UK home improvement cost statistics 2026
Across the 85 whole-project jobs among 158 of the most-searched in 2026, the typical cost on Costwise's guides averages about £6,005, a simple average of the guides rather than what households spend. Refreshing a three-bed house (kitchen, bathroom, rewire, boiler, windows and a driveway) comes to about £35,650. London homeowners pay around 24% more than the cheapest regions, and the widest job spans 33× from its cheapest version to its dearest, which is why the numbers below are ranges, not single figures. Free to cite with a credit and a link.
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These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research under a CC BY 4.0 licence. All we ask is a credit to Costwise, and online a link. Where your style allows, please make "Costwise" the linked word so readers can check the figure for their own region.
Source: Costwise (costwiseuk.co.uk)Costwise (2026). UK home improvement cost statistics 2026. Costwise UK cost data, version 2026-10-12. https://costwiseuk.co.uk/statistics/2026-10-12 (158 jobs)Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943 · also on Kaggle, Hugging Face and Figshare. Method: how we price. Downloadable CSV.
Headline UK home improvement statistics 2026
The aggregate figures, each computed live from every Costwise guide, dated and free to cite:
- Across the 85 whole-project jobs Costwise tracks, the average typical UK cost is about £6,005 in 2026, from around £60 for an EPC certificate to about £60,000 for a granny annexe.
- The most expensive common UK home improvement is a granny annexe, typically about £60,000 (Costwise, 2026).
- Fully refreshing a typical three-bed home, a new kitchen, bathroom, rewire, boiler, windows and driveway, comes to about £35,650 before decorating (Costwise, 2026).
- London homeowners pay about 20% more than the UK average for the same job, and about 24% more than the cheapest regions, the North, Scotland and Wales (Costwise, 2026).
- Prices under one job name vary enormously, because the name hides the size and specification: 21 of the 158 jobs Costwise tracks have a top price at least ten times their lowest, and 67 at least five times (2026).
- A UK home extension is priced by floor area at about £2,000 to £3,200 per m² before the fit-out inside, and a new driveway about £35 to £130 per m² depending on the surface (Costwise, 2026).
Building & renovation cost statistics
Costwise tracks 58 building & renovation jobs in 2026. Among the whole-project ones the typical cost averages about £11,374, from around £750 for loft boarding to about £60,000 for a granny annexe. The most-cited figures:
- A granny annexe costs about £60,000 in the UK (£30,000 to £150,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Basement conversion costs about £50,000 in the UK (£10,000 to £150,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A loft conversion costs about £45,000 in the UK (£22,000 to £75,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- An orangery costs about £25,000 in the UK (£15,000 to £60,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A home lift costs about £18,000 in the UK (£12,000 to £35,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A garden room costs about £16,000 in the UK (£8,000 to £30,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Underpinning costs about £15,000 in the UK (£5,000 to £60,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
Browse all building & renovation guides · full price table
Kitchens, bathrooms & interiors cost statistics
Costwise tracks 42 kitchens, bathrooms & interiors jobs in 2026. Among the whole-project ones the typical cost averages about £2,590, from around £100 for a uPVC door repair to about £12,000 for a new kitchen. The most-cited figures:
- A new kitchen costs about £12,000 in the UK (£5,000 to £40,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A wet room costs about £9,000 in the UK (£5,000 to £16,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A bathroom renovation costs about £8,000 in the UK (£4,000 to £16,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Bifold doors cost about £4,000 in the UK (£2,000 to £9,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A media wall costs about £3,500 in the UK (£1,500 to £8,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Fitted wardrobes cost about £2,800 in the UK (£1,200 to £8,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A new staircase costs about £2,500 in the UK (£1,000 to £9,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
Browse all kitchens, bathrooms & interiors guides · full price table
Heating & energy cost statistics
Costwise tracks 28 heating & energy jobs in 2026. Among the whole-project ones the typical cost averages about £2,570, from around £60 for an EPC certificate to about £13,000 for an air source heat pump. The most-cited figures:
- An air source heat pump costs about £13,000 in the UK (£7,000 to £20,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Solar battery storage costs about £8,000 in the UK (£4,000 to £11,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Solar panels cost about £7,000 in the UK (£5,000 to £12,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A house rewire costs about £5,500 in the UK (£2,800 to £9,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- An oil boiler installation costs about £3,500 in the UK (£2,600 to £6,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A new boiler costs about £3,000 in the UK (£1,800 to £4,800), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A log burner installation costs about £2,800 in the UK (£1,500 to £5,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
Browse all heating & energy guides · full price table
Driveways, gardens & outdoors cost statistics
Costwise tracks 30 driveways, gardens & outdoors jobs in 2026. Among the whole-project ones the typical cost averages about £6,180, from around £120 for hedge cutting to about £45,000 for a swimming pool installation. The most-cited figures:
- A swimming pool installation costs about £45,000 in the UK (£3,000 to £100,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Electric gates cost about £5,000 in the UK (£3,000 to £10,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A pergola costs about £3,500 in the UK (£900 to £12,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Japanese knotweed removal costs about £3,000 in the UK (£1,000 to £15,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- A summer house costs about £2,500 in the UK (£900 to £8,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Dropped kerb costs about £2,000 in the UK (£1,000 to £5,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
- Tree removal costs about £800 per tree in the UK (£150 to £3,000), on Costwise guide prices for 2026.
Browse all driveways, gardens & outdoors guides · full price table
Where these numbers come from
Every figure is Costwise's own guide price, built from real UK job pricing across 158 of the most-searched home-improvement jobs, reviewed June to October 2026 and only changed when the numbers actually move. We never invent statistics. Regional figures use the same multipliers as our guides and calculator, so any number a reader checks matches a published page. For the full job-by-job table see the cost index; for the narrative see the 2026 cost report; for how much prices swing see the quote-variation study; and for the city-by-city picture see the cost map.
Common questions
How much do UK homeowners spend on home improvements?
It depends entirely on the job. Across the 85 whole-project jobs Costwise tracks, the typical cost averages about £6,005 in 2026, ranging from around £60 for an EPC certificate to about £60,000 for a granny annexe. Fully refreshing a three-bed home, a kitchen, bathroom, rewire, boiler, windows and driveway, comes to roughly £35,650 before decorating.
What are the most and least expensive home improvements in the UK?
Of the whole-project jobs Costwise tracks, a granny annexe is the most expensive at about £60,000 typically, and an EPC certificate the least at around £60 (reviewed June to October 2026). Jobs priced by area, such as extensions and driveways, are quoted per square metre instead.
How much do UK home improvement prices vary?
A lot, because a single job name hides a wide range of specs. Costwise found 21 of the 158 jobs it tracks have a top price at least ten times their lowest, with painting and decorating the widest at £150 to £5,000. Region matters too: London runs about 20% above the UK average. This is why every figure here is a range, and why it pays to get three quotes.
Can I cite these UK home improvement statistics?
Yes. Every figure on this page is Costwise's own, computed from 158 independent 2026 cost guides, dated and free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 licence. Please credit Costwise with a link, and cite the dataset DOI (10.5281/zenodo.21159943) for the underlying data. Use the "Cite this data" box above for a ready-made credit line.
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 to October 2026. Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to https://costwiseuk.co.uk. Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943.