Design & Build Renovation Company · London

A Renovation Company That Owns the Whole Result

Architects, structural engineers, surveying support and directly-employed trades under one roof — an established London renovation company that designs, engineers and builds your project on a single fixed-price contract. One team, one price, one point of accountability, from first brief to handover and ten-year warranty.

A Single Fixed-Price Contract
Design, engineering and build in-house
RIBA architectural designIn-house
Structural engineeringIn-house
RICS surveying supportSister company
Directly-employed tradesPAYE core
Insurance£10M
Workmanship warranty10 years
103+
Completed Projects
RIBA
Architect Partners
MIStructE
Structural Engineers
RICS
Chartered Surveyors
NICEIC
Certified Electrics
JCT
Fixed-Price Contracts
£10M
Fully Insured
10yr
Workmanship Warranty
103+
Homes Renovated
Across Prime London
One Roof
Design, Engineer & Build
One Contract
Single Accountability
100%
Fixed-Price
No Hidden Cost-Plus

The Renovation Company That Carries the Risk

Most renovation projects go wrong in the gap between the people who design them and the people who build them. The architect draws a scheme, hands over a pack, and steps back; the builder prices it, finds it does not quite work or costs far more than expected, and the homeowner is left in the middle, paying for the difference and refereeing the blame. A design-and-build renovation company exists to close that gap entirely.

This page is about choosing a renovation company, renovation contractor or design-and-build firm — what to look for, and how we work. We are a single integrated studio: RIBA Chartered architects, MIStructE structural engineers, RICS surveying support through our sister company, MEP consultants, interior designers and our own directly-employed core build teams — all under one roof and one JCT fixed-price contract. The architect who designs your project walks the site every week. The estimator who priced your bill is the person you call when you want to change something. There is one company responsible from the first sketch to the last snag.

We renovate, refurbish, extend and convert — whole houses and flats, kitchens and bathrooms, lofts and basements — but the constant is the model. We resolve the design, the structure, the services and the cost before we start, price it as a single fixed sum, and deliver it with one accountable team. When something unexpected is found behind a wall, there is no one to pass it to, because there is only us. That is what a renovation company should mean.

We have delivered 103+ residential projects across NW3, NW8, NW1, SW1, SW3, SW7, W1 and W11 — Georgian townhouses, Victorian terraces, Edwardian villas, mansion flats and contemporary homes — with particular depth in the conservation areas and period housing where heritage and planning expertise matter most. If you are looking for the specific service rather than the company, our house renovation, refurbishment, extensions and loft conversion pages go into detail.

The reason this model matters is that a renovation is, financially and emotionally, one of the largest projects most people ever commission — and the construction industry is not short of cautionary tales. Budgets that drift, programmes that slip, contractors who disappear mid-job, and the slow, exhausting process of refereeing between a designer and a builder who each insist the problem belongs to the other. Almost all of it traces back to fragmented responsibility. When no single party owns the whole result, the homeowner owns it by default — including every gap, every assumption and every unforeseen cost. An integrated renovation company exists precisely to take that ownership off you.

It also changes the quality of the work itself, not just the management of it. Because our architects know what our build teams can deliver, our engineers know what the trades will be asked to install, and our estimators have priced a hundred similar projects nearby, the design that reaches site is one that can actually be built as drawn — rather than an elegant scheme that unravels the first time a wall is opened. Decisions that would bounce for weeks between separate firms are resolved in a single conversation. The result is a project that runs to programme, holds its price, and is finished to a standard that a disconnected team rarely achieves.

Below is how we work, why clients choose us, and the questions worth asking any renovation company before you commit your home and your budget to them.

A Renovation Company for Every Scope

From a single room to a whole-house transformation, the same integrated team and fixed-price model. These are the six areas of work we are asked for most.

Whole Home

House & Flat Renovation

Reconfiguring, modernising and transforming an entire home — layout, structure, services and finishes — delivered as one programme. Our house renovation service in full.

ScopeWhole property
Restoration-Led

Refurbishment

Bringing a period property's condition and finish back to a coherent, high standard. Our house refurbishment and full refurbishment service.

ScopeGut to finish
More Space

Extensions

Rear, side-return, wrap-around and double-storey extensions, with the structural steel and open-plan work to match. Our house extensions service.

ScopeAdded footprint
Up & Down

Loft & Basement

Reclaiming roof and lower-ground space — loft conversions, basements and cellar conversions — for the bedrooms and living space a house can gain without moving.

ScopeRecovered space
Key Rooms

Kitchens & Bathrooms

Bespoke fitted kitchens and bathrooms, designed and built as part of a renovation or on their own — the rooms that most define a home.

ScopeRoom by room
The Foundations

Structural & Services

The work beneath the finishes — structural alterations, rewiring, plumbing, heating and insulation — that makes a renovation perform, not just look new.

ScopeBehind the walls

What a Renovation Company Should Actually Do

The whole point of an integrated renovation company is that all of this sits with one team under one contract. Here is what that includes.

Architectural Design

RIBA Chartered architects developing the layout, the spatial planning and the detailed drawings in-house — not a separate practice handing over a pack and walking away.

Structural Engineering

MIStructE engineers producing the calculations and details for steel, openings, underpinning and floor strengthening, and the Building Control submission — all in-house.

Surveying & Compliance

RICS surveying support through our sister company — condition surveys, Party Wall awards and due diligence — alongside Building Control and planning coordination.

Planning & Approvals

Planning applications, Listed Building Consent and Lawful Development Certificates prepared and managed in-house, including the most restrictive conservation areas.

Fixed-Price Costing

The whole project priced as a single fixed sum before you commit, under a JCT contract — no open-ended cost-plus, no inflated provisional sums, no surprises.

Directly-Employed Trades

Our core carpenters, plumbers, electricians and decorators are PAYE staff, not gig labour — continuity of standard from one project to the next.

Project Management

A dedicated project manager and weekly written progress reporting with photography — so you always know where the project stands, on programme and on budget.

The Full Build

Strip-out, structure, first fix, plaster, second fix, kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, flooring and decoration — the entire build delivered by one accountable team.

Certified Services

NICEIC-certified electrical work and Gas Safe registered plumbing and gas — self-certified, documented and compliant, not sub-let to an unknown trade.

Heritage Expertise

Deep experience with listed buildings and conservation areas — lime plaster, sash restoration, cornice reproduction — and the consents to alter them lawfully.

Insurance & Warranty

£10M professional indemnity and public liability, a 12-month defects period and a 10-year insurance-backed workmanship warranty — protection well above the norm.

Concierge Aftercare

One free service visit at six months and a 24-hour line for live defects — the reason most of our clients return for a second project within five years.

Six Reasons Clients Choose Our Company

There are perhaps fifteen design-and-build practices in London delivering at this standard. Here is what makes us one of them.

i.

One Accountable Team

Design, engineering and build under one roof and one contract — so there is never a gap to fall into, and one company is responsible for the whole result.

ii.

A Price That Holds

A single fixed price agreed before we start, under a JCT contract — you know the cost up front and are protected from cost-plus drift.

iii.

The Architect On Site

The RIBA Chartered architect who designed your project walks the site every week — decisions made in person, not lost in email between separate firms.

iv.

Our Own Trades

Directly-employed core trades mean continuity and a standard we control — not a rotating crew of the cheapest available sub-contractors.

v.

Proven Track Record

103+ completed projects, real references and reviews, and conservation officers across London who know our practice by name.

vi.

Protected and Warranted

£10M insurance and a 10-year workmanship warranty — the cover prime-London freeholders and serious clients expect from a renovation company.

Eight Stages, From Brief to Handover

We work to the RIBA Plan of Work 2020. Here is how a project runs with us, whatever its scale.

0
Stage 0 · Strategic Definition

Brief & Free Consultation

An initial consultation at our studio or your home to understand what you want, talk realistic budgets and agree the broad shape of the brief. No charge, no obligation.

Week 0 · Free
1
Stage 1 · Preparation

Survey & Feasibility

A measured survey, planning and structural review, and a written feasibility report with options, constraints and an outline cost band.

1–2 weeks · Credited if you proceed
2
Stage 2 · Concept Design

Design & 3D Visualisation

Concept directions developed and presented with plans and 3D walk-throughs, then refined to a single preferred design.

3–4 weeks
3
Stage 3 · Approvals

Planning & Building Regs

Any planning, Listed Building Consent or Lawful Development Certificate prepared and submitted, with Building Regulations in parallel.

8–13 weeks (varies)
4
Stage 4 · Technical Design

Drawings & Specification

The full technical pack — structural calculations, M&E, finishes schedule and a written specification — that the build follows.

4–6 weeks
5
Stage 5 · Construction

The Build

JCT contract signed, then the full build with weekly progress reports, weekly architect visits and monthly cost reports.

12–32 weeks by scale
6
Stage 6 · Handover

Snagging & Handover

Commissioning, a joint snagging walk, the certification pack and handover of your finished home.

1–2 weeks
7
Stage 7 · Aftercare

Defects & Warranty

A 12-month defects period, a six-month service visit and a 10-year workmanship warranty.

12 months + 10-year warranty

Four Tiers, Honestly Drawn

A good renovation company is honest that cost follows specification. Here is how our four tiers differ — the same model, four standards of finish.

Element
HeritageStandard
ConsideredHigh-End
ConnoisseurPremium
AtelierSuper-Prime
Joinery
Quality fitted
Bespoke painted timber
Hand-built hardwood
Fully bespoke, brass fittings
Kitchen & stone
Quality units, quartz
Bespoke, honed marble
Hand-painted, book-matched stone
Hand-built, slab stone, premium
Bathrooms
Quality ceramics
Duravit, Hansgrohe
Catalano, Vola, stone
Drummonds, Dornbracht, bespoke
Services
18th Edition, efficient
Zoned, smart-ready
Lutron, full smart-home
Crestron, MVHR, integrated
Finishes
Three-coat decoration
Farrow & Ball, four coats
Premium, five-coat sanded
Polished plaster, specialist
Indicative (whole-house /sqm)
£500–£800
£900–£1,400
£1,500–£1,900
£1,900–£2,400+

Where Your Budget Actually Goes

For a representative high-end whole-house renovation of a 200 sqm home at £1,000/sqm — £200,000 contract — here is the honest breakdown.

Structural & shell
14%
Services (electrical, plumbing, heating)
18%
Kitchen
13%
Bathrooms
10%
Joinery & built-ins
11%
Flooring & stone
8%
Decoration & finishes
6%
Design fees (RIBA, structural, MEP)
8%
Project management & QS
6%
Preliminaries
4%
Contingency (held by client)
2%

The Team Under One Roof

What makes us a renovation company rather than a builder is the range of disciplines we bring to every project.

Design & Architecture

  • RIBA Chartered architects: spatial planning, drawings and detailing in-house
  • Interior design: finishes, joinery and lighting schemes coordinated with the build
  • 3D visualisation: photoreal CGIs so you see the result before committing
  • Heritage design: conservation-led design for listed and period homes

Engineering & Surveying

  • MIStructE engineers: calculations and details for steel, openings and foundations
  • RICS surveying: condition surveys, Party Wall and due diligence via our sister company
  • MEP: mechanical and electrical design coordinated with the architecture
  • Building Control: submissions and inspections managed throughout

Construction

  • Directly-employed core trades: carpenters, plumbers, electricians, decorators
  • Framework specialists: long-term joinery, stone and heritage trades
  • Certified: NICEIC electrical, Gas Safe plumbing and gas
  • Project management: dedicated PM and weekly reporting

Commercial & Protection

  • Fixed-price JCT contract: single sum, liquidated damages for late delivery
  • Quantity surveying: cost control and transparent valuations
  • Insurance: £10M PI, PL and EL, plus Contract Works cover
  • Warranty: 12-month defects and 10-year insurance-backed workmanship
The right renovation company is not the cheapest quote — it is the one that will still be standing behind the work in ten years, and the one accountable when something is found behind a wall. Integration is not a luxury; it is what protects you.
— Hampstead Renovations · Studio Statement

A London Renovation Company Rooted in Its Patch

We work across prime London, with particular depth in the period housing and conservation areas of the north and centre.

Our studio is at 250 Finchley Road in NW3, and we work throughout prime London — NW3, NW8, NW1 and NW11; W1, W8 and W11; SW1, SW3 and SW7; N1 and N6; and the City. We have particular depth in the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian housing and the conservation areas where heritage knowledge, planning relationships and careful workmanship matter most, and where a renovation company without that experience quickly comes unstuck.

Being rooted in a patch matters more than it sounds. It means the conservation officers know our practice, the local authorities know how we work, and the framework trades we rely on — lime plasterers, conservation joiners, stone specialists — are within a few miles of your home, with their previous work nearby for you to see. For projects further afield — Surrey, Buckinghamshire, the Cotswolds — we run a separate framework on request.

To see the breadth of what we do, browse our portfolio and case studies, read our client reviews, or learn more about the company. When you are ready to talk through a project, simply get in touch or use the cost calculator for an early budget.

A Whole-House Project, Week by Week

A representative build programme for a whole-house renovation. Yours will differ by scope, but this is how we run the construction phase.

Week
Phase
Activity on Site
01
Mobilisation
Set-up, scaffold, protection, asbestos clearance, soft strip-out.
02–03
Strip & Structure
Full strip-out, structural openings and steel, any underpinning. Building Control inspections.
04–06
First Fix
Carcassing, electrical and plumbing first fix, heating, insulation.
07–08
Plaster
Boarding, skim and drying across the house.
09–11
Second Fix & Joinery
Second fix services, kitchens, bathrooms, fitted joinery and doors.
12–13
Decoration & Floors
Full decoration, flooring and stone, specialist finishes.
14
Snag & Handover
Commissioning, snagging, certification pack and handover.

What Sets Our Company Apart

The questions worth asking any renovation company — and our answers.

i

One Contract

Design, structure, services and build under a single JCT fixed-price contract — not a designer and a builder you must coordinate yourself.

ii

Fixed Price

The cost agreed before we start, with liquidated damages for late delivery — we carry the risk of our pricing, not you.

iii

Architect On Site

The architect who designed your project on site every week — decisions made in person.

iv

Our Own Trades

Directly-employed core trades for continuity and a standard we control.

v

Heritage Depth

Successful consents and skilled craft across London's listed and conservation-area homes.

vi

£10M Insurance

Cover well above industry standard, confirmed in writing pre-contract.

vii

10-Year Warranty

Insurance-backed workmanship warranty protecting your investment for the long term.

viii

Clients Who Return

Most of our clients come back for a second project within five years — the clearest verdict on a renovation company.

Explore What We Deliver

The renovation company behind every one of these services. Start with the one you have in mind, or speak to us about the whole project.

Our Work Speaks for the Company

The clearest measure of a renovation company is its completed work. Browse the case-study hub, the wider portfolio and our client reviews.

Detailed Answers to the Questions That Matter

What does a renovation company do?

A renovation company plans and carries out the improvement and transformation of an existing home — from a single room to a whole-house programme. In our case that means we do everything under one roof: the architectural design, the structural engineering, the planning and approvals, and the build itself, including kitchens, bathrooms, extensions, loft conversions, rewiring, plumbing, heating, joinery and decoration. The point of a renovation company — rather than hiring a designer and a builder separately — is a single team accountable for the whole result.

What is the difference between a renovation company and a builder?

A general builder constructs what someone else has designed; a renovation company takes responsibility for the design and the build together. We employ or retain architects, structural engineers and surveyors alongside our own trades, so the people who draw your project are the same people who price and deliver it. That removes the gap — and the blame — that opens up when a designer hands a drawing pack to a builder who then finds it does not work or costs far more than expected.

Why use a design-and-build renovation company?

Because it gives you one contract, one price and one point of accountability. With design and build separated, you carry the risk between the two: the architect blames the builder, the builder blames the drawings, and you pay for the gap. A design-and-build renovation company resolves the design, structure, services and cost together before work starts, prices it as a single fixed sum, and delivers it with one team — so the project is coordinated, the price holds, and there is one company responsible from brief to handover.

How much do your renovations cost?

It depends entirely on scope and specification. As a guide for prime London in 2026, whole-house work runs from around £500/sqm at standard specification to £2,400+/sqm at the very top, and individual projects — a kitchen, a loft, an extension — have their own ranges. We give an honest outline band at the feasibility stage and a single fixed price before any work begins, with no cost-plus surprises. Use the cost calculator for an early estimate, then we firm it up after a survey.

Are you insured and certified?

Yes. We carry Professional Indemnity, Public Liability and Employers' Liability cover at £10M each, plus Contract Works (CAR) insurance, all confirmed in writing before contract. Our electrical work is NICEIC-certified and self-certified under Part P, our gas work is Gas Safe registered, and we provide a 12-month defects period plus a 10-year insurance-backed workmanship warranty. RICS surveying support is available through our sister company. These are the credentials a serious renovation company should hold as standard.

Do you work across London?

Yes — across prime London. Our studio is at 250 Finchley Road, NW3, and we work throughout NW3, NW8, NW1, NW11, W1, W8, W11, SW1, SW3, SW7, N1, N6 and the City, with a separate framework for projects further afield. We have particular depth in the conservation areas and period housing of north and central London, where heritage and planning expertise matter most.

Do you handle planning, structural and party wall?

Yes — all of it, in-house. We prepare and manage planning applications, Listed Building Consent and Lawful Development Certificates; our structural engineers produce the calculations and Building Control submissions; and we serve Party Wall notices and agree awards through our sister surveying company. Coordinating these under one roof is exactly why a design-and-build renovation company is simpler than assembling a designer, an engineer, a surveyor and a builder yourself.

How do you price — fixed price or cost-plus?

Fixed price. We resolve the design, structure, services and specification before we start, and price the whole project as a single fixed sum under a JCT contract — so you know what it costs before you commit, and you are protected from the open-ended bills of a cost-plus arrangement. Late delivery beyond 5% of programme triggers liquidated damages to you. We believe a renovation company should carry the risk of its own pricing, not pass it to the client.

How long does a renovation take?

From signed feasibility to keys, a typical 3-bed terrace renovation runs 32-40 weeks (design, any planning, and build), and a larger 5-6 bed house 44-60 weeks; individual projects such as a kitchen or loft are shorter. We give you a week-by-week programme before work starts and report progress weekly throughout. The design and approval stages run before site, so the build phase itself is as efficient as possible.

How do I choose a good renovation company?

Look for genuine integration (design and build under one roof, not sub-contracted), proper insurance and certifications, a fixed-price contract rather than cost-plus, directly-employed core trades, a real track record of comparable projects, and references and reviews you can check. Ask who will be accountable when something unexpected is found behind a wall — with us, it is simply us, because we are responsible for the whole project. We are glad to show completed work and connect you with past clients.
Client References

What Our Clients Say

★★★★★

“I would like to thank Ross and his team for their consistent commitment to quality and their unerring reliability. They delivered our property to specification and on time, proving to be an extremely effective, experienced, and proactive contractor.”

James Ward — Investment Director, Belgravia
★★★★★

“We have worked with Ross and his company many times. They are extremely professional and hardworking individuals who can work under any circumstances. There was no variation to the works.”

Cirus Rehman — Finance Director, Grosvenor Street, Mayfair

Read our reviews on Google ↗

Work With a Renovation Company You Can Trust

Book a no-obligation consultation at our Finchley Road design studio or in your home. The first meeting is free, lasts 60–90 minutes, and concludes with an honest indication of feasibility, programme and budget band. No salespeople. No pressure.

Call us020 8054 8756
Email uscontact@hampsteadrenovations.co.uk
Visit our studio250 Finchley Road, London NW3

Free Renovation Consultation

Site visit · feasibility assessment · outline cost estimate · programme indication. No obligation. Saturday appointments available.

Enquire before 2pm — same-day call-back (Mon–Fri).

Sister CompanyHampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy RICS-regulated surveying — independent advice250 Finchley Road, NW3