Home Renovation Kensington and Chelsea
Whole-home renovations in Kensington and Chelsea, 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 Kensington and Chelsea, restoring and modernising the period townhouses and mansion flats of SW3, SW7, W8 and W11. One team manages the rewiring, replumbing, replastering and structural work, sequencing it all so a period home in Chelsea or Notting Hill comes together as a single coordinated project.
In Kensington and Chelsea, 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 Kensington and Chelsea: 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 Kensington and Chelsea and bathroom renovation in Kensington and Chelsea. With 84% of homes in Kensington and Chelsea 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 Kensington and Chelsea
Kensington and Chelsea range: choose above
Whole-house refurbishment in Kensington and Chelsea
The multi-storey townhouses of Kensington, Knightsbridge and South Kensington often need a full overhaul: dated wiring and pipework replaced, walls replastered, and cramped Victorian layouts reconfigured for how people live now. We run the trades in the right order, from first-fix electrics and plumbing through plastering and joinery to final decoration, so the work flows floor by floor rather than stalling. Notifiable electrical work is certified by a registered electrician under Part P, or notified to building control, as we go.
Reconfiguring a period layout frequently means removing a load-bearing wall for a steel beam, and we fold that structural work into the same programme rather than treating it separately. Because many of these homes are listed or in conservation areas, we retain and repair original features such as cornicing, sash windows, fireplaces and staircases, checking whether listed building consent is needed before altering anything of historic value.
Housing in Kensington and Chelsea
The valuation list shows roughly 89,280 homes in Kensington and Chelsea, of which 65% are pre-1919, 8% interwar and 26% post-1945, split 84% flats to 16% houses. Most homes here are flats, and refurbishing a flat in Kensington and Chelsea starts with the freeholder's licence for alterations.
Windows in a Kensington and Chelsea whole-house renovation
Windows are the part of a whole-house renovation in Kensington and Chelsea where the rules are moving. The council has consulted on a Windows Local Development Order to remove the need for separate planning permission to change existing windows in non-listed residential properties across the borough. Until that order is in force, and for any house it does not cover, a replacement window in a conservation area can still need an application of its own. So the window schedule is drawn up at the start and checked against the order's status at that time. Ordering joinery before that check risks sashes that cannot be fitted.
Building regulations are the constant through all of it. The council's Householders' Guide to windows, published with the draft order, states that building regulations apply to all replacement windows, so even a like-for-like timber sash has to meet the thermal standard and must not make ventilation or escape worse than before. In a renovation that shapes the sequence. Windows are measured once the structural openings are final, fitted before first fix plastering so the reveals are made good once, and signed off either through a registered installer's certificate or by building control.
Restoring period features across Kensington and Chelsea
A refurbishment in W8 or W11 is as much about conserving the original fabric as installing new services. We repair rather than replace where the character depends on it, matching plaster mouldings, reinstating panelled doors and overhauling the sash windows that define these facades. Modern comforts such as rewired lighting, updated heating and insulation are introduced discreetly so they sit comfortably within a period interior.
Managing all of this under one contract avoids the gaps that appear when separate tradespeople work in isolation. We sequence the structural steel, the bathrooms, the kitchen and the decoration so each stage is ready for the next, and coordinate building control inspections throughout. For owners in the borough's conservation areas, we keep the works compliant with the council's requirements and any listed building consent conditions.
- Structural alterations and load-bearing wall removal
- Plastering, flooring, painting and decorating
- Snagging list agreed and worked through before handover
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 21 statistical areas in Kensington and Chelsea. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Why Kensington and Chelsea Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Owners across Kensington and Chelsea choose GS Renovation for whole-house work because refurbishing a listed or period townhouse needs one team that understands both old fabric and modern building regulations. We sequence structure, services, kitchens, bathrooms and decoration together, retain original features, and keep the project compliant. Our founder's 30+ years on the tools stands behind every renovation.
- Kitchen and bathroom selections planned early to hold the programme
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs
- Notifiable electrical work certified by a registered electrician under Part P
George always kept to commitments and arrived on time. He offered helpful suggestions during his initial visit and promptly provided a reasonably…
It's the second time I have hired George and he has been absolutely professional and the work he did resembles perfectly what I had in mind. Being an…
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 Kensington and Chelsea
What is included in your home renovation price in Kensington and Chelsea?
Every home renovation quotation for a Kensington and Chelsea property lists the structural work, the following trades, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea building control inspections and the making good, inside £40,000 to £150,000 or more (indicative). Site protection and the daily clear-up at W8 are included. The scope is written against what decides the job, because the age of the wiring decides whether a rewire comes first.
Can you renovate my listed Kensington townhouse without losing its period features?
Yes. In Kensington's listed and conservation-area homes we repair and retain original features such as cornicing, sash windows and fireplaces, and introduce new wiring, plumbing and heating discreetly. Where the house is listed, works that affect its character need listed building consent, inside as well as out, so we check your property's status first. Internal renovation itself needs building regulations, not planning permission, and we manage those inspections throughout.
What consents do I need to renovate my Kensington and Chelsea flat?
Begin with the lease rather than the council. Flats are 84% of the borough's homes, and a typical lease makes you ask the freeholder in writing before touching the structure or relocating a kitchen or bathroom; some add rules about hard flooring over the flat below. If the building is listed, internal alterations may also need listed building consent from the Royal Borough, applied for before any strip-out.
Should I get an asbestos survey for my Kensington and Chelsea renovation?
Yes, before any strip-out. Any building from before 2000 can contain asbestos, and that takes in the post-war blocks, which are 26% of homes here, as well as period houses altered during the twentieth century. Textured ceilings, floor tiles, pipe lagging and boxing are the usual suspects. The survey identifies it so it is removed safely before the main programme starts.
In what order are floors renovated in a Kensington and Chelsea townhouse?
Usually from the top down. New cables and pipework rise through every storey, so first fix runs through the whole house before any plastering. Working downwards means dust and debris travel towards unfinished floors rather than finished ones. In a tall SW3 or SW7 house we also agree where new risers go early, as they have to line up floor by floor.
Does my Kensington and Chelsea flat's heating system affect renovation plans?
Yes, significantly. Some mansion blocks have communal heating and hot water, which limits changes to radiators and pipework; others have individual boilers or electric heating. Knowing which system your flat has before first fix decides where pipes run, whether a boiler or cylinder can go in, and what the freeholder must approve. Replacing a gas boiler needs a Gas Safe engineer.
Can slim double glazing go into the sashes of a Grade II listed Chelsea house?
Possibly, depending on where the house is. The council has consulted on a draft Local Listed Building Consent Order allowing double-glazed sealed units within existing window frames of Grade II listed buildings in the Queen's Gate, Pembridge and Holland Park conservation areas. Similar works to Grade II* and higher grade buildings would still require an application for listed building consent. Check whether the order has been made, and whether the address falls inside those areas, before ordering glass. Outside the order, sealed units in a listed building need listed building consent.
Where exactly is the Pembridge Conservation Area in Kensington and Chelsea?
The Pembridge Conservation Area is bounded by Westbourne Grove to the north, Notting Hill Gate to the south and Pembridge Road and Portobello Road to the west. That boundary matters for a renovation because Pembridge is one of the three conservation areas named in the council's draft Local Listed Building Consent Order for double-glazed sealed units in Grade II listed buildings. A house just outside the line would fall outside the order, so check the map before relying on it.
Is Holland Park one conservation area or several for renovation purposes?
One. The Holland Park Conservation Area was designated in 1981 when two smaller conservation areas were amalgamated, so older documents may still use the earlier names. Check the current boundary map rather than the paperwork. The boundary matters now because Holland Park is named in the council's draft Local Listed Building Consent Order on sealed units for Grade II listed buildings. Whether an address sits inside it decides whether sealed units can go into existing frames under the order or need an application of their own.
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