Home Renovation Kennington
Whole-home renovations in Kennington, layout, structure, kitchen and bathroom planned as one job, structure first, then services, then finishes.
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- London guide: £40,000 to £150,000+
- Free site survey, itemised quote
GS Renovation carries out whole-house refurbishments across Kennington, bringing tired Georgian and Regency townhouses and dated post-war flats in SE11 back to life with one team managing every trade. Our founder's 30+ years on the tools means we understand how these period homes are put together, from solid walls and lath-and-plaster to original joinery worth saving.
In Kennington, a full house refurbishment typically costs £40,000 to £150,000 or more (indicative London ranges, MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Kennington: we carry the structure, services and finishes as one contract.
The two rooms that cost the most have their own pages, with prices: kitchen renovation in Kennington and bathroom renovation in Kennington. With 82% of homes in Kennington flats, the soil stack usually fixes where a bathroom can go, and the lease may need the freeholder's consent for either room.
Price guide
| Work | Indicative London range |
|---|---|
| Full house refurbishment | £40,000 to £150,000+ |
| Kitchen renovation | £18,000 to £60,000+ |
| Bathroom renovation | £6,000 to £20,000+ |
Indicative London ranges (MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026), not a quotation. Prices checked September 2026. Full breakdown: Full House Renovation Cost.
Quick estimate for Kennington
Kennington range: choose above
Whole-house refurbishment in Kennington
A full renovation of a Kennington townhouse usually starts with the services, because the wiring and pipework in these period properties are often decades old. We rewire and replumb throughout, upgrade the consumer unit and heating, then replaster where the old lath-and-plaster has failed. Reconfiguring dated layouts often means removing a load-bearing wall, which brings in an engineer-designed steel beam and Lambeth building control, all sequenced so the structural work happens before finishes.
The strength of a single-team refurbishment is the running order. We plan structure, first fix, plaster, then kitchens, bathrooms, second fix and decoration so trades do not clash and nothing gets ripped out twice. On these SE11 streets, where access and storage are limited, that coordination keeps the site tidy and the programme moving, and it means one point of contact holds the whole job together from strip-out to snagging.
Housing in Kennington
Roughly 8,500 dwellings sit on the valuation list for Kennington. 18% are houses and 82% flats, and by age 28% predate 1919, 12% are interwar and 60% post-war. Since most homes here are flats, refurbishing a flat in Kennington starts with the freeholder's licence for alterations.
Renovating a Kennington house inside a conservation area designated in 1968
Lambeth's Kennington conservation area (CA 08) was first designated in 1968 and is characterised by smart terraced housing. In a conservation area a house loses permitted development rights for cladding, side extensions and roof extensions, and demolition needs permission. New windows, doors and roof coverings that change the look are the parts most likely to need a conversation with Lambeth, while rewiring, replumbing and new plaster inside an unlisted house are building regulations matters or need no approval at all. Separate the two lists at survey, so the external items are raised with Lambeth early and do not hold up the internal work.
Lambeth has over 2,000 statutory listed buildings, and around the Kennington squares a house may be one of them. In a listed house the lists merge, because listed building consent can cover internal work such as removing plaster, replacing joinery or altering floors. Policy Q23 of the Lambeth Local Plan also lets the council keep a local heritage list of assets of local significance. Being on that list brings no separate consent for internal work, but it is a signal that external changes will be judged carefully.
Restoring period features in SE11
Kennington's Georgian and Regency houses were built with cornicing, ceiling roses, panelled doors, shutters and cast-iron fireplaces, and much of that detail is worth restoring rather than replacing. Where original mouldings survive, we repair and reinstate them, and we match new plaster profiles to the existing where sections have been lost. Sash windows are overhauled or renewed sympathetically, which matters especially on listed homes and within Lambeth's conservation areas.
Modern living needs sit alongside that heritage, so we improve insulation, upgrade bathrooms and open up kitchens while keeping the proportions the house was designed around. On a listed property, some internal changes require listed building consent, and we flag that at the design stage. The aim across every Kennington refurbishment is a warm, efficient, well-serviced home that still reads as the period townhouse it has always been.
- Structural alterations and load-bearing wall removal
- Central heating upgrades, new radiators and pipework
- Planning permission and building control coordination
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Lambeth Walk & North Kennington and Oval. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Why Choose GS Renovation in Kennington
A whole-house renovation in Kennington involves structure, services, plaster and finishes all depending on each other, and GS Renovation runs them as one programme rather than a string of separate trades. With our founder's 30+ years on the tools and a genuine feel for period detail, we protect what is worth keeping, upgrade what is not and hand back a finished, coordinated home.
- Paperwork and certificates handed over for when you sell
- Protected routes through the home so you can keep living in it
- Original features protected, repaired or reinstated as you want
George was brilliant. Lovely bloke, very reasonably priced and a perfectionist to boot. He completed our small kitchen renovation with care and great…
George always kept to commitments and arrived on time. He offered helpful suggestions during his initial visit and promptly provided a reasonably…
Saaid is the best craftsman I have worked with. He knows what he is doing from the very beginning. He has a great knowledge of construction…
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Home Renovation Kennington
Can you quote home renovation for an SE11 property over the phone?
A phone quote for home renovation at an SE11 property would be a figure that changes, so GS Renovation gives the range, £40,000 to £150,000 or more (indicative), and prices after a visit. What the job costs depends on what only a survey shows, because how much of the Kennington property is stripped at once decides how the trades are phased. Talk the scope through on 07472 424 226; the Kennington survey is free.
Can you renovate my Kennington house while keeping the original period features?
Yes. On Kennington's Georgian and Regency homes we routinely repair and reinstate cornicing, ceiling roses, fireplaces and sash windows while modernising the wiring, plumbing, heating, kitchen and bathrooms behind them. If the property is listed, some internal alterations need listed building consent, so we identify that early and plan the work around what Lambeth allows for your SE11 property.
What consents does a Kennington flat renovation need before work starts?
The lease comes first. Structural work, and moving a kitchen or bathroom, normally require the freeholder's written consent. Moving wet rooms is sensitive because the soil stack is usually shared with flats above and below. Then come Building Regulations approvals from Lambeth Council for anything structural or notifiable, and listed building consent where the building is listed. Work starts once all of these are in hand.
Should a post-war Kennington flat have an asbestos survey before renovation?
Yes. Buildings from before 2000 can contain asbestos, and 60% of Kennington dwellings were built since 1945 (VOA), a period when it was widely used. Ceiling coatings, floor tiles and boxing around risers are the places to test. The survey comes before strip-out. Anything found in communal risers or shared ducts is usually the freeholder's to manage.
Should damp be dealt with before a Kennington period home is renovated?
Always first. Georgian and Victorian houses have solid walls built with lime mortar, which need to breathe. Sealing them with cement render or impermeable paint often traps moisture and makes damp worse. The source, whether a leaking gutter, raised ground outside or failed pointing, is fixed first. Kitchens and bathrooms then get extraction ducted outside under Part F to keep the new finishes dry.
Which rooms should be tackled first in a Kennington renovation?
Work that makes dust and runs services goes first, and work that sits below plumbing comes after it. A bathroom on the floor above a new kitchen is plumbed before the kitchen ceiling is plastered, so a leak test cannot damage finished work. Rewiring and replumbing happen throughout while walls are open, then plastering, then kitchens and bathrooms, then decorating.
What should be checked first when renovating a Kennington house built before 1919?
How the walls handle moisture. 28% of Kennington's homes were built before 1919, with solid brick and lime mortar that let damp escape through the face. Cement render, gypsum plaster and plastic paints hold it in, and the new finishes then fail. Check the pointing, gutters and ground levels outside, then specify lime and breathable paints on those walls before anything is plastered.
How much of Lambeth is in a conservation area, and does that include Kennington?
Lambeth has 62 conservation areas covering approximately 30% of the borough, and Kennington has its own, designated in 1968. Being in Lambeth tells you little on its own, since the exact address decides it. Check the conservation area map for your street before planning external work in a renovation, because a street just outside the boundary is treated quite differently.
What does renovating a Kennington flat built after 1945 usually involve first?
Finding out what belongs to the building. 60% of Kennington's homes were built after 1945, and in flats of that era the risers, soil stacks and fire-stopping serve other flats as well as yours. Ask the freeholder for any record of the block's services, mark them on the survey drawing, and design the kitchen and bathroom around them rather than planning to move them.
Every Service, One Team
More GS Renovation Services in Kennington
One team for every GS Renovation service in Kennington:
Same Service, Nearby Areas
Home Renovation Near Kennington
We carry out home renovation across Kennington and the surrounding areas. Explore a nearby location:
Ready to Start Your Kennington Project?
Free, no-obligation quote for home renovation in Kennington.