What to expect when refurbishing a private home
Refurbishing a home is one of the bigger commitments most people will make, and it's one most people will only do once or twice in a lifetime. So it's not surprising that almost every conversation we have with new private clients starts with the same question, in some form: what should I actually expect from this?
Here's what we usually tell them.
Start with the brief, not the builder
The single most useful thing you can do before contacting a contractor is spend time on the brief. What are you trying to achieve? More space? More light? Better thermal performance? A reconfiguration of how the family uses the ground floor? Extra room for a growing family or an ageing parent? A clearly stated set of priorities helps every conversation that follows, including ours.
That's not the same as having a finished design. Most clients we work with come to us with an architect already engaged, but plenty come earlier, and we're happy to help shape the brief alongside the design team. Either route works.
Permissions and consents
For most private home refurbishments in our region, you'll be looking at one or more of the following:
Planning permission, required for most extensions and external alterations, with a determination usually around two to three months from valid submission.
Building regulations approval, which sits separately from planning and covers the technical performance of the works.
Listed building consent, if your property is listed (we cover this in more detail in our heritage post).
Party wall agreements, where works affect a shared wall with a neighbour.
Conservation area consent or Article 4 considerations, depending on where you live.
The Cotswolds and the conservation areas of Cheltenham, Malvern and the wider Three Counties tend to involve more of the above than the regional average. None of it is a barrier, but all of it takes time, and the earlier in the process the consents are sorted, the smoother everything else goes.
The shape of the buil d
Most home refurbishments break down into broadly the same stages:
Strip-out and enabling works, which sets the scene for everything that follows.
Structural works, including any underpinning, steels, openings or extensions.
First fix, when the building is weathertight and the trades come in to install electrics, plumbing and heating in the structure.
Plastering and finishes, the longest single phase on most jobs.
Second fix, when the kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, sanitaryware and lighting go in.
Snagging and handover, the final adjustments and the walkthrough.
How long the whole programme takes varies enormously depending on scope. A large kitchen reconfiguration might run 8 to 12 weeks. A whole-house refurbishment, particularly on a heritage property, can run 6 to 12 months or longer.
Budgeting honestly
The single biggest cause of stress on a refurbishment is the budget conversation, and the single biggest reason that conversation goes wrong is contingency.
A well-run refurbishment should always carry a contingency, typically around 10% of the build cost on a straightforward job and 15% to 20% on heritage or listed property where surprises are more likely. That isn't there because the contractor is hedging. It's there because every existing building has things behind the plaster and under the floors that nobody has seen for decades. Some of them need attention. Building that into the budget at the start is far better than discovering it later.
Our quotes are detailed because we want clients to see exactly what they're paying for, and what's been excluded. If something is uncertain at quote stage, we say so.
Living through it (or not)
Most clients ask whether they need to move out. The honest answer depends on the scope. For a single-storey kitchen extension and a few internal alterations, you can usually stay in place if you're prepared for some inconvenience. For a whole-house refurbishment, decanting almost always works out better for everyone.
We talk this through openly with every private client at the start. Our recent project at Avenue Road in Malvern is a good example of a substantial refurbishment that benefitted from a clear plan around occupation, programme and decision-making.
Choosing a builder
A few questions worth asking any contractor you're considering:
Are they accredited (SafeContractor, CHAS, FMB, Constructionline)?
Can they show you completed projects of a similar type?
How are variations and changes handled in their contract?
Who's your day-to-day point of contact, and will that person be on site or in an office?
What does their snagging and aftercare process look like?
We're happy to walk any prospective client through all of those, in detail.
If you're thinking about a refurbishment in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds or the wider region, we'd be pleased to talk. Earlier conversations are always better than later ones.
office@midlandsbm.co.uk 01684 423211
Build with confidence,
The MBM team
