House renovations in Harborne

Before your renovation in Harborne

Work inside your Harborne home isn't development, so planning permission doesn't apply — the exception is a listed building, where Birmingham City Council would need to give listed building consent. Structural work, new electrics and drainage changes come under Building Regulations.

Hacking off and re-plastering more than half of an external wall can trigger a requirement to insulate it.
Setting aside a contingency of around 10% is sensible on older houses, where hidden problems are common.
Homes built or refurbished before 2000 should have textured coatings and old boards tested for asbestos before strip-out.

Postcode district: B17
Planning and building control: Birmingham City Council
From our West Bromwich base: 4 miles

Which option fits your home?

Refresh: rewire, re-plaster and redecorate

For a house with a sound kitchen and bathroom but dated electrics and tired walls. The rewire happens first, then walls and ceilings are skimmed or re-plastered, and the house is ready for decoration. It's the lightest whole-house option, and the one where living at home is most practical.

Full refurbishment

Rewire, heating upgrade, re-plastering, a new kitchen and bathroom, new internal doors, skirting and floors. This is the usual scope for an older home that hasn't been updated in a long time. The trades are sequenced so the kitchen and bathroom go in after all the dusty, wet work is finished, which protects the new fittings.

Guide prices for Harborne

Prices in Harborne match the rest of our area: £18,000–£130,000 depending on size and specification. Full refurbishment of a three-bed semi: rewire, re-plaster, heating, kitchen and bathroom: usually £50,000–£68,000.

Guide prices for house renovations
Option	Guide price	Good to know
Refresh: rewire, re-plaster and decorate prep	£18,000 – £32,000	Kitchen and bathroom kept
Full refurbishment	£45,000 – £75,000	The usual scope on a three-bed semi
Renovation with layout and structural changes	£75,000 – £130,000	Steels, moved rooms, more trades and a longer programme

Guide ranges include VAT where it applies. We confirm a fixed price for the agreed specification after visiting.

House renovations in Harborne: common questions

What paperwork will I get at the end?

You'll get the electrical installation certificate for the rewire, gas safety and commissioning records for any gas work, building control completion certificates for structural work or new bathrooms, and manufacturers' guarantee documents for fittings, with the terms set out in your quote. Keep them together, as a buyer's solicitor will ask for them. Ask us for current insurance details with your quote.

Which postcodes in Harborne do you work in?

We cover B17 and the streets around them. If you're on the edge of Harborne, neighbouring Selly Oak and Edgbaston are covered too.

What happens if you find problems once walls are opened?

We stop, show you, and price the extra work in writing before doing it. Common finds in older homes include damp, rotten joists, old lead water pipes and wiring hidden behind plaster. Your quote is a fixed price for the agreed specification, and nothing outside it is added without your written agreement. We also point out at the survey anything we suspect but can't yet confirm.

Does Birmingham City Council need to approve my renovation?

Not for planning — internal work isn't development unless the house is listed. Building Regulations approval is needed for structural work such as removing a load-bearing wall, through Birmingham City Council or a registered building control approver.

Also covering nearby

Other work we do in Harborne

Book a whole-house survey in Harborne and we'll give you an itemised quote broken down by room and trade.