When it comes to costing your house renovation in London, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer. Whether you’re planning a full home rehash, a loft or garage conversion or a basement fit out, the cost may vary wildly from home to home, and even between different areas within London.
Why? Combit Construction, building company in North London can help explain the differences…
The answer lies in the cost of the logistics of each project and the complexity of the local regulations surrounding it. The closer your project is to central London, the more regulated the project will be. This means that extra costs and detail will need to be factored in ahead of your project.
Costing home renovation projects can be tricky, and many of the costs mightn’t be obvious at first glance. That’s why we’ve taken the time to explain some of the hidden costs which may influence the bottom line of your project:
WASTE REMOVAL
As on any building site, all waste needs to be dealt with which means you’ll require a skip. However, there are a few factors which may influence even the simple task of rubbish removal:
Property Access
If you have a driveway to your property, you shouldn’t have any issues with waste removal, regardless of which part of London you live in.
For Light Loads (light rubbish such as broken ceilings, timber, etc) please book a 12-yard skip. Companies generally allow skips to be hired for 2 weeks on site.
For Heavy Loads (soil, concrete, bricks etc.) please book an 8-yard skip.
No Property Access
Things get a bit trickier if you don’t have a driveway. In this situation you have 3 options:
1. Arrange a Parking suspension and a road license
If you don’t have a driveway, your skip will need to be placed on the road. This means you’ll need to arrange a parking suspension and a road license through your local council. The closer your project is to central London, the more expensive this will be. Please note it may take up to 2 weeks to get permissions of this nature from the council, so you need to factor this into your calculations.
2. Use ‘wait and load’ truck service for light loads
Using a ‘wait and load’ service is a great option if you don’t have a driveway. The cost of wait and load services is calculated per load as well as by weight, plus your builder will need to factor in the cost of manual handling and the cost of the bags. If the load isn’t heavy, the cost of a full load should be similar to that of a 12-yard skip.
3. Use ‘wait and load’ skip service – heavy loads
Projects which require excavation or structural demolition will generate lots of heavy waste. In this situation, the ‘wait and load’ track service isn’t your best option.
For projects with heavy waste, we suggest using the skip company as the ‘wait and load’ service. You could reasonably expect the skip company to charge approximately £1 per minute toward the waiting time, which means that an average load should cost somewhere in the order of £120 – £150 extra per each skip (of course, this will vary depending on how far the waste has to be carried to the skip).
You need to secure extra parking space for the skip lorry to deliver the bin and wait while it is loaded. If there is insufficient space, the driver is likely to drive away and you’ll have to wear the cost of a false delivery!
DELIVERIES AND MATERIALS HANDLING
The cost of delivering materials may also vary dramatically according to location.
If your property is on a busy road, delivering materials such as concrete will require extra time and hassle. In this situation, you’ll need to arrange parking suspension and traffic management through your local council.
If your project is located a long way from the road or is a flat on the 1st floor or above of a multi-story complex, it’ll take extra time to carry materials upstairs to the renovation site. This extra cost, albeit a hidden one, will need to be factored into the cost of the project.
PARKING COSTS
The closer your project is to central London, the steeper parking costs will be. This is significant because you can reasonably expect that at least 2 vans will need to be parked at your site every day for the duration of your project. If your builders uses sub-contractors, there may be up to 4 vans on any given day.
THE NEIGHBOURS
Does your project require a party wall agreement? Does your builder require access via one of your neighbor’s side alleys or gardens? The closer you are to central London, the more complicated these agreements are likely to be. Be sure to negotiate and arrange agreements well in advance.
LISTED BUILDINGS
If your property is a listed building, you may be required to keep the external appearance as close as possible to the original design. Maintaining original design features such as sash windows, slate roof tiles, bricks and concrete mouldings will involve significant extra cost when compared with cheap alternatives used on more modern homes.
At Combit Construction we believe in being upfront with our clients: forewarned is forearmed. When we do house renovation projects in North London, we spend time explaining all the hidden costs in advance. Hopefully this information will get you started on the road to your successful renovation project, however, if you have any further questions, please contact us on 0208 457 2772.
Good luck – we look forward to hearing from you soon!