same space with floor-to-ceiling stone tiles, freestanding bath, and designer sanitaryware can reach £6,000–£9,000 (£1,200–£1,800/m²).
Extent of strip-out — a light cosmetic refurbishment (painting, new kitchen doors, new flooring) costs a fraction of a full gut-out to structure.
Services condition — if the electrical and plumbing installation needs full replacement, expect an additional £45–£75/m² of floor area for a whole-house rewire and replumb.
Structural complexity — removing load-bearing walls, adding RSJ steel beams, or underpinning adds £3,000–£15,000 per structural alteration, which is then spread across the floor area in the per-m² calculation.
Regional location — London rates typically run 20–35% above the South East, and 35–55% above the Midlands and North of England.
Renovation Cost Per m² by Finish Level
The table below uses gross internal floor area (GIFA) — the total floor area of all floors within the external walls, measured to the internal face.
| Finish Level | What Is Included | £/m² (GIFA) South East excl. London | £/m² (GIFA) London |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic / light refurbishment | Decoration, new flooring, new kitchen doors/worktops, bathroom re-seal. No structural work, no rewiring. | £650–£900 | £800–£1,150 |
| Standard refurbishment | Full redecoration, new flooring throughout, complete bathroom(s), complete kitchen (mid-range), partial rewire and replumb. | £950–£1,350 | £1,200–£1,700 |
| Full renovation (budget/mid spec) | Complete gut-out, full rewire and replumb, new boiler, full plastering, new kitchen and bathroom(s), new windows, flooring throughout. | £1,100–£1,600 | £1,400–£2,000 |
| Full renovation (mid/high spec) | As above with higher-specification finishes: stone worktops, tiled bathrooms, engineered timber floors, underfloor heating, bespoke joinery. | £1,500–£2,200 | £1,900–£2,800 |
| High specification | Bespoke kitchen, marble or large-format stone throughout, designer sanitary ware, smart home systems, significant architectural alteration. | £2,000–£3,000+ | £2,500–£4,000+ |
What These Figures Include and Exclude
Included in the £/m² rates above
- All labour (via main contractor or self-managed trades)
- Materials for the specified finish level
- Sanitary ware (bathrooms), fitted furniture (kitchen), and appliances at the stated specification level
- Floor finishes throughout
- Internal decoration (paint, minor plaster repairs)
- New internal doors and ironmongery at standard specification
Excluded (add separately)
| Item | Typical Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VAT | +20% on most works | Some listed building works are zero-rated |
| Architectural fees | £3,000–£15,000 | Higher for complex projects with planning |
| Structural engineer fees | £800–£3,500 | Per structural element; more for complex schemes |
| Party wall surveyor | £700–£2,500 | Where the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies |
| Building Regulations fees | £400–£1,500 | Depends on scope; full plans vs building notice |
| Planning application fees | £258 (householder) | £528 for larger works from April 2025 |
| New windows and external doors | £1,200–£4,500/window | Excluded from most refurb rates; highly variable |
| Roof repairs or re-roofing | £4,000–£18,000 | Highly dependent on size and material |
| External landscaping | £3,000–£20,000+ | Not included in floor area calculation |
| Contingency | 15–20% of construction cost | Higher for period properties and structural unknowns |
Structural Uplifts
Structural alterations are typically costed as discrete items rather than folded into a per-m² rate, because they do not scale with floor area in the same way:
| Structural Item | Typical Cost Range (2026) |
|---|---|
| Remove non-load-bearing stud wall | £300–£600 |
| Remove load-bearing wall, install RSJ up to 3m span | £2,500–£4,500 |
| Remove load-bearing wall, install RSJ 3–6m span | £4,000–£8,500 |
| Knock through chimney breast (ground floor) | £1,200–£2,500 |
| New opening in solid brick external wall | £1,500–£4,000 |
| Underpin single bay (1.2m) | £3,000–£6,500 |
These are before structural engineer fees and Building Control fees, which are additional.
Regional Multipliers
Using South East (excluding London) as a baseline of 1.0:
| Region | Approximate Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Inner London | 1.30–1.45 |
| Outer London | 1.15–1.30 |
| South East | 1.00 |
| South West | 0.90–1.00 |
| East of England | 0.90–1.00 |
| East Midlands | 0.80–0.90 |
| West Midlands | 0.80–0.90 |
| Yorkshire / Humber | 0.75–0.85 |
| North West | 0.78–0.88 |
| North East | 0.72–0.82 |
These are indicative. Labour rates in major regional cities (Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds) typically sit at the upper end of their regional range.
Worked Example: Three-Bedroom Victorian Terrace, South East
Property: 1890s terrace, 105m² GIFA over two storeys plus cellar (cellar excluded from GIFA for this calculation)
Scope: Full gut renovation including structural opening to create open-plan kitchen-diner, full rewire, replumb, new boiler, new kitchen, two bathrooms, engineered wood floors throughout, new windows, plastering, and decoration. Mid to high specification.
| Element | Cost |
|---|---|
| Construction cost (105m² at £1,750/m²) | £183,750 |
| Structural alteration (steel beam, opening) | £5,500 |
| New windows x 8 | £20,000 |
| Roof repairs | £6,500 |
| VAT at 20% | £43,150 |
| Architectural fees | £9,000 |
| Structural engineer | £2,500 |
| Building Control | £1,200 |
| Contingency (15%) | £27,562 |
| Total | £299,162 |
This is not an unusual budget for a full renovation of a Victorian terrace in the South East at above-average specification. The per-m² rate of £1,750/m² on the construction cost alone is reasonable for mid-to-high spec; the real total per m² including all fees and contingency is approximately £2,850/m².
Using £/m² Figures Sensibly
Per-m² figures are most useful for:
- Quickly testing whether a project has a realistic budget before incurring professional fees
- Comparing the rough cost of different scope options (e.g. extension vs loft conversion)
- Setting a contingency level (period properties: 15–20%; modern stock: 10–15%)
They should not be used to:
- Accept or reject a contractor’s tender (always get itemised quotes)
- Set a fixed budget for a contract without allowing for contingency
- Compare against costs from five or more years ago without inflation adjustment (construction inflation has run at 7–12% per annum in 2022–2024, moderating to 3–5% in 2025–2026)
The most reliable approach is to use per-m² figures for initial viability testing, commission a detailed specification once the project is confirmed viable, and obtain a minimum of three competitive tenders on that specification before committing to a contract.
