We get asked, sometimes, why our prices are what they are. The short answer: we charge what the work costs to do properly, plus the margin needed to keep a small business going. The long answer is below.
Why we don't do bathrooms under £25,000
A proper bathroom strip-and-refit takes about three weeks of work for a single tradesman, plus tilers, plumbers, electricians and decorators alongside. Materials — sanitary, tile, brassware, lighting, joinery — for a mid-spec bathroom run £8,000 to £15,000. Labour for the team across three weeks, including any planning and supervision time, is another £10,000 to £18,000. By the time you've added our overheads and margin, you're at £25,000 minimum for a job that's worth doing.
Below that price, something has to give. Either the labour rate is too low (which means you're getting cheaper trades), or the materials are bottom-spec, or the time isn't there to set out, snag, and finish properly. We've seen plenty of £15,000 bathrooms. They're rarely the bathroom the client thought they were buying.
Why our renovations sit between £80,000 and £250,000
A whole-house refurbishment is a six-to-nine-month project for a small team. Materials for a four-bed Victorian terrace run £40,000 to £100,000 depending on spec. Labour is the bigger number — multiple trades on site over months, project supervision, snagging, building control, all the coordination that turns a list of tasks into a finished house.
The £80,000 floor is for a basic-spec refurbishment of a small house. The £250,000 ceiling — and projects do go above it — is for high-spec work in larger houses with structural changes, extensions, and bespoke joinery.
What's included in the price
Everything written in the scope. The scope is the contract. If it's in the scope, it's in the price. If it's not in the scope, it's not — but we'll tell you that before any work happens, and you'll get a written variation with a price you sign off before we proceed.
What we don't do: invoice surprises. The price you sign at the start is the price you pay at the end, plus any variations you've agreed in writing. No mystery bills.
What's not included
Architects' fees. Structural engineers' fees. Planning application fees. Building control fees. Party wall surveyor fees. These all come from third parties and are charged separately at cost.
Items the client supplies — tiles, brassware, kitchen, etc. — if you want to supply them yourself rather than have us buy them with our trade discount.
Anything outside the agreed scope. If you decide halfway through that you want a new boiler, an extra bathroom, or a different kitchen, that's a variation. We price it before we start it.
Why we charge what other small builders also charge
We're not the cheapest. We're not the most expensive either. Our pricing sits roughly where small London residential builders price honestly — somewhere between cheap directories and big-firm agency rates.
If you have three quotes and ours is in the middle, that's the right place for us to be. If we're the cheapest, you're getting a quote that's missed something. If we're miles more expensive than the next, something has gone wrong on our end.
What you're paying for
James on site. The same trades on your job from start to finish. A scope written properly. Materials that hold up. Snagging done before handover. A 12-month defects period. A team that picks up the phone.
If those things matter to you, we're a fit. If they don't, there are cheaper builders.