UK Home Improvement and Renovation Costs 2026
What home improvements and renovations really cost across the UK in 2026, from Costwise's independent price guides for 150 of the most-searched jobs. The average whole-project cost is about £6,143, and a full three-bed renovation runs to roughly £35,650. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite this report with a link to https://costwiseuk.co.uk.
Data story, July 2026: the London premium, mapped job by job
The biggest price lever in UK home improvement is not the spec or the tradesperson. It is the postcode. The same job runs about 30% above the UK average in London and about 41% above the North, Scotland and Wales. In cash terms, a typical granny annexe costs around £78,000 in London against £55,000 in the North: a £23,000 gap on a single job.
| Job (typical price) | London | North / Scotland / Wales | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granny annexe | £78,000 | £55,000 | £23,000 |
| Basement conversion | £65,000 | £46,000 | £19,000 |
| Loft conversion | £58,500 | £41,500 | £17,000 |
| Swimming pool | £58,500 | £41,500 | £17,000 |
| Orangery | £32,500 | £23,000 | £9,500 |
| Home lift | £23,500 | £16,500 | £7,000 |
| Garden room | £21,000 | £14,500 | £6,500 |
| Underpinning | £19,500 | £14,000 | £5,500 |
Across a full three-bed refresh (kitchen, bathroom, rewire, boiler, windows and driveway) the postcode gap alone is about £13,500: roughly £46,500 in London against £33,000 in the North, Scotland and Wales. Figures are Costwise guide prices, reviewed June 2026, scaled with the same regional multipliers used across our guides and calculator. Free to cite with a link to https://costwiseuk.co.uk.
Key cost statistics for 2026
- Across the 83 whole-project jobs Costwise tracks, the average typical UK cost is about £6,143 (2026), from around £60 for a epc certificate to about £60,000 for a granny annexe.
- According to Costwise, reviewed June 2026, the most expensive UK home improvement is a granny annexe, at about £60,000.
- Costwise data (2026) puts the cost of fully renovating a typical UK three-bed home at about £35,650 before decorating.
- Costwise figures (2026) show London homeowners pay about 30% more than the UK average for the same jobs, and about 41% more than the cheapest regions.
- A new UK extension costs about £2,000 to £3,200 per square metre before the fit-out inside (Costwise, reviewed June 2026).
- A new UK driveway costs about £35 to £130 per square metre depending on the surface (Costwise, reviewed June 2026).
- Costwise analysis (July 2026) puts the London-versus-North gap on a typical granny annexe at about £23,000: £78,000 in London against £55,000 in the North, Scotland and Wales.
See the full, categorised set on the UK home improvement cost statistics page, all free to cite.
Key findings for 2026
- The most expensive whole project is a granny annexe, typically £60,000 supplied and fitted.
- The cheapest whole-project job in the index is a epc certificate, around £60.
- A new driveway runs from about £35 to £130 per m² depending on the surface, with gravel and tarmac at the low end and block paving or imprinted concrete at the top.
- An extension is priced by floor area at roughly £2,000 to £3,200 per m², before the kitchen or bathroom fit-out inside.
- Location matters: London homeowners pay around 30% more than the UK average, and about 41% more than the cheapest regions (the North, Scotland and Wales).
- Fully refreshing a typical three-bed home, a new kitchen, bathroom, rewire, boiler, windows and driveway, comes to about £35,650 before decorating.
The cost of renovating a whole home
A realistic 2026 bill for a typical three-bed, using our guide prices:
| New kitchen | £12,000 |
| Bathroom renovation | £8,000 |
| Full house rewire | £5,500 |
| New boiler | £3,000 |
| Double glazing, 9 windows | £4,950 |
| Resin driveway, 40 m² | £2,200 |
| Total, before decorating | £35,650 |
A guide total, not a quote. It assumes nine windows and a 40 m² driveway, and excludes decorating, flooring and structural work. Change the figures for your own home in the cost calculator.
What you pay by region
Materials cost much the same everywhere, but labour does not. Against the UK average, London adds around 30% and the South East and South West around 15%, while the North, Scotland and Wales sit a little below average. The same job can therefore vary by 41% or more depending on the postcode.
Cost per square metre
- Driveways: £35 to £130 per m², with gravel and tarmac cheapest and block paving or imprinted concrete dearest.
- Extensions: £2,000 to £3,200 per m², before the fit-out inside.
Common questions
What is the average cost of home improvements in the UK?
It depends on the job, but across the 83 whole-project jobs Costwise tracks the typical UK cost averages about £6,143 (reviewed June 2026), ranging from around £60 for a epc certificate to about £60,000 for a granny annexe. Jobs priced by area, such as a driveway or extension, are quoted per square metre instead.
How much does it cost to renovate a house in the UK?
Fully refreshing a typical three-bed home, with a new kitchen, bathroom, rewire, boiler, windows and driveway, comes to about £35,650 before decorating on Costwise guide prices for 2026. The real figure moves with the size of the house, the specification you choose and your region: London runs about 30% above the UK average.
What is the most expensive home improvement?
Of the jobs Costwise tracks, a granny annexe is the most expensive whole project at about £60,000 typically, supplied and fitted. Major structural work, such as a basement conversion or a large extension, can run higher again depending on scope.
How much more do home improvements cost in London?
About 30% more than the UK average, and roughly 41% more than the cheapest regions (the North, Scotland and Wales), because labour rates vary by region while materials cost much the same everywhere. On a full three-bed refresh that postcode gap alone is about £13,500.
Why do home improvement costs vary so much?
Because a single job name hides a wide range of specs. Costwise found 19 of the 150 jobs it tracks have a top price at least ten times their lowest. Size, materials, finish, access and region all move the number, which is why it pays to price your exact job and get three quotes.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing. These are independent Costwise guide prices, reviewed June 2026. Free to cite with a link to https://costwiseuk.co.uk. For the full job-by-job figures, see the cost index. Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943.