House renovation
& refurbishment
in South Hampstead, NW6
South Hampstead's red-brick streets include substantial Victorian and Edwardian houses as well as mansion blocks and conversions. A whole-house brief starts with the building as a single project: its retained brick, terracotta, windows and joinery, the room layout across floors, and the condition of heating, plumbing and electrical services.
Separate repairs and decoration from layout changes, structural work and service renewal. Where the frontage, windows or roof are involved, check the particular property's South Hampstead conservation-area and Article 4 requirements with Camden. Any lease restrictions or proposal to change the number of dwellings needs its own assessment.
On cost, a whole house runs from roughly £90,000–£180,000 excluding VAT for cosmetic work up to £275,000–£475,000 excluding VAT taken back to brick. Across all of it, the frontages are repaired sympathetically and the sashes restored so a modern interior sits behind an unchanged period elevation.
Plan the house across floors
For a surviving whole house among South Hampstead's villas and mansion buildings, prepare one schedule for rooms, retained fabric and services across all floors. Locate heating equipment, bathroom groups and electrical distribution before deciding what can be retained and what needs renewal.
If the building has been divided or altered previously, establish its current lawful use, tenure and existing structure before proposing a new layout. Reuniting units is a separate proposal to assess, not something implied by the word refurbishment. Work inside one flat belongs in the separate flat-refurbishment brief.
House Refurbishment in South Hampstead: Applied to the Local Stock
South Hampstead sits in the London Borough of Camden, and much of it lies within the South Hampstead Conservation Area — a remarkably coherent grid of late-Victorian and Edwardian red-brick streets. Camden’s South Hampstead Conservation Area appraisal is used for planning assessment.
Sources: South Hampstead Conservation Area character appraisal and management strategy (adopted February 2011), Camden Council (2026); South Hampstead Conservation Area appraisal and management strategy page, Camden Council (2026)
What a Full House Refurbishment Involves
A full house refurbishment coordinates the building's fabric, services and finishes as one project. The agreed condition and scope determine what is retained, repaired or replaced; not every house needs to be taken back to its structural shell. Rather than patching rooms in isolation, the whole building is brought up to a single standard, so the wiring behind a new kitchen is as sound as the cabinetry in front of it. Most projects we price cover the scope below.
- Strip-out — soft strip back to the structural shell, with condition checks as each layer comes off
- Structural alterations — steels, openings and floor strengthening, engineered and approved before services go in
- Full rewire — new consumer unit, circuits, lighting and data throughout
- Plumbing & heating — replacement pipework, boiler or heat pump, and underfloor heating where specified
- Plastering — walls and ceilings returned to a true, decoration-ready surface
- Kitchens & bathrooms — design, supply and installation, including waterproofing and tiling
- Joinery — doors, skirting, architraves and fitted storage matched to the property’s period
- Decoration — full paint system and final finishes, protected through to handover
How We Run Your Project
Six stages, each closed out before the next begins, so decisions are made on paper rather than mid-build.
- Survey & brief — we measure the building, investigate what is hidden and agree what the finished house must do for you.
- Design & planning — our architects develop the drawings and manage any consents your borough requires.
- Fixed-price contract — a fully itemised specification, priced before work starts rather than estimated during it.
- Strip-out & first fix — demolition, structural work, cabling and pipework, run in the correct order.
- Second fix & finishes — kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, flooring and decoration.
- Snagging & handover — a joint inspection and certification pack, with defects put right before we leave site.
Read the full house refurbishment guide for stage-by-stage detail, specification tiers and cost anatomy.
Building Regulations touch almost every element of a refurbishment — structure, electrics, heating, ventilation and fire safety all need formal sign-off, and we manage building control from submission through to the completion certificate. Where work affects a shared wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may require notice to your neighbours before structural work begins, and conservation-area or listed status can add consent steps. Our planning guide library explains the rules borough by borough.
Why Hampstead Renovations
We hold £10 million public liability insurance with Aviva; the certificate is available on request.
Transparent Pricing
As a guide, budget £650–£1,250 per square metre for a cosmetic refurbishment that keeps the existing layout, and £2,250–£3,250 per square metre for a back-to-brick renovation, depending on how deep the work goes. A typical whole-house programme runs 16–32 weeks on site, and every project is priced line by line before you commit.
What does a house refurbishment cost in South Hampstead?
Cost in South Hampstead depends on depth of work. A cosmetic refurbishment that keeps the existing layout runs £650–£1,250/sqm (typically £90,000–£180,000), while a back-to-brick renovation runs £2,250–£3,250/sqm (typically £275,000–£475,000), excluding VAT. A written scope and site assessment are needed before any project price can be fixed.
| Scope of work | Guide rate | Typical total |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic — existing layout retained | £650–£1,250/sqm | £90,000–£180,000 |
| Back-to-brick renovation | £2,250–£3,250/sqm | £275,000–£475,000 |
| Typical programme | 16–32 weeks on site | |
Guide rates exclude VAT and are set by depth of work, not by property type. Compare scopes in our London refurbishment cost-per-square-metre guide.
Planning your refurbishment budget?
Use our 2026 London refurbishment cost-per-square-metre guide to compare the owner-confirmed Essential, Premium and Heritage/Luxury guide bands. A written scope and site assessment are still needed before any project price can be fixed.
House Refurbishment in South Hampstead: Questions
What should a South Hampstead whole-house refurbishment cover?
Start with the whole building: the condition of its structure and services, the rooms being changed and the brick, terracotta, windows and joinery to be retained. Separate repairs and decoration from alterations to layout, structure or services so the quotation describes one clear house brief.
What should be checked before changing the layout of a South Hampstead house?
Record existing walls, floor levels and service routes before proposing openings or moving kitchens and bathrooms. Establish the property's current use and tenure, and assess any structural, planning, listed-building or lease requirements for the particular changes. Work inside one apartment is covered on our separate flat refurbishment page.
How much does a refurbishment cost in South Hampstead?
On London-wide bands, a whole-house cosmetic scheme is around £90,000–£180,000 excluding VAT, rising to a back-to-brick renovation near £275,000–£475,000 excluding VAT. We turn the relevant band into a scheme figure once the condition and scope are known.
Can a South Hampstead house be modernised while retaining its period exterior?
The design can consider new internal layouts and services alongside retained brick, terracotta, windows and joinery. Start with a condition assessment and check the address-specific controls before selecting repairs or alterations. Internal work to a listed building also needs an assessment of its effect on the building's special interest.
Do the larger South Hampstead houses suit whole-house refurbishment?
They do. The larger surviving houses suit whole-house refurbishment and reconfiguration, while many substantial villas and period conversions — houses now in flats — call for reconfiguration, renewed services and a sympathetic repair of brick, terracotta and joinery. We scope each to its tenure before design begins.
Relevant Completed House Refurbishment Projects
House Refurbishment in Nearby Areas
More Services in South Hampstead
Book a Free Consultation
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Free Consultation
We survey your property, discuss your vision and provide a clear budget framework.