Data study
London Home Renovation Cost Guide 2026
What a bathroom, kitchen, loft conversion, extension or full renovation costs in London in 2026, and what a plumber, electrician or gas engineer charges by the hour, in the evening and at the weekend.
Published By Plumbery editorial team Data date 11 October 2026
By Plumbery editorial team 
Figures are Plumbery’s 2026 guide prices from our published rates and calculator, not a survey. Each project figure is what our online cost calculator returns for the example described, using the rates live on plumbery.uk on 11 October 2026. Hourly rates come from our published price list. Project prices include VAT at 20%. Hourly rates and rates per m² exclude VAT. Your own price depends on your home, so treat these as guide figures, not quotes.
Headline findings
Seven things the 2026 figures show
- Sunday call-outs cost 15–19% more for the first hour. Our Sunday first-hour rate is £95 + VAT for a plumber against £80 + VAT on a weekday (+19%), £93 against £79 for an electrician (+18%) and £98 against £85 for a gas or boiler engineer (+15%).
- A two-hour plumbing job costs £31 more on a Sunday. The first hour plus two half hours comes to £164 + VAT on a weekday daytime and £195 + VAT on a Sunday (+19%). For gas and boiler work it is £169 against £202 (+20%), before VAT.
- Evenings cost less extra than Sundays. A weekday call-out between 6pm and 10pm adds 4–8% to the first hour: £88 against £85 for gas, £85 against £80 for plumbing and £85 against £79 for electrical work (all + VAT).
- Finish level can double a kitchen. The same 14-unit kitchen costs about £18,300 with standard units, a laminate worktop and standard appliances, £24,900 mid-range and £38,600 with premium units, a quartz worktop and premium appliances (all including VAT).
- A premium finish adds about half to a bathroom. The same 5 m² bathroom comes to about £10,700 at standard finish, £12,700 mid-range and £16,300 premium, including VAT (+52% from standard to premium).
- The loft type changes the bill by up to 59%. A 30 m² loft with a bedroom and en-suite comes to about £70,200 as a rooflight (Velux) conversion, £85,300 as a rear dormer, £96,700 as a hip-to-gable and £111,800 as a mansard, including VAT.
- On a rear extension, the building shell is about 70% of the bill. In our 24 m² single-storey rear extension example (£98,900 including VAT), the building work per m² is 71% of the total; the rest is the steel beam for the knock-through, bifold doors, rooflights, electrics, site costs and £6,500 + VAT of drawings, structural engineer and building control.
Smaller facts
- Moving a toilet or soil pipe in a bathroom refit adds about £2,160 including VAT.
- Knocking through a load-bearing wall with a steel beam: £4,800 + VAT (£5,760 including VAT).
- A party wall award costs about £1,250 + VAT per neighbour in our rate table.
Table 1
Project costs in London, 2026 (including VAT)
All figures include VAT at 20%. Guide prices are rounded to the nearest £100; ranges are shown as the calculator displays them (about 88% to 115% of the calculated total) to allow for the home itself.
| Project and example priced | Guide price inc VAT | Range inc VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom, small4 m², standard finish, bath with shower over, close-coupled WC, half-height tiling | £9,200 | £8,200 – £10,600 |
| Bathroom, medium5 m², mid-range finish, full-height tiling, bath with shower over, vanity basin | £12,700 | £11,200 – £14,600 |
| Bathroom, large8 m², premium finish, freestanding bath and separate walk-in shower, concealed mixer, wall-hung WC, 2 basins, underfloor heating | £27,600 | £24,200 – £31,700 |
| Kitchen, small8 standard units, laminate worktop, standard oven, hob, hood and dishwasher, new floor | £13,200 | £11,500 – £15,100 |
| Kitchen, medium14 mid-range units, solid wood worktop, mid-range appliances, new floor and splashback | £24,900 | £21,800 – £28,600 |
| Kitchen, large20 premium units, quartz worktop, premium appliances, full rewire and re-plumb, island services, boiling-water tap | £56,800 | £50,000 – £65,400 |
| Loft, rooflight (Velux)30 m², bedroom and en-suite, new stairs, 2 roof windows, drawings and building control | £70,200 | £62,000 – £81,000 |
| Loft, rear dormerAs above | £85,300 | £75,000 – £98,500 |
| Loft, hip-to-gableAs above | £96,700 | £85,000 – £111,000 |
| Loft, mansardAs above | £111,800 | £98,500 – £128,500 |
| Extension, single-storey rear6 × 4 m (24 m²), 3 m bifolds, 2 rooflights, knock-through with steel beam, fees | £98,900 | £87,000 – £114,000 |
| Extension, side return8 × 2.5 m (20 m²), same fittings | £96,600 | £85,000 – £111,000 |
| Extension, double-storey6 × 4 m footprint (48 m² of new floor), same fittings | £160,900 | £141,500 – £185,000 |
| Home, cosmetic refresh90 m² 3-bed: decorating, new flooring, re-skim, 8 internal doors | £21,500 | £19,000 – £24,700 |
| Home, full renovation90 m² 3-bed: as above plus full rewire, re-plumb, new combi boiler, 7 radiators, new kitchen and bathroom | £84,300 | £74,500 – £97,000 |
Kitchen and bathroom examples include fitting, materials, sanitaryware and appliances. Extension and loft examples exclude a new kitchen or furniture, planning fees and party wall costs unless listed.
Table 2
Lowest packages we advertise (“from” prices, including VAT)
Our service pages also show the smallest package we offer. These are the floor, not the typical job.
| Package | From, inc VAT |
|---|---|
| Bathroom refitSame layout, white 3-piece suite, standard tiling | £3,850 |
| Kitchen, supplied and fitted6–8 budget units, laminate worktop, single oven, hob and extractor | £6,000 |
| Kitchen, fitting onlyCustomer buys the kitchen, 6–8 units | £2,000 |
| Loft, VeluxNo change to the roof shape | £18,000 |
| Loft, rear dormerVelux package plus a flat-roof rear dormer | £36,000 |
| Single-storey extensionSimple flat-roof rear extension (15 m² from about £28,500) | £1,900 per m² |
| Home refurbishment, lightCosmetic, no walls or services moved | £750 per m² |
| Home refurbishment, fullStrip to bare walls, rewire, new plumbing and heating | £1,900 per m² |
| Combi boiler swapLike-for-like, same position | £1,750 |
Table 3
Build rates per square metre (excluding VAT)
From our calculator rate table, mid-range finish, structure and internal finish only.
| Work | Rate per m², ex VAT |
|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | £2,450 |
| Side return extension | £2,850 |
| Wrap-around extension | £2,650 |
| Double-storey extension (per m² of new floor) | £2,250 |
| Loft conversion, rooflight (Velux) | £1,200 |
| Loft conversion, rear dormer | £1,600 |
| Loft conversion, hip-to-gable with dormer | £1,900 |
| Loft conversion, mansard | £2,300 |
Standard finish on an extension is priced at 90% of these rates and premium at 125%.
Table 4
Hourly trade rates by day and time (excluding VAT)
London, inside the M25, as published on our price list. All hourly rates exclude VAT; VAT at 20% is added to the invoice.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Trade | Mon–Fri 8am–6pm | Mon–Fri 6pm–10pm | Saturday 8am–6pm | Sunday 8am–6pm | Daily rate (Mon–Fri) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber — first hour | £80 + VAT | £85 + VAT | £85 + VAT | £95 + VAT | £489 + VAT |
| Plumber — each further half hour | £42 + VAT | £45 + VAT | £48 + VAT | £50 + VAT | — |
| Electrician — first hour | £79 + VAT | £85 + VAT | £85 + VAT | £93 + VAT | £490 + VAT |
| Electrician — each further half hour | £45 + VAT | £47 + VAT | £47 + VAT | £47 + VAT | — |
| Gas & boiler engineer — first hour | £85 + VAT | £88 + VAT | £88 + VAT | £98 + VAT | £495 + VAT |
| Gas & boiler engineer — each further half hour | £42 + VAT | £45 + VAT | £50 + VAT | £52 + VAT | — |
| Air conditioning engineer — first hour | £85 + VAT | £88 + VAT | £88 + VAT | £98 + VAT | £495 + VAT |
| Air conditioning engineer — each further half hour | £42 + VAT | £45 + VAT | £50 + VAT | £52 + VAT | — |
Evening and weekend premium on a typical two-hour job
First hour plus two half hours, excluding VAT.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Trade | Weekday day | Weekday evening | Saturday | Sunday | Sunday premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber | £164 + VAT | £175 + VAT | £181 + VAT | £195 + VAT | +19% |
| Electrician | £169 + VAT | £179 + VAT | £179 + VAT | £187 + VAT | +11% |
| Gas & boiler | £169 + VAT | £178 + VAT | £188 + VAT | £202 + VAT | +20% |
| Air conditioning | £169 + VAT | £178 + VAT | £188 + VAT | £202 + VAT | +20% |
Materials are charged on top at cost, and time spent buying them is charged at £48 per hour + VAT.
Methodology
How the figures were produced
- Source. Every project figure is the output of the Plumbery cost calculator (the same one that runs on our refurbishment cost calculator page) with the rates live on the site on 11 October 2026. The rates are Plumbery’s own London (inside the M25) supply-and-fit guide prices, set in September and October 2026. They are not a survey of homeowners or of other firms, and not an average of jobs we have done.
- Examples. We chose the example sizes and specifications above; the calculator multiplies them by the rates (for example tiled area × tiling rate per m², number of units × unit rate). Medium bathroom, medium kitchen, dormer loft, rear extension and cosmetic home refresh are the calculator’s own default settings. Loft examples all use the same 30 m² and room layout so only the loft type changes.
- VAT. Project prices and “from” packages include VAT at 20%. Hourly rates, two-hour job totals and rates per m² are shown before VAT.
- Range. The calculator shows 88% to 115% of the calculated total to allow for access, condition and choices made on site.
- Hourly rates are copied from our published price list; percentages compare each slot with the Monday to Friday daytime rate. The two-hour job is the first hour plus two half hours.
- Not included unless listed: planning application fees, party wall surveyors, structural surprises (for example piling or asbestos), furniture and decoration choices beyond the specification.
- Reproducible. Anyone can enter the same example into the calculators below and get the same figure.
For journalists
How to cite and embed
Please credit “Source: Plumbery London Home Renovation Cost Guide 2026” and link to plumbery.uk/newsroom/london-renovation-costs-2026/ when you use the figures.
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