Written by Benjamin Lovett, Manager of Benjamin Services
Published:
Before starting a property renovation, decide what the finished space must do, which rooms and fittings will change, what can stay, and who will handle design and approvals. Check the building’s condition and agree the scope, specification, budget boundaries and access arrangements in writing. These decisions make quotations easier to compare and reduce avoidable changes once work begins.
The first practical decision is the outcome: are you updating finishes, changing the layout or renewing building services? A request to “renovate the property” does not tell anyone which walls, circuits, pipework or fittings are included. Walk through the property, note the current condition and describe the result room by room before asking for a firm construction price.
Decide what the rooms need to do
Start with use, not a catalogue of finishes. A kitchen may need better circulation and storage without moving its services. A bathroom layout might need new pipe routes and ventilation. If you want to remove a wall or alter openings, the design and structural questions need to be resolved before the work is priced as a simple refurbishment.
List each room and mark what you will keep, remove, repair or replace. Include doors, windows, floors, heating, lighting and fixed furniture where relevant. State whether the work stops at the room boundary or includes connected areas, such as a hallway floor or the decoration around a new opening. This level of detail makes the finish you expect much clearer.
A whole-property brief can sit alongside more specific work. Benjamin Services’ property renovation service covers planned improvement and refurbishment across a property; a standalone room project can be scoped separately.
Check the building before setting the scope
Existing walls, floors, roof, drainage and services affect what can be retained. Share known leaks, movement, damp, past alterations and any previous reports with the people assessing the job. Where work depends on an uncertain condition, agree whether inspection or opening up is needed and who will arrange it.
Some conditions remain concealed until finishes are removed. A quotation should make its assumptions clear rather than silently treating the structure or services behind a wall as sound. Decide how unexpected defects will be documented, priced and approved if found. Keep fault-led repairs distinct from upgrades so neither disappears in a broad renovation description.
Example: If a bathroom has signs of a leak and you also want new tiles, investigate the water source and affected substrate. New finishes should be specified against the condition actually found, with any repair included explicitly.
Resolve design and consent responsibilities
Decide who will produce any layout drawings, specifications and structural information needed for the proposed work. Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are separate questions in England. A renovation label does not determine either: the property and actual alterations do. Check whether any application, notification or compliance route applies before committing to the construction stage.
For flats and leasehold homes, review the lease and obtain any required landlord, freeholder or managing agent consent. Works involving shared parts or structural changes can require further agreement. Record who is obtaining each approval, what information they need and whether professional fees and application charges are included in the quotation.
If approvals are still unresolved, price the design or investigation stage separately from the final construction scope where necessary. A draft layout is useful for discussion, but it may not yet be enough to fix every technical detail or product choice.
Make quotations refer to the same work
A total price has little meaning if one quote includes supply and fitting while another covers labour only. Ask each contractor to work from the same drawings, room schedule and specification. Confirm which products you supply, who orders them, and which choices still need to be made. A lower-priced item can have a different finish, durability or installation requirement, so substitutions should be agreed rather than assumed.
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Ask what is excluded: design fees, structural calculations, application charges, specialist surveys, hidden repairs, product supply and making good may be separate unless listed. Agree payment stages and how additions or substitutions will be authorised in writing. Keep a realistic allowance for decisions that cannot be settled until the property is opened up, without treating that allowance as a fixed price for unknown work.
Confirm the practical arrangements
Decide whether the property will be occupied, which rooms need to remain usable, and how the team will enter, store materials and remove waste. If a service has to be isolated or a room taken out of use, discuss this before agreeing dates. Check who will order long-lead or client-selected items and what happens if a choice changes after the work has been scheduled.
Before the start date, make sure there is one agreed version of the drawings and written scope. Confirm who gives instructions on site, how variations are recorded and what evidence or documentation is expected at completion for the work carried out. These decisions give everyone a common reference when the physical work begins.
For a project spanning several rooms or trades, Benjamin Services’ renovation and construction services are the appropriate starting point for discussing the property, proposed changes and the information needed to define the job.
Official Guidance
Check the approval route for the particular property and work in England.
Discuss your renovation brief
Share the current condition of your London property, the rooms you want to change and any drawings you already have. Benjamin Services can discuss the proposed work and the next step needed to define its scope.
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