We have a 2 bedroom flat in Edinburgh, that after being let for 10 years, required a lot of work. On top of that - we had a considerable issue with ‘smokers drift’ - tobacco smoke drifting through the old floorboards and other gaps around piping etc. from the flat below that made the flat unsuitable for our young son to stay in. We had a redundant gas fire that needed to be removed - along with the fireplace. A new kitchen needed to be fitted. This was a huge job. Brunon and his team ripped back everything - the floorboards were removed throughout the entire flat, new floorboards down along with a membrane to stop the smoke, all gaps sealed where possible, and new flooring laid throughout. The plaster in the living room was coming away from the walls - so the that was made sound and re-plastered along with the ceiling. Old kitchen was pulled out and a new one fitted. New radiators and heating pipes fitted throughout. And finally the flat was decorated throughout. It’s been done to a really high standard and I’m delighted with the work - Brunon ensured we were satisfied with what had been done and checked in several times after the work finished to make sure there were no outstanding ‘niggles’. Brunon and his team were great to work with - this was a huge job and quite stressful for us, particularly as we weren’t in Edinburgh to oversee the work. Brunon kept infrequent contact - updating us with photos and letting us know what he needed from us to keep on track. One of the major benefits we found in working with Brunon was Anna. I’ve had the experience in the past where I’ve left endless messages with tradies and no one gets back to you, or does days later (usually when you’re in a meeting at work). Having the ability to chat to someone on the phone to find out information when it suits you while knowing you aren’t disturbing the work was great. Anna really helped to reassure us that everything we were concerned about would be taken care of, and in a timely manner. This was a great benefit of using this team. I’d highly recommend this trader and Brunon will be the first person we contact if we need any further work in the future.
Verified Edinburgh Trusted Trader review
Home Renovations Edinburgh
A kitchen wall can carry wiring for the room next door. New flooring changes door clearances and the height of fitted joinery. Heating and plumbing rarely respect a room-by-room budget.
Sweet Homes coordinates whole-property construction for Edinburgh homeowners under one written scope.
What a home renovation can include
The build may include kitchens and bathrooms alongside rewiring, plumbing, heating, plastering, structural alterations, flooring, decoration and fitted joinery. We put more weight on the services, structure and opening-up than on the number of rooms in a list. Those are the parts that reach across the property and become difficult to change after finishes go in.
Electrical and gas work is carried out and certified through the competent trades we appoint. If you are still deciding who to appoint, how to choose a renovation contractor in Edinburgh sets out the checks worth making first. If you have not bought the property yet, our builder-led feasibility walkthrough is the separate paid route for testing the visible renovation scope and cost drivers before you commit.
You appoint the architect, structural engineer and building-warrant route where the proposal needs them. Sweet Homes remains the contractor. Damp investigation or sound-reduction work may be included inside a wider renovation, but neither is offered here as a separate service.
Sweet Homes builds in Edinburgh, and pre-purchase feasibility checks are written up by area for Colinton and Balerno. Homeowners researching renovations in Glasgow or in Stirling will find the same guidance there, without a construction offer attached.
Older properties do not reveal every condition at survey. If opening-up changes the known scope, the affected work pauses while we record what is visible. The project contract sets the variation and approval process.
Where the brief includes a permanent desk, agree the equipment and cable access alongside the room layout. The home office joinery page covers those parts of the specification. If the proposal uses existing space below ground, the basement conversion page sets out the feasibility questions before a construction scope is priced.
Look at where the heat is going before you insulate a wall
In a typical tenement, Heriot-Watt University’s study for Historic Scotland put windows at 15 per cent of the heat loss in a traditional building, rising to 19 per cent for a flat. That is worth knowing before the budget goes on the walls. On the work we take on, glazing and the roof or top-floor ceiling come first and the walls come last, because wall insulation in a solid-walled home is usually the lowest payback and carries the highest risk to the fabric. Radiator sizing is worth checking too. A room running a 1200mm single panel where it needs an 1800mm double will feel cold on the worst days of the year no matter what the boiler is doing.
Why we will not give you a mist-coat recipe
We do not publish a universal mist-coat recipe, because there is not one. One product allows a diluted first coat, another needs a dedicated primer or sealer. New plaster, friable old plaster, a patch repair and a sound painted wall are four different backgrounds, and the specification follows the wall in front of us.
How much does a home renovation cost in Edinburgh?
Our indicative 2026 bands run from £9,600 including VAT (£8,000 plus VAT) for single-room work without structural change to £480,000 or more including VAT (£400,000 or more plus VAT) for whole-home structural, service or heritage work. The bands overlap, and a measured property with a defined specification is needed for a quotation.
These ranges are indicative 2026 homeowner totals including VAT at the current 20% standard rate; the underlying plus-VAT bands are retained in brackets.
| Typical scope | Homeowner total, including VAT (underlying band plus VAT) |
|---|---|
| Single-room work without structural change; check the relevant service range | £9,600–£54,000 including VAT (£8,000–£45,000 plus VAT) |
| Multi-room refurbishment with service upgrades, joinery or some layout change | £48,000–£180,000 including VAT (£40,000–£150,000 plus VAT) |
| Whole-home structural renovation, extensive service replacement or heritage work | £120,000–£480,000+ including VAT (£100,000–£400,000+ plus VAT) |
The overlap is real. A measured property and a defined specification are needed for a quotation.
Scope changes, late decisions, slow responses and inaccurate specifications can alter cost. Damaged deliveries and one-off products from untested suppliers can hold several trades behind one missing item. Region-wide shortages sit outside both the drawing and the room count.
Can we stay in the house during a renovation?
Usually, for a single room, kitchen or bathroom project. Rewiring, extensive plumbing or heating work can remove the essential services that make a larger occupied project workable, so we discuss that part of the programme before site work and may recommend a holiday over the disruptive stretch.
Temporary services and clean or dirty zones are agreed for the contract in front of us.
If your project includes a kitchen renovation or bathroom renovation, those service pages describe the room work in detail. Fitted wardrobes and media walls cover the more specific joinery scopes.
For added or reclaimed space, see house extensions, loft conversions and garage conversions. Each page explains its construction scope and professional boundaries.
The renovation cost guide explains allowances, assumptions and exclusions across these scopes. For a listed property, listed building renovation explains the professional and consent boundaries for the work.
Whole-home renovation reviews
Two published records of whole-flat renovations in Edinburgh.
We have a 1960’s flat that was looking very tired. Brunon and the team went through the whole flat (except for the kitchen and bathroom which we had done last year) and massively upgraded the feel of the place. It now looks and feels so much better. The specific things they did were; * Replace all of the laminate flooring with LVT vinyl tiles. They made this flow through the flat so that there are no joins in the doorways and it looks fantastic. *Replace all of the skirting boards * Replace all of the internal doors with solid core oak doors including replacing the door surround *Installed a pocket door for the kitchen which has given us back loads of space in the kitchen * Move a radiator and conceal other heating pipework in the walls * Move electrical sockets * Tidy up the walls- remove wall paper; fill in socket blanks from when the flat was rewired years ago, sink some cables into the wall that had been in surface trunking, plasterboard over some parts to provide a smooth finish * Repaint throughout - walls and ceilings and all woodwork * Wallpapered a single wall in each room * Hung a curtain rail and coat hooks etc There were challenges due to Covid which impacted the time taken versus the expected time (workers got pinged on the app etc) and materials are a nightmare for everyone at the moment. However Brunon kept me informed and we worked together to get through it.
Verified Edinburgh Trusted Trader review
Home renovation questions
We supply and fit every job. We do not offer labour-only work and we do not offer fit-only work, because one firm owning both the materials and the workmanship gives you one clear line of responsibility. The whole sequence, from first call to handover, is set out on how we work.
How much does a home renovation cost in Edinburgh?
The bands published above run from £9,600 including VAT (£8,000 plus VAT) for a single room without structural change to £120,000 and beyond for a whole-home structural renovation. The overlap between them is real. A measured property and a defined specification are what turn a band into a quotation.
How soon can the work start?
We do not book works within four weeks of a first enquiry. That period covers the call, the survey, the written quotation, your decision and the ordering that has to happen before trades arrive. If something needs attention sooner than that, say so on the call and we will point you to the right emergency trade for the immediate problem while the planned work is scheduled properly.
Can we stay in the house during the work?
Clients routinely stay for a single room, kitchen or bathroom project. Rewiring, extensive plumbing or heating work can remove the essential services that make a larger occupied project workable. We discuss that stretch of the programme before site work and may recommend a holiday over the worst of it. Temporary services and clean or dirty zones are agreed in the contract in front of us.
Do we need an architect or a structural engineer?
Where the proposal needs them, you appoint the architect, the structural engineer and the building-warrant route. Sweet Homes remains the contractor: we read that information and price the work it describes. We will not fold a design or approval appointment into our role simply because the drawings are needed on site.
What can change the price after the quotation?
Scope changes, late decisions, slow responses and inaccurate specifications. Older properties also do not reveal every condition at survey, so if opening-up changes the known scope the affected work pauses while we record what is visible. The project contract sets the variation and approval process.
What happens after we enquire?
We reply by email. If the project looks like a fit we ask for the property details, any drawings or approval information and a few photographs, then arrange a twenty-minute call to work through the brief. A site visit follows the call, and the written quotation follows the visit. Send a couple of windows that suit for the call and we will hold the time.
Why do you not offer labour-only work, or fit materials we buy ourselves?
No. We supply and fit every job, whatever its size. We do not offer labour-only work and we do not offer fit-only work. When one firm buys the materials and carries out the work, you have one clear line of responsibility if something goes wrong, rather than an argument between the product and the fitting. If you have already chosen products, send the product codes and we will buy those exact items and include them in the quotation.
Tell us about your renovation
Send the property details and what you are planning. Our team reads every enquiry, replies by email, and where the project looks like a fit we arrange a twenty-minute call to go through the scope before anyone visits.
Our team reviews every enquiry. We use your details to reply and handle the service you request. Privacy policy.
Project responsibility
Who manages the work
Brunon oversees project programmes across Edinburgh and is typically available by phone or email. The staff assigned to your job handle the day-to-day site work independently within the agreed scope, with the responsible contact confirmed before work starts.