The state of UK home renovation in 2026: a survey of 300 homeowners

What we asked, and who answered

We surveyed 300 UK homeowners in April 2026, all of whom had recently completed a home renovation. We asked how the project went against budget and timeline, how they found and rated their contractor, where the friction was, and, crucially, what they would do differently next time. Where a figure is based only on a sub-group (for example, the homeowners who had a payment dispute), we have said so.

UK home renovation statistics: 20 findings from 300 homeowners

The figures below come from Renno's survey of 300 UK homeowners in April 2026. You're welcome to cite any of them with a link back to this page.

Do UK renovations go over budget? Two in three do

The bluntest finding is about money and time. Renovations overwhelmingly cost more and take longer than planned, and it happens across every income level, property type and experience level, a sign of systemic under-estimation rather than one-off bad luck.

How much does a UK renovation cost in 2026?

One reason budgets slip is that homeowners often start without a realistic benchmark. Our survey found 52% of renovations were budgeted under £25,000 and only 23% above £50,000, yet two in three still went over. Knowing the going rate for your type of project is the first defence against a nasty surprise.

As a rough 2026 guide, a new kitchen typically runs £10,000 to £20,000, with high-end fits topping £50,000, and a new bathroom averages around £6,000 (£4,500 to £12,000 depending on spec), according to the HomeOwners Alliance. A loft conversion averages about £50,000 (from £27,500 for a Velux to over £50,000 for a dormer, according to Checkatrade), and single or double-storey extensions tend to run £1,800 to £3,000 per square metre.

Location matters too. London and the South East run roughly 25 to 35% above the UK average for the same work, while the North East, Wales and parts of the Midlands sit 10 to 20% below. Whatever your figure, the lesson from our data is the same: agree a detailed scope and a fixed price before work starts, then add a contingency on top. The homeowners who came in on budget almost always knew their number going in.

This is a problem Renno is built to solve: the scope and price are agreed up front and the money is protected and released in stages, so an overrun becomes a change you approve rather than a surprise you absorb.

Are homeowners happy with their builders?

Here's the twist. Despite the overruns and delays, satisfaction with the actual work is high. The frustration sits with the process, cost and time, not the craftsmanship.

In other words, homeowners largely trust the people doing the work. What they can't control is where the money goes and when, the exact gap a renovation needs closing before the first payment leaves their account.

Should you pay a builder a deposit? What's normal and what's safe

Deposits were one of the flashpoints in our survey. Several homeowners described being asked for a large sum up front, or for payment before the work was finished. So what is reasonable? In UK domestic building there is no single legally mandated structure, but there is clear consumer guidance.

Citizens Advice recommends pushing deposits as low as you can and never agreeing to more than 25%, with a reasonable deposit usually 10 to 20% and tied to evidence that work has actually begun. The Federation of Master Builders advises against large upfront sums and in favour of aligning payments with measurable progress on site, ideally under a written contract such as a JCT Homeowner or FMB Domestic Building Contract that bakes in payment terms, defects liability and dispute resolution.

The safest arrangement is simple: a modest deposit, then staged payments released as each phase is completed and inspected, never a large lump sum before there is work to show for it. Always get a receipt for a deposit and for any materials it covers. This is exactly the structure Renno automates: the client's money is secured up front and released to the builder stage by stage as work is signed off, so a builder is never floating the job and a homeowner is never paying for work they can't yet see.

What do homeowners wish they'd done differently?

Of the 300 homeowners who answered, the lessons clustered into a handful of themes — and almost all of them are about planning and money, the things that can be locked down before work begins.

In their own words

We asked homeowners, in their own words, about payment disputes and what they would change. The answers sorted into a few clear themes.

On cost creep

“It was supposed to be a set price, and then the price changed which left me very unhappy.”

“Materials cost much more than they quoted, and I had to pay the extra.”

On deposits and payment timing

“He wanted me to provide a much larger deposit.”

“Payment wanted before the work was completed.”

On delays

“He didn't turn up.” … “Not finished on time.”

On what they'd change

“Plan for longer delays than I did this time.” … “Get a number of quotes before committing to one contractor.” … “Have a buffer budget for unforeseen issues.”

Almost every frustration here is something Renno is designed to solve: scope, stages and price agreed in writing before work starts, and each payment released only once that stage is done and you're happy with it.

How to find a trustworthy builder (and avoid rogue traders)

Most renovations go well because most builders are good: 84% of our respondents were satisfied with their contractor. The risk is concentrated at the hiring stage. UK homeowners have lost an estimated £14.3bn to rogue or unlicensed builders over the past five years, according to the Federation of Master Builders, and there is no compulsory licensing for builders in the UK, so the vetting falls to you.

The checklist is well established. Get several written quotes rather than one. Check membership of a recognised body such as the Federation of Master Builders, or use a Trading Standards approved scheme like Buy With Confidence. Ask for references and recent examples of similar work, confirm they carry public liability insurance, and insist on a written contract and scope before any money changes hands. Our data backs the instinct: 48% of homeowners found their builder through personal recommendation, and 13% of those who would renovate again said they would vet harder or get more quotes next time.

Even a well-chosen builder can hit cost or scope friction mid-job, which is where the real disputes start. So vetting is the first layer of protection and a clear, staged payment agreement is the second. Renno adds that second layer automatically, holding each stage's money in a protected account and releasing it only when the work is done, so a good hire stays a good experience all the way to the final payment.

How do UK homeowners pay for renovations?

Renovations are largely self-funded, which is part of why the stakes feel so high. In our survey, 78% of homeowners paid for their renovation out of personal savings, far ahead of any other method.

A bank or secured loan was used by 22%, a credit card by 20%, and remortgaging or equity release by 14%. Government grants or schemes featured for just 3%. For most people, then, this is their own hard-saved money going straight to a contractor, which makes trust and payment protection matter all the more.

It also explains the budget anxiety elsewhere in the data. When the money is your savings, a 20 or 30% overrun is not an abstract line item, it is the holiday or the rainy-day fund. That is the case for treating a renovation payment the way you would treat any large transfer of your own money: agreed in stages, protected until the work is delivered, and released on your say-so. For homeowners paying from savings, that control is the difference between a stressful project and a safe one.

What this tells us

The pattern is clear and fixable. Homeowners don't struggle with the building itself. They struggle with cost that creeps after the quote, timelines that slip, and the uncertainty of handing over large sums before they can see the work. Their own advice, unprompted, is to agree things up front: nail the scope and price, build in a real contingency, and get changes in writing before they happen.

That is the model Renno is built around: the money for each stage is agreed and protected from the start, and released only when the work is done and you're happy with it. It won't choose your tiles or move your timeline, but on the two things homeowners struggle with most, keeping control of the cost and knowing their money is safe, it's built for exactly that.

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