Architects, Engineers, Surveyors & Builders Under One Roof.
Surveyor-led refurbishment advice via Hampstead Chartered Surveyors →One Studio. One Contract. One Team.
We deliver Bayswater full refurbishment with architects, engineers, surveyors and builders under one fixed-price contract - design, technical coordination, procurement, directly managed site teams, Building Control, programme control and final handover through one accountable team.
This is our broadest refurbishment service in Bayswater. It covers structural alterations, complete M&E replacement, new kitchens and bathrooms, joinery, flooring, and decoration in one coordinated programme — with a single project manager as your point of contact throughout. Fixed price, weekly progress reports, and a 10-year structural guarantee on completion. Bayswater properties typically include stucco Italianate terraces, garden-square houses, large mansion flats.
Wide tree-lined avenues with grand white stucco terraces overlooking garden squares. Westminster conservation area. Many properties converted to flats requiring sensitive renovation. A full refurbishment in Bayswater typically involves stripping the property back to its structural shell, upgrading mechanical and electrical services, reconfiguring layouts, and finishing to the highest standard — all while preserving and restoring original period features.
Our Bayswater refurbishment projects are managed through a single point of contact, coordinating architects, structural engineers, M&E specialists, and specialist subcontractors. We work within Westminster's planning and building control requirements to deliver on time and on budget.
Every project is delivered by our directly-employed teams — no subcontractors, no surprises, no hidden costs.
Complete renovation of Bayswater townhouses and period homes. Structural work, full rewire, replumb, and luxury finishes throughout.
View details →Mansion block and period conversion specialists. We handle freeholder consent, Party Wall compliance, and communal area management.
View details →Bespoke kitchen design and installation. Custom cabinetry, premium appliances, and finishes tailored to your property.
View details →Luxury bathroom design with underfloor heating, walk-in showers, freestanding baths, and natural stone finishes.
View details →Strip it back, reimagine it, rebuild it beautifully. Our full refurbishment service takes a tired or dated London home and transforms every room — reconfiguring layouts, upgrading all services, installing new kitchens and bathrooms and delivering a cohesive interior design that unifies the entire property. One team, one contract, one vision.
Bayswater W2 is built from grand Italianate stucco terraces near Hyde Park, and a full refurbishment here usually means taking a whole stucco house — or a complete lateral flat — back to its shell and rebuilding to a modern standard while restoring the protected frontage. Our architectural design and structural engineering teams lead the design so layout, structure and services are resolved together under one fixed-price process.
Refurbishment works fall under Westminster, and where the property is listed or in a conservation area, alterations to protected fabric can require listed building consent. We establish the relevant designations at feasibility and run the planning and conservation consents in parallel with the build.
A full refurbishment touches structure throughout — openings, beams and often a basement or loft — so works to shared structures engage the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, and the programme is sequenced from strip-out through first fix, plaster, second fix and fit-out. See our Bayswater work or book a consultation.
Whole-house work in Bayswater starts with an honest reading of what the building already is. The W2 stock runs from the stucco Italianate terraces of Westbourne Terrace and Gloucester Terrace to the garden-square houses of Leinster Gardens and Queensborough Terrace, and much of it is either listed or holds group value inside the Bayswater Conservation Area. That status shapes the brief long before a single material is chosen.
The first task is to separate internal upgrades from anything that touches visible fabric, leasehold control or listing. Servicing, insulation, layout and acoustic performance sit largely in the first group. Facades, sash windows, roof lines and external joinery sit firmly in the second, where the City of Westminster scrutinises external change closely and reads the long white-fronted runs as a protected group rather than as a row of individual houses.
Inside, many of these grand houses were divided into flats long ago, so a whole-house scheme is often an exercise in unwinding that subdivision: restoring coherent circulation, resolving service positions that were improvised decades ago, and making every square metre of a generously proportioned plan work again.
Value in Bayswater is tied to consistent street lines, room proportions and original joinery, so the design language has to run from restored stucco, cornice and sash detail through to new ironmongery and lighting without breaking the rhythm the building inherited.
Central-W2 logistics belong in the plan from the outset. Access, storage and neighbour management need settling early, not once the scaffold is standing.
A full refurbishment goes far deeper than new paint and replacement kitchens. It addresses everything behind the walls — rewiring electrical systems that haven't been updated since the 1960s, replacing lead plumbing with copper and plastic, insulating solid walls that leak heat through every brick, and reconfiguring floor plans designed for a Victorian household with live-in servants, not a contemporary family.
Our approach starts with the layout. Before selecting a single tile or paint colour, our architects redesign the floor plan — opening up cramped ground floors, relocating bathrooms, creating en-suites, adding utility rooms, improving circulation and sight-lines, and ensuring every square metre works harder.
Once the layout is resolved, our interior designers develop a cohesive design language that runs through every room — material palettes, joinery profiles, ironmongery, lighting schemes, tile specifications and colour stories developed as a unified whole. The result is a home that feels intentional throughout.
Every refurbishment is delivered under a single fixed-price contract covering design, structural alterations, full M&E, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, joinery, decoration and all finishes. We don't quote for building work then add extras for interiors — it's all one price.
A full refurbishment touches every element of your home.
Removing and repositioning internal walls, creating open-plan spaces, adding en-suites, reconfiguring staircases and improving circulation. Our architects redesign the entire floor plan before a single trade enters the building.
Complete consumer unit replacement, new circuits, contemporary socket layouts with USB charging, dimmer circuits, smart home pre-wiring and lighting design circuits. Certified to BS 7671 18th Edition.
Full replumb replacing lead pipework. New condensing boiler or heat pump, radiator upgrade or underfloor heating, pressurised hot water systems and new waste connections.
Bespoke kitchen design with premium cabinetry and appliances. Bathroom fit-outs with wall-hung sanitary ware, walk-in showers, freestanding baths and underfloor heating.
Engineered oak, natural stone, porcelain, encaustic tile — specified room by room. Bespoke skirting, architraves, wardrobes, bookcases, window seats and alcove units designed to the property's character.
Architectural lighting schemes layering ambient, task and accent lighting. Smart control (Lutron, Rako), multi-room audio pre-wiring, automated blinds and centralised home control.
Room-by-room planning in Bayswater begins with which of the three W2 house types you are working in: a stucco Italianate terrace on Westbourne Terrace or Gloucester Terrace, a garden-square house on Leinster Gardens or Queensborough Terrace, or one of the large mansion flats that supply much of the local flat stock.
Throughout, the brief keeps internal upgrades apart from work touching visible fabric, and allows for central-W2 access, storage and neighbour management from the outset.
Every room in a full refurbishment has its own technical requirements, specification decisions and sequencing considerations. Here is what is involved in each.
A full kitchen refurbishment begins with complete strip-out of existing units, flooring, wall finishes, electrics and plumbing. The space is then rewired with dedicated circuits for oven, hob, extraction, fridge-freezer and dishwasher, plus general socket circuits with USB provision. Plumbing is re-run in copper and plastic to new locations. The layout is redesigned for workflow efficiency — our kitchen designers follow the work-triangle principle while adapting to the specific proportions of your room. New installations include bespoke or premium cabinetry, stone or composite worktops, integrated appliances, feature lighting (under-cabinet, pendant, recessed), splashback tiling or glass, and engineered timber or stone flooring. Extraction is ducted to the outside. Underfloor heating is fitted beneath the finished floor.
Bathrooms require the most intensive waterproofing of any room in the house. We strip out all existing fittings, tiles and substrate, then apply tanking membrane to all wet areas (shower enclosures, bath surrounds, floors) before tiling. Underfloor heating is installed beneath porcelain or natural stone tiles. Plumbing is re-run to accommodate the new layout, often including relocation of waste stacks and soil pipes. Sanitaryware selection includes wall-hung WCs (for easier cleaning and a more spacious feel), freestanding or built-in baths, walk-in or wetroom showers with frameless glass enclosures, and twin basin vanity units. Heated towel rails, anti-mist mirrors, recessed LED lighting and extractor fans complete the specification.
Living rooms and reception rooms often involve structural alterations — removing load-bearing walls to create open-plan spaces, installing steel beams to support the floor above, and widening doorways to improve flow between rooms. Flooring is selected for acoustics and durability: engineered oak, natural stone or high-quality LVT. Lighting design layers ambient (recessed downlights or pendant fittings), task (reading lamps, desk lighting) and accent (picture lights, LED strips, uplighters) circuits on separate dimmer controls. Bespoke joinery — alcove shelving, window seats, media walls, fireplace surrounds — is designed to the proportions of each room. Walls are re-plastered to a smooth finish, and period features (cornicing, ceiling roses, dado rails) are restored or replicated where appropriate.
Bedroom refurbishment focuses on creating calm, well-organised spaces. Built-in wardrobes are designed floor-to-ceiling with internal fittings (hanging rails, shelving, drawers, shoe racks, lighting) tailored to how you dress. Acoustic insulation is installed in party walls and floors — particularly important in converted flats and terraced properties — using acoustic mineral wool and resilient bars to achieve meaningful sound reduction. Windows are overhauled or replaced: secondary glazing for listed properties, slim-profile double glazing for conservation areas, or high-performance triple glazing where planning allows. Blackout blinds, layered lighting (bedside, wardrobe, ambient) and smart controls complete a restful environment.
The hallway sets the tone for the entire house. In period properties, we restore original encaustic or geometric floor tiles, repair and French-polish timber balustrades, rebuild newel posts and reinstate panelled wainscoting or dado rails. Where the original features have been lost, we commission faithful reproductions from specialist joiners. Stair treads are repaired and finished in matching timber, with runners fitted for noise reduction and grip. Lighting is critical: a combination of pendant or lantern fittings, wall sconces and recessed lighting creates depth and warmth. Storage is built into dead space beneath staircases. Doorbells, entry systems, coat hooks, shoe storage and radiator covers are all specified as part of the design.
A dedicated utility room is one of the most requested additions in a full refurbishment. We create space for washing machine, tumble dryer (or washer-dryer), sink, drying rack, ironing station and cleaning supply storage. Plumbing and extraction are run to the utility room during first fix. Where space permits, a separate pantry with open shelving, cold storage and counter space significantly improves kitchen functionality. Plant rooms house the boiler (or heat pump indoor unit), hot water cylinder, consumer unit and any home automation hardware — keeping services accessible for maintenance while hidden from living spaces. Every cupboard and storage area is fitted with lighting and considered as part of the overall design.
In most of W2 the refurbish-or-rebuild question answers itself quickly. Bayswater's terraces are largely listed or of group value, they sit within the Bayswater Conservation Area, and Westminster treats the monumental stucco runs on Westbourne Terrace and Gloucester Terrace as a single composition. Removing one front from that sequence is not a realistic proposition, so the practical decision is not whether to keep the building but how deeply to work within it.
When deep refurbishment is the right route. Where the shell is sound and the value lies in consistent street lines, room proportions and original joinery, the work is restoration and reorganisation rather than replacement. Back-to-brick programmes on the garden-square houses of Leinster Gardens and Queensborough Terrace fall here: strip out the accumulated subdivisions, renew the services, then rebuild the interior around surviving cornice, stucco and sash detail.
When the answer is to go down rather than out. Because facade and roof change is restrained in this conservation area, additional space is usually sought below ground. Converting an existing cellar is the lighter option; excavating a new basement brings underpinning and a considerably heavier structural process. Both need the terrace structure understood first, and both bring the neighbours on either side into the statutory party wall procedure.
When the property is a flat. Much of Bayswater is leasehold, and a high proportion of projects sit inside the large mansion blocks. There the choice is framed by the lease rather than by the structure: freeholder consent governs what may be altered, structure and acoustics are handled together with that consent, and wholesale reconstruction is simply outside a leaseholder's control.
What genuinely remains open is scope — cosmetic renewal, full internal refurbishment, or a back-to-brick programme. That decision belongs at the very start, because the consent route, the survey work and the site logistics all follow from it.
Not every property is best served by refurbishment. Here is how to decide whether to refurbish the existing structure or demolish and rebuild.
Refurbishment is the right choice when the existing structure is fundamentally sound — solid walls, stable foundations, a serviceable roof. It is also the preferred route when the property has period features worth preserving (original cornicing, ceiling roses, fireplaces, panelled doors, timber floors), when planning restrictions make demolition difficult or impossible (listed buildings, conservation areas), or when budget constraints favour working with the existing shell rather than starting from scratch. Most London period properties — Victorian terraces, Georgian townhouses, Edwardian semis — fall firmly into the refurbishment category.
Demolition and rebuild is justified when the existing structure has significant defects — severe subsidence, failed foundations, widespread dry rot affecting the structural timber, or extensive asbestos contamination that makes strip-out more expensive than demolition. It may also make sense when the desired layout is so radically different from the existing building that the structural alterations required would cost more than rebuilding. In some cases, a Whole Energy Retrofit analysis may show that the existing building fabric is so thermally poor that a new build to current standards offers better long-term value.
A comprehensive refurbishment typically costs £650–£1,250/sqm depending on specification level. A demolition and rebuild (excluding land value) costs substantially more per square metre. However, the rebuild figure includes foundations, superstructure, roof, external walls and all services — elements that already exist in a refurbishment. The decision should be made on a case-by-case basis following a thorough structural survey. We provide honest advice on which route offers the best outcome for your specific property.
Order matters everywhere, but in W2 the sequence begins earlier than the first skip. Consent and access come before demolition, because the Bayswater Conservation Area, the listing status of much of the stock and the leasehold structure of the mansion blocks together determine what can actually be built.
1. Consents and surveys. Establish which parts of the brief touch visible fabric, leasehold control or listing, then route each one accordingly: Westminster for external change and roof development, listed building consent where the building carries it, and a Licence to Alter for a W2 flat. Where the work affects shared structure in a terraced run or a mansion block, party wall notices are served and the party wall award settled before the programme is fixed.
2. Access, storage and neighbours. Central-W2 sites leave very little room to improvise. Deliveries, waste removal, scaffold to the pavement, material storage and the working hours agreed with the neighbours all need planning at this stage rather than once trades are booked. On the long terrace runs and inside the blocks, this is frequently the item that governs the calendar.
3. Strip-out. Redundant kitchens, bathrooms, floor coverings, later partitions and dead services come out and the building is taken back towards its shell. In houses long divided into flats, this is when the original plan reappears and when the true condition of the terrace structure, the joists and the surviving cornice, sash and joinery detail can finally be judged. Anything worth keeping is recorded and protected now.
4. Structure, and basement where relevant. Beams, lintels, floor strengthening and new openings follow. If the scheme goes below ground, cellar conversion or excavation and underpinning happen at this point, in the sequence agreed with the adjoining owners, because no finish should be committed while the building is still being altered structurally.
5. First fix and acoustics. Electrical and mechanical routes, drainage and heating go in while walls are open. In a mansion flat, acoustic separation between floors and party walls is designed and built here alongside the structure, since it cannot be retrofitted convincingly later and is usually the point the freeholder asks about.
6. Facade, roof and windows. External work runs to the consent granted rather than to preference. Stucco repair, sash decisions, roof detail and external joinery are executed so the front stays consistent with the group it belongs to, and coordinating them with the scaffold period avoids returning to the street twice.
7. Plaster, joinery and second fix. Cornice, architrave, panelling and door detail are reinstated or matched, then finished. Second-fix electrics, ironmongery and lighting follow the design language agreed at the outset, so the new work reads as part of the room proportions rather than against them.
8. Decoration, kitchens, bathrooms and handover. Wet areas and kitchens go in once the shell is dry and stable, decoration closes the sequence, and commissioning is followed by the certification and record set that Westminster or the freeholder may require.
The common failure in Bayswater is not a trade arriving in the wrong order. It is starting the build before the consent and access questions have been answered, and then rebuilding the programme around them.
The order in which trades enter the building is critical. Getting the sequence wrong causes delays, rework and damage to finished surfaces. Here is the correct order and why it matters.
Everything that is being replaced is removed: kitchens, bathrooms, floor coverings, old plaster, redundant electrics and plumbing, partition walls. The building is taken back to its structural shell. This reveals the true condition of the property — hidden damp, rotten timbers, failed lintels, asbestos — allowing problems to be addressed before new work begins. Skipping a thorough strip-out is the most common cause of cost overruns, because defects discovered after new work has started require expensive rework.
Load-bearing walls are removed and steel beams installed. Floors are strengthened, lintels replaced, timber joists sistered or renewed. Any underpinning, foundation work or damp-proofing is completed at this stage. Structural work must be finished and signed off by building control before first fix begins, because the building must be structurally stable before services are installed within it.
New electrical cables are run to every socket, switch, light fitting and appliance position. Plumbing pipes are run to every tap, WC, bath, shower, washing machine and boiler location. Heating pipework (radiators or underfloor) is laid. Ventilation ductwork is installed. First fix happens before plastering because all cables and pipes need to be concealed within the walls and floors. Getting the positions right at this stage is critical — moving a socket after plastering means cutting out plaster, re-routing cable and re-plastering.
Walls and ceilings are plastered to a smooth finish over the first-fix services. This creates the final surface for decoration and must be done to a high standard — imperfections in plaster are visible through paint. Plaster must dry thoroughly (typically 2–4 weeks depending on season and ventilation) before decoration begins. Rushing this stage leads to paint failure and mould. We monitor moisture levels with a hygrometer and do not begin decoration until readings are within tolerance.
Electrical face plates (sockets, switches, light fittings) are installed. Bathroom and kitchen fittings are connected. Radiators or underfloor heating thermostats are fitted. Doors are hung, ironmongery fitted, skirting boards and architraves installed. This stage brings the house from a building site to something recognisable as a home.
Kitchen units, worktops, splashbacks and appliances are installed. Bathrooms are tiled, sanitaryware fitted, screens and mirrors hung. These are the highest-specification elements of the refurbishment and require careful protection during subsequent decoration work.
Walls are mist-coated (to seal new plaster), then finished with two coats of emulsion. Woodwork is undercoated and gloss-finished (or eggshell for a contemporary look). Ceilings are painted. Wallpaper is hung where specified. This stage must happen after all dusty trades (plastering, tiling, sanding) are complete to avoid contamination of wet paint surfaces.
A detailed room-by-room inspection identifies any defects: paint touch-ups, alignment adjustments, scratches, incomplete seals, stiff handles, squeaky floorboards. Every snag is logged, photographed and rectified before handover. We provide a full handover pack including appliance manuals, paint references, material specifications, electrical certificates, gas safety records and a 12-month defects liability warranty.
Building control approval sits alongside the consents that govern change in W2, never instead of them. A Bayswater scheme can satisfy Westminster on external change, hold listed building consent and carry a Licence to Alter from the freeholder, and still have to demonstrate compliance under the Approved Documents. Four of them tend to shape the detail in this area.
Part P, electrical safety. Rewiring is a normal part of deep refurbishment in stock of this age. New circuits, consumer units and work in kitchens and bathrooms are notified and certified, and in a mansion flat the routing has to respect both the structure and whatever the lease says about penetrating shared elements.
Part L, energy efficiency. This is where conservation reality bites hardest. Where the elevation forms part of a protected stucco group and the sash detail is a large part of what gives the terrace its value, external insulation and unrestricted window replacement are not available, so thermal improvement is generally pursued internally against solid walls, at roof level where the covering allows, and through careful draught and service detailing. The trade-off between fabric performance and preserved fabric should be identified while the design is still open, not argued at inspection.
Part E, sound. With so much of Bayswater in flats, separation between dwellings is a live requirement rather than a formality. Acoustic build-ups take depth, and depth affects ceiling heights and cornice lines in rooms that were originally proportioned as parts of a house, so the acoustic and heritage decisions have to be taken together.
Part B, fire. Houses long divided into flats, and the large mansion blocks, bring escape routes, compartmentation and door specification into scope, and the block's own arrangements must be respected alongside the individual dwelling.
Basement work adds structural and moisture requirements to that list. Where excavation or underpinning is involved, the building control route runs in parallel with the party wall award rather than waiting behind it.
Not every refurbishment requires building regulations approval, but many elements do. Here are the key Approved Documents that commonly apply.
Any electrical work in a dwelling must be carried out by a Part P registered electrician or notified to building control. A full rewire, new consumer unit, new circuits, or work in bathrooms and kitchens all require Part P compliance. On completion, you receive an Electrical Installation Certificate and the work is registered on the national database. We use Part P registered electricians on every project and provide full certification as standard.
When you replace more than 25% of a thermal element (roof, walls, floors, windows), the replacement must meet current thermal performance standards. This means if you are replastering walls, you may need to add insulation to meet the required U-values. Similarly, window replacement triggers minimum energy performance requirements. In a full refurbishment where all elements are being renewed, a SAP assessment may be required to demonstrate overall energy performance. We design insulation strategies that improve thermal performance without compromising room proportions or period character.
If you are refurbishing a flat within a converted building, fire safety regulations apply to the means of escape. Fire doors (FD30S) must be fitted to all habitable rooms opening onto a communal hallway. Smoke detection systems must comply with BS 5839. Fire-resistant construction may be required to walls and ceilings separating your flat from communal areas and other dwellings. Where structural alterations create new openings in fire-separating elements, fire stopping must be installed to maintain compartmentalisation.
When converting a house into flats, or refurbishing an existing flat conversion, Part E requires minimum acoustic performance between dwellings. This typically means upgrading floor and wall constructions to achieve specified airborne and impact sound insulation values. Even in a single dwelling, acoustic insulation between bedrooms and living spaces significantly improves comfort. We specify acoustic mineral wool, resilient bars, acoustic plasterboard and floating floor systems where required to achieve or exceed the minimum standards.
A structured process ensuring nothing is missed.
Full property survey — structural condition, M&E assessment, damp checks, asbestos screening. We discuss how you use each room, your lifestyle priorities and aesthetic preferences. You receive a feasibility report with scope, budget and timeline.
Architects redesign the floor plan. Interior designers develop material palettes, colour schemes, joinery details, bathroom and kitchen schemes, lighting and furniture layouts — all in photorealistic 3D. Every selection approved from physical samples before ordering. Complete specification document locks in every finish before construction.
Property stripped to structural shell. Old kitchens, bathrooms, floor coverings, plaster, electrics and plumbing removed. Structural engineering-led alterations: walls removed, steels installed, floors strengthened. Asbestos professionally removed where found.
New electrical circuits, plumbing and heating throughout. Underfloor heating, insulation, plasterboarding, plastering and stud walls for new room configurations. Every socket, switch and pipe position exactly as specified.
Kitchen installation, bathroom tiling, flooring throughout, bespoke joinery, staircase renovation, door hanging, ironmongery, second fix electrics, painting and decoration — room by room to quality sign-off. Snagging and handover with 12-month warranty.
Guide prices per sqm. All tiers include design, structural work, full M&E, kitchens, bathrooms and decoration.
What makes our refurbishments different from a builder and a decorator.
Layout redesign by a RIBA architect and interior specification by a dedicated designer — working in tandem from day one. Spatial planning and material palette developed together, not sequentially.
Every room rendered in photorealistic 3D before construction. See exactly how finishes, furniture and lighting work together. Changes on screen, not on site.
One price for design, M&E, structural work, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, joinery and decoration. Not a builder's quote with interiors as an extra — a single all-inclusive figure.
We understand Victorian proportions, Georgian joinery profiles, Edwardian ceiling heights and how to introduce contemporary elements that complement period character.
Our Finchley Road studio houses stone samples, timber swatches, tile displays, fabric books and ironmongery collections — all for in-person selection.
We manage procurement of every material and fitting — coordinating lead times across 50+ suppliers to ensure on-time site delivery.
Insulation improvements, draught-proofing, boiler upgrades and window enhancements that improve energy performance without compromising character.
Original sashes overhauled, draught-sealed, re-weighted and re-glazed rather than replaced — maintaining heritage character and avoiding replacement costs.
Dedicated project manager coordinates all trades, manages the programme, conducts weekly inspections and provides regular client updates.
We refurbish both vacant properties (fastest) and occupied homes (phased room-by-room). We advise the most practical approach for your circumstances.
Many clients appoint us before completing on a purchase — so the programme starts on day of exchange and the house is ready to move into on completion.
Selected whole-house refurbishments across London.
Full strip-back and reconfiguration. New open-plan ground floor, 3 bathrooms, bespoke kitchen and complete rewire/replumb.
Sensitive refurbishment: new kitchen-diner, 3 redesigned bathrooms, period joinery restoration and complete M&E upgrade.
Complete 95sqm flat refurbishment. New layout with en-suite master, open-plan kitchen-living, full rewire and contemporary interior.
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Visit Hampstead On Demand →We bought a tired 1890s terrace and appointed Hampstead Renovations before exchange. They started the day we got the keys. Eighteen weeks later we moved into a home that felt like it had been built for us — the layout is completely different but every period detail respected. The interior design continuity room to room makes the whole house feel intentional.
The 3D room renders were game-changing. We could see exactly how the herringbone floor, wall colour, pendant lights and joinery worked together before orders were placed. We made two changes in design that would have cost thousands on site. The fixed price held exactly across 22 weeks and 240 square metres.
We refurbished our Maida Vale flat while renting it out — Hampstead managed everything without us visiting once during the 12-week build. The procurement coordination was extraordinary: every tile, fitting and piece of ironmongery arrived exactly when needed. Boutique hotel standard quality. Tenants moved in the day after handover.
Does a full refurbishment in Bayswater need planning permission? It depends entirely on where the work sits. Internal reorganisation of a house often does not, while anything that changes what is visible from the street generally does. Bayswater lies in the City of Westminster and within the Bayswater Conservation Area, and Westminster scrutinises external change closely, so the sensible first move is to split the brief into internal upgrades and works affecting visible fabric before any application is drafted.
What changes if the building is listed? A great deal of the W2 stock is listed or holds group value, and listed building consent then applies to internal as well as external alteration. Cornice, sash windows, staircases, panelling and original joinery are treated as part of the asset rather than as finishes to be swapped out. Establishing status at the outset avoids designing a layout that consent will never support.
My flat is leasehold. What does that add? Much of Bayswater is leasehold and a high proportion of projects sit inside the large mansion blocks, where work runs under a Licence to Alter granted by the freeholder. That consent sits alongside anything Westminster requires and typically covers structure, drainage routes, acoustic performance, working hours and protection of the common parts. It has its own timetable, so it belongs in the programme from the first week.
Can I replace the windows or alter the facade? On the monumental white-fronted runs of Westbourne Terrace and Gloucester Terrace the elevations are protected as a group, so a single front cannot be treated in isolation. Stucco repair, sash decisions and external joinery are handled as restoration that matches the terrace rather than as a chance to update the look, and the specification is agreed with Westminster before anything is ordered.
Is a roof extension realistic here? Roof development is one of the areas examined most carefully in W2, because the skyline of a stuccoed terrace reads as a single composition. Some buildings can take a scheme at roof level and many cannot. It is a question to test early against the conservation position for the specific street, not an assumption to build a brief around.
What about basements? Where the facade and roof are constrained, additional space is often sought below ground. Converting an existing cellar and excavating a new basement are different undertakings, the second involving underpinning and a far heavier structural and neighbourly process. Both need the terrace structure understood first, and both are shaped by how a central-W2 site can handle spoil removal and deliveries.
Will I need a party wall award? In a terraced run, and in a mansion block where floors and walls are shared with other dwellings, work to structure, openings or foundations usually triggers the statutory party wall process. Notices go to the adjoining owners and the award is settled before that element of the work begins. It is a legal step rather than a negotiation about design, and building it into the programme prevents an avoidable pause.
What actually drives the budget on a Bayswater project? Rarely the items clients expect. Facade and roof restraint, the decisions taken on sash windows and joinery, the condition of the terrace structure, leasehold approvals in flats, acoustic separation between dwellings and central-W2 logistics such as access, storage and neighbour management account for much of the difference between two superficially similar schemes on the same street.
How long does it take? Programme in this area is usually governed by consent and access rather than by trade time. A cosmetic refresh inside a flat, a full internal refurbishment and a back-to-brick house are three different exercises, and each is extended by whichever of Westminster, listed building consent, the freeholder and the adjoining owners has a say. We would rather set the sequence once those routes are clear than commit to dates the consents cannot support.
Do I have to move out? For a strip-back where services, structure and finishes are all renewed, living on site is impractical. Phased work is possible in a larger garden-square house on Leinster Gardens or Queensborough Terrace, where floors can be closed off in turn. In a mansion flat, block rules on working hours, lift use and protection of the common parts often make a vacant property the more straightforward option for everyone in the building.
How is site access handled on a central W2 street? Deliberately, and early. Scaffold to the pavement, waste removal, material storage and the hours agreed with neighbours are resolved before trades are booked, because a Bayswater terrace or mansion block offers almost no room to improvise. Neighbour management is treated as part of the build rather than an afterthought.
Can the layout be opened up? Often, though the aim differs from a standard London terrace. Many of these houses were divided into flats long ago, and the value sits in consistent room proportions rather than in one continuous space. Reconfiguration here usually means restoring coherent circulation, improving service positions and making every square metre work, while keeping the sequence of rooms the building was designed around.
Do you work in the surrounding areas? Yes. The same team covers Paddington and Lancaster Gate next door, along with Marylebone, Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Belgravia, which raise many of the same period-fabric and leasehold questions.
Where should a Bayswater project start? With the constraints rather than the finishes. Confirm the conservation and listing position for the address, establish what the lease permits and who has to approve it, identify the party wall relationships, and only then fix the layout and the material palette. Knowing Westminster's stucco and conservation rules early is what keeps a scheme on track.
Common questions about full house refurbishment.
A typical full refurbishment of a 3–4 bedroom London property takes 12–24 weeks on site, depending on the scope of structural works, specification level and property size. A smaller flat (1–2 bedrooms) with no structural alterations can be completed in 8–12 weeks. Larger properties (5+ bedrooms) or projects involving basement or loft conversions may take 6–9 months. Add 4–8 weeks of design time before construction begins. We provide a detailed programme at the start of every project showing weekly milestones and key decision points.
For a full refurbishment — where every room is being stripped, rewired and replastered — we strongly recommend moving out. The property will have no functioning kitchen or bathroom during the works, dust levels are significant during strip-out and plastering phases, and the constant presence of trades makes daily living extremely difficult. Most clients either rent nearby, stay with family or use short-term accommodation. For partial refurbishments (one floor at a time), it may be possible to live in the unaffected part of the property, though this extends the programme and requires careful sequencing.
The terms are often used interchangeably, but in the construction industry, a refurbishment implies a more comprehensive scope than a renovation. A renovation might involve updating kitchens and bathrooms, redecorating and minor repairs — working with the existing layout and services. A full refurbishment typically means stripping the property back to its structural shell and rebuilding everything: new electrics, new plumbing, new heating, new layout, new finishes throughout. It is essentially creating a new home within an existing shell. Our full refurbishment service covers the complete scope from strip-out to handover.
Internal refurbishment work generally does not require planning permission — you can rewire, replumb, replaster, fit new kitchens and bathrooms, and redecorate without any planning application. However, planning permission is needed if you are: changing the external appearance of the building (new windows, changing door positions, removing chimneys), making structural alterations visible from outside, changing the use of the property, or working on a listed building (where Listed Building Consent is required for most internal and external works). In conservation areas, window replacement and external changes may also require planning consent.
Our full refurbishment costs typically range from £650–£1,250/sqm, depending on specification level. A standard refurbishment sits at the lower end of that range and includes complete rewire, replumb, plastering, new kitchen, new bathrooms, flooring and decoration to a good quality. A premium specification sits mid-range and adds bespoke joinery, designer kitchens, high-end sanitaryware, engineered timber flooring and architectural lighting. An ultra-premium specification sits at the top of that range and includes top-tier brands (Bulthaup, Lefroy Brooks, Dinesen), smart home systems, and bespoke everything. For a 150 sqm London house, expect total costs of £75,000–£180,000 depending on specification.
Our full refurbishment scope covers: architectural layout redesign, 3D visualisations, complete strip-out, structural alterations (wall removals, steels), full electrical rewire to 18th Edition, full replumb in copper and plastic, new heating system (boiler or heat pump), plastering throughout, new kitchen design and installation, new bathroom design and installation, flooring throughout (timber, stone, tile or LVT), bespoke joinery (wardrobes, shelving, media walls), staircase renovation, door replacement or overhaul, ironmongery, lighting design, decoration (paint, wallpaper), and snagging. Interior design specification is included as part of the package — not charged separately.
Yes, for most elements of a full refurbishment. Electrical rewiring must comply with Part P and be certified by a registered electrician. Structural engineering-led alterations (wall removals, new beams) require building regulations approval under Part A. Replacement windows must meet Part L energy standards. Heating installations must comply with Part J (combustion appliances) and Part L. In flats, fire safety (Part B) and acoustic (Part E) requirements apply. We manage all building regulations applications and inspections as part of our service, ensuring full compliance and providing all necessary certificates at handover.
Protecting original features is a priority on every period property refurbishment. Before strip-out, we conduct a detailed survey identifying features to retain: original cornicing, ceiling roses, fireplaces, floor tiles, timber floors, panelled doors, balustrades, stained glass and decorative plasterwork. These are either protected in situ with boarding, dust sheets and impact protection, or carefully removed, labelled and stored off-site for reinstatement. Our specialist plasterers can repair damaged cornicing and cast new sections to match existing profiles. Original timber floors are sanded and refinished. Fireplaces are restored, re-lined where necessary and fitted with appropriate grates or log burners. Where original features have been lost in previous unsympathetic alterations, we commission faithful reproductions from specialist craftspeople.
A full refurbishment often includes elements from our specialist services. Explore the detail.
Bespoke kitchen design, premium cabinetry, integrated appliances and stone worktops — our dedicated kitchen service delivers the heart of your refurbished home.
Walk-in showers, freestanding baths, wall-hung sanitaryware and underfloor heating — every bathroom designed as a spa-like retreat.
Wall removals, steel beam installations, floor strengthening and foundation work — the structural backbone of every refurbishment project.
Use these area-specific guide pages to compare the next build routes, planning questions and cost topics people commonly research in Bayswater W2.
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Book Free ConsultationWe're not a national chain — we're a local design and build practice with deep roots in Bayswater and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Our design studio at 250 Finchley Road NW3 is just 10 minutes from Bayswater. Visit to see materials, meet the team, and discuss your project in person.
Our RIBA architects have extensive experience with Westminster Council's planning department, conservation officers, and building control team. We know what gets approved.
From the Stucco terraces, mansion flats and period conversion apartments on Westbourne Terrace, Leinster Square, Craven Hill and Queensway — we understand the specific construction challenges and planning context of every property type in W2.
Westminster City Council · W2
Whole-property refurbishment in Bayswater frequently involves conservation-area consent — and listed-building consent where applicable — so Westminster City Council assesses external alterations, windows and structural changes alongside Building Regulations, often with party wall agreements on terraced and semi-detached homes.
Bayswater W2 sits within Bayswater's conservation areas, and Westminster applies a demanding conservation and listed-building regime, and many mansion blocks and townhouses here are listed or sit within tightly controlled estates such as the Grosvenor, Howard de Walden and Crown estates. Our RIBA architects prepare and submit every application to Westminster City Council and handle pre-application discussions where a scheme is finely balanced.
Full Refurbishment in Bayswater must satisfy Building Regulations — covering structural alterations to Part A, fire safety to Part B, thermal upgrades to Part L, and electrical and gas certification. Our in-house engineers manage Building Control from initial notice to completion certificate.
Explore our other Bayswater services — Kitchen Renovation Loft Conversions — or the Bayswater renovation hub.
Our in-house planning team prepares and submits every Westminster City Council application and manages building control end to end. View our planning track record →
The same NW3 design-build team covers the neighbouring areas: