Full House Refurbishment Hammersmith & Fulham: Costs, Scope and Vetted Contractors
Cosmetic, medium and full gut refurbishments of houses and mansion flats across Hammersmith, Fulham, Shepherd’s Bush and Barons Court. Costs from £30,000, planning rules explained, and up to 3 matched quotes from vetted local contractors. Free, with no cold calls.
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Every year, houses come up for sale in Hammersmith and Fulham that haven’t been touched for decades: original wiring, a tired kitchen at the back, a bathroom in the outrigger and a garden nobody has used in years. For the right buyer, that’s an opportunity to make a period home their own.
Others are refurbishing a home they already love: replacing old services, opening up the ground floor and bringing every room up to the same standard. And in Barons Court, West Kensington and parts of Fulham, many refurbishments are of mansion flats, where the freeholder and the building’s rules shape the job as much as the design.
A full refurbishment is the most complex renovation most people take on. It involves more trades, more decisions and more management than any other project, so choosing the right scope and the right contractor matters more than anything else.
This guide covers full house refurbishment costs in Hammersmith and Fulham, choosing the right scope, buying to renovate, mansion flats, planning, basements and flood risk, what to expect in period homes, timings and how to find a vetted contractor.
Full house refurbishment costs in Hammersmith and Fulham
Full house refurbishment costs in Hammersmith and Fulham range from around £30,000 for a cosmetic refresh of a 2-bedroom house to £280,000 or more for a full gut refurbishment of a large period house. The scope of work and the size of the house drive the cost, followed by any structural work, such as a knock-through, extension, loft or basement.
The borough sits above the London average for building costs. Parsons Green, Hurlingham and Brook Green, where clients often want a very high specification throughout, typically run another 10-20% above these figures. Shepherd’s Bush and White City (W12) are closer to the London average.
| Scope | 2-bed terrace | 3-bed terrace | 4-bed terrace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refurbishment | £30,000-£55,000 | £40,000-£80,000 | £60,000-£100,000 |
| Medium refurbishment | £60,000-£100,000 | £85,000-£135,000 | £110,000-£170,000 |
| Full gut refurbishment | £100,000-£160,000 | £135,000-£200,000 | £175,000-£280,000+ |
Extensions, loft conversions and basements are priced separately. Professional fees for an architect or designer, structural engineer, Party Wall surveyors and Building Regulations typically add £6,000-£18,000, depending on the scope.
Choosing the right level of refurbishment
Cosmetic refurbishment (£30,000-£100,000 depending on size)
Decoration, flooring, joinery repairs and a refresh of the kitchen and bathroom. The wiring, plumbing and heating stay as they are. It suits a house whose services are in good condition, or one being prepared for sale or letting.
Medium refurbishment (£60,000-£170,000 depending on size)
A new kitchen and bathroom, a new boiler and radiators, a new consumer unit and upgraded circuits, and replastering or re-skimming of the main rooms. It often includes a knockthrough between the kitchen and dining room. It’s the most common scope for owner-occupiers across the borough.
Full gut refurbishment (£100,000-£280,000+ depending on size)
The house is stripped back to its structure. Walls go back to brick, floors are lifted, and the wiring, plumbing, drainage and heating are all replaced. It usually includes a new kitchen and bathrooms, and often an extension or loft conversion. It’s the right approach for a house that’s been unmodernised for decades.
Listed Buildings
The borough has around 500 listed structures. If your home is listed, you need Listed Building Consent for most work that affects its character, including internal changes, replacing windows and many finishes. Check the National Heritage List for England and speak to the council’s planning team before appointing a contractor.
Buying to renovate in Hammersmith and Fulham
Unmodernised houses in Fulham, Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush sell at a discount to finished ones, but the gap only works if the refurbishment budget is realistic. Before you exchange:
- Commission a full building survey, not just a mortgage valuation
- Get a CCTV drain survey, as old clay drains in the borough often need relining or replacement
- Ask for an Electrical Installation Condition Report if the wiring looks old
- Check whether the house is in a conservation area, listed or in the Thames flood zone
- Get a contractor to price a schedule of works before exchange, so the purchase price reflects the real cost
A full gut refurbishment of a 3-bedroom terrace in the borough typically costs £135,000-£200,000. Adding a wraparound extension and a loft conversion can take the total to £280,000-£420,000 or more. Ask a local agent for the expected value once finished, so you can check the numbers work.
Refurbishing a mansion flat in Barons Court, West Kensington or Fulham
Mansion flats are a big part of the borough’s homes, and refurbishing one is a different job from refurbishing a house.
- Licence to alter: most leases need the freeholder’s written consent for structural changes, rewiring, replumbing and moving kitchens or bathrooms. Allow 4-8 weeks and budget for the freeholder’s surveyor’s fees.
- Floors: many leases require carpet or acoustic underlay to protect the flat below, so check before choosing hard floors.
- Working hours: most blocks restrict noisy work to set hours and some ban weekend work.
- Access: deliveries, lifts, waste removal and parking all need planning with the managing agent.
- Windows: replacing windows in a flat needs planning permission, and in a conservation area the council will usually expect like-for-like timber.
A full refurbishment of a 2-bedroom mansion flat typically costs £60,000-£140,000, depending on the specification and how much is being moved.
Planning rules for a full refurbishment in Hammersmith & Fulham
Usually no planning permission needed
- Replastering, rewiring, replumbing and new heating
- New kitchens and bathrooms
- Removing or moving internal walls in a house
- Like-for-like repairs to roofs, windows and brickwork
May need planning permission
- Any basement excavation, anywhere in the borough
- Replacing windows or doors where an Article 4 Direction removes those rights
- Any external change to a flat
- Rendering, cladding or painting brickwork in a conservation area
- Extensions and loft conversions beyond Permitted Development limits, and any mansard
- Any change to a listed building, which also needs Listed Building Consent
Conservation Areas
Hammersmith & Fulham has 44 conservation areas, including Parsons Green, Walham Green, Hurlingham, Barons Court, Hammersmith Grove, Moore Park, Olympia and Avonmore, The Mall and Shepherds Bush. Internal work in a house isn’t controlled, but anything visible from the street is, and some properties have extra Article 4 Directions. Check the council’s list of properties affected before planning external work.
Basements and flood risk
Since April 2018, a borough-wide Article 4 Direction has meant that any basement excavation in Hammersmith & Fulham needs planning permission. A basement application also needs a flood risk assessment wherever the house is. Large parts of the borough near the Thames, especially in Fulham, are in Flood Zone 2 or 3, so any extension that needs planning permission there needs a flood risk assessment too.
Building Regulations
Structural changes, new electrical circuits, heating and drainage all need Building Regulations sign-off, through a Building Control application or a registered installer’s certificate. Keep every certificate: you’ll need them when you sell.
Victorian and Edwardian homes: what to expect
Subsidence and Settlement
Much of the borough sits on London clay, which shrinks and swells with the seasons. Cracks around bay windows and the rear outrigger are common and often historic, but get a structural engineer to check any that are new or wider than a few millimetres before you plaster over them.
Damp and timber decay
Bridged damp-proof courses, high garden levels and blocked air bricks lead to damp and, in the worst cases, rot under suspended timber floors. Fix the cause before you replaster, and check joist ends when the floors are up.
Chimney Breasts
Removing a chimney breast frees floor space, but whatever remains above must be supported on steel or gallows brackets, approved by Building Control, with Party Wall notice if it’s on the shared wall.
Lime plaster and period features
Original walls are often lime plaster on brick, which should be repaired with lime-based materials so the wall can breathe. Cornicing, ceiling roses, fireplaces, encaustic tiles and timber sash windows add value in the borough, so protect or repair them rather than strip them out.
Drains and Services
Old clay drains, lead supply pipes and rubber-insulated wiring are common in houses that haven’t been touched for decades. A full refurbishment is the time to replace them while the floors are up.
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Fulham and Parsons Green (SW6)
Fulham has many Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often refurbished with a knock-through, side return and loft at the same time. Around Parsons Green, Hurlingham and the Peterborough Estate, specifications are high and period features are prized. Riverside parts of Fulham are in the flood zone.
Hammersmith, Brook Green and Ravenscourt Park (W6)
A mix of terraces and larger semi-detached houses, many in conservation areas. Full gut refurbishments with an architect are common around Brook Green and Ravenscourt Park.
Shepherd's Bush and White City (W12)
Smaller Victorian terraces and flats, where a medium refurbishment gives the best return. Costs here are closer to the London average.
Barons Court and West Kensington (W14)
Taller terraces, converted houses and mansion blocks. Many projects here are flat refurbishments, where freeholder consent and the block’s rules set the timetable.
How long does a full house refurbishment take in Hammersmith?
- Cosmetic refurbishment: 6-12 weeks on site
- Medium refurbishment: 12-20 weeks on site, or 5-7 months from decision to completion
- Full gut refurbishment: 20-36 weeks on site. Including design, ordering and any 2-month Party Wall notice, allow 9-15 months from first instruction
- With an extension or loft: add 8-16 weeks on site, plus 8-13 weeks beforehand if planning permission is needed
- Mansion flat: add 4-8 weeks for the freeholder’s licence before work starts
How to pay for your refurbishment
Every QuoteMyRenovation builder agrees to milestone payments. A typical schedule is a 10% deposit, then payments when the strip-out and structural work are complete, when first fix is complete throughout, when plastering is done, when the kitchen and bathrooms are fitted, and when second fix and decoration are finished, with 5% held back until any snags are fixed. We check in with you before each payment. See how milestone payments work →Â
How to find a vetted refurbishment contractor in Hammersmith and Fulham
On a full refurbishment, the main contractor runs the programme, manages every trade and controls the order of work: structure, then services and first fix, then plastering, then second fix and finishes. When you compare quotes, ask each contractor:
- Will you provide a programme of works with the order of trades and milestone dates?
- Who will manage the site day-to-day, and what is their experience?
- Have you refurbished period houses or mansion flats in SW6, W6 or W14?
- Do you manage the Party Wall process and the freeholder’s licence, or is that separate?
- What’s included for the kitchen, bathrooms and finishes, and what’s a provisional sum?
- Is VAT included, and how are changes to the scope priced and agreed?
QuoteMyRenovation matches Hammersmith and Fulham homeowners with vetted local refurbishment contractors who read your brief before deciding to quote. You get up to 3 matched quotes from contractors who know what you need, with no cold calls. It’s free to use.
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