Before work starts
We agree the written scope, current programme, access and key arrangements. Normal site hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, unless something different is agreed for the project.
Contractor-led renovation advice in Edinburgh
See the possibilities before you commit.
Think about welcoming friends into a home you are considering buying. Sweet Homes offers renovation advice in Edinburgh.
Ask about renovation advice Explore the advice ↓
A thoughtful first step towards your home
Request a paid feasibility walkthrough
Sweet Homes buys and fits the agreed products and materials for every job. We do not fit items bought or supplied by customers. Please allow at least four weeks from your first enquiry before construction can start. We agree your dates and costs with you before work starts.
The pre-purchase walkthrough and written summary are paid work. Send the property area and what you need to understand. We confirm the scope, fee and availability before booking, and the fee is credited towards the project if you proceed.
After you enquire
We reply by email
A 20-minute call about your plans
A site visit if it helps, with any fee agreed first
Your written quotation
We use your details to reply and handle the service you request. Privacy policy.
Before you choose a contractor, read this
We wrote a guide for homeowners who want to know what good renovation looks like. Enter your details and we will send you the link.
We use your details to reply and handle the service you request. Privacy policy.
Renovation advice · Edinburgh
A room-by-room conversation about the home you’re considering: what you’d like to change, how the work could fit together and what will shape the cost. A paid walkthrough gives you a written summary to take forward. Indicative full renovation budgets range from £30,000 to over £100,000 (plus VAT); the agreed scope determines the quotation.
When comparing proposals, read about what a clear renovation quotation should contain.
For advice on the next part of your project, browse our Edinburgh renovation guides for homeowners.
The standard walkthrough reviews visible construction and the information available. Concealed conditions remain unknown until investigated; invasive investigation is separate work, priced and agreed beforehand. This is contractor-led renovation advice, not a chartered surveyor’s survey, valuation, legal report or interior-design service.
For local details, see our consultancy information for St Andrews, Balerno, North Berwick, Linlithgow and Colinton.
For an overview of how we bring refurbishment work together, see our homebuilding show renovation overview.
To check which parts of your renovation we can undertake, see our renovation services.
Customer feedback
What our customers say
4.9/5 from 130+ combined reviews
Google and Edinburgh Trusted Trader
Explore the room through plans and samples
Good questions make space for your own priorities
Small moments, thoughtfully considered
Picture the mornings you want to make
Consider the small things before work begins
Advice you can take forward.
-
Tell us about the property
Send a short description, photographs and the decisions you’re considering. We reply by email and arrange a call.
-
Agree the review
We confirm the format, scope and fee before anything is booked. A paid walkthrough is separate from the first enquiry.
-
Take the next step with a written summary
Keep the likely scope, sequence, cost drivers and remaining questions together when you compare properties or brief contractors.
Use our guide to hidden renovation risks to prepare questions about an older home.
The paid walkthrough
Edinburgh visit and written summary
The pre-purchase renovation walkthrough is a paid service, with the fee credited towards your project if you go ahead with Sweet Homes. We agree the fee and credit details with you before booking.
You can take the written summary to any contractor. Sweet Homes may also quote for later work.
Pre-purchase advice scope, timing and planning
What does the advice include?
The standard walkthrough reviews visible construction and the information available. Concealed conditions remain unknown until investigated; invasive investigation is separate work, priced and agreed beforehand. This is contractor-led renovation advice, not a chartered surveyor’s survey, valuation, legal report or interior-design service.
What needs a specialist?
Your surveyor, structural engineer, architect, designer and legal adviser retain their specialist roles. You appoint the design and approval professionals needed for the proposed renovation. Electrical or gas assessments can be discussed separately; their scope, fee and availability are confirmed before booking.
What should I send first?
A short description and any available photographs are enough for the initial enquiry. If you are considering a purchase, include the listing link and the points the Home Report raises. We identify what else is needed before agreeing a paid visit.
What does the written summary cover?
It records the visible information, likely renovation scope, sequence, cost drivers, assumptions and questions needing further investigation. Concealed conditions are not presented as established findings.
Consider how the proposed work would fit around moving in, access and somewhere to stay if the property cannot be used during the renovation.
If anything in the summary is unclear, ask us to explain the observations and the questions still to resolve.
Do I have to use Sweet Homes afterwards?
No. You can take the written summary to any contractor. Sweet Homes may also quote for later work; that commercial interest is made clear.
Does it include interior design?
No. This is a builder-led feasibility and scope review. You appoint your own architect, interior designer or design team where layouts, drawings or finish schedules are needed.
Is there a fee credit for later work?
The fee for a pre-purchase renovation walkthrough is credited towards your project if you go ahead with Sweet Homes. We agree the details with you before booking.
Advice by location
Auchterarder ↗Balerno ↗Bearsden ↗Bridge of Allan ↗Colinton ↗Glasgow West End ↗Linlithgow ↗Newton Mearns ↗North Berwick ↗St Andrews ↗How is the first conversation separated from paid advice?
The initial enquiry conversation carries no obligation. Any paid visit or advice scope and fee are agreed before booking. If your question is narrow, describe it in the enquiry so we can agree whether it fits an appropriate advice scope.
What if a specialist condition survey is needed?
We are a construction contractor and do not issue Home Reports or RICS Home Survey reports. For a detailed condition survey, appoint an appropriately qualified surveyor first. Where a structural, moisture or other specialist assessment is needed, agree that scope with the relevant independent professional. We use the findings when discussing the proposed construction.
How is the walkthrough different from the Home Report?
The seller normally provides the Home Report: a single survey and valuation, an energy report and a property questionnaire. Its survey is based on visual inspection. It does not price your particular renovation brief. Our agreed advice focuses on the proposed work and its limits. Read the official Home Report guide.
When should we ask for advice during a purchase?
Discuss the timing with your solicitor and seek the relevant advice before the purchase becomes binding at conclusion of missives. Understanding the likely work can inform your offer and whether the project suits your plans. Read the Scottish Government’s explanation of offers and missives.
Can the discussion cover more than one property or quotation?
If you are comparing properties, explain that before booking. Agree which properties, visits and written comparisons are covered, and the fee, before booking. A useful comparison considers the asking price alongside the proposed work, likely programme and uncertainties. If comparing construction quotations, bring the actual scopes: missing or vague items need identifying before totals are treated as comparable.
Which renovation questions are useful before an offer?
Consider whether existing wiring, heating, plumbing and drainage can be retained; what a proposed wall opening involves; and whether sash windows, listed fabric, parking or the common stair affect the plan. Structure, services and access can change the construction cost. Ask about the renovation cost guide for broad homeowner budgeting context, with the actual property assessed separately.
Does a neighbour’s approval settle our proposal?
No. A nearby approval is not permission for your property. Building standards have changed several times since 2023; Edinburgh replaced its householder planning guidance in 2025. Ask your appointed designer to check the current guidance and the exact proposal, and whether a fresh application is needed. Your solicitor deals with any purchase, title or ownership issue.
Can we discuss a property outside the listed advice areas?
Tell us the location and what you need. Any remote review, travel and site visit depend on the agreed scope, diary and practical coverage. Confirm those arrangements and any fee before booking.
Care before, during and after the work
A calmer way through the project
Comfort comes from knowing what happens next, who owns the decision and what will be put in writing.
While work is moving
Shared access is protected before work begins and kept clear. Sites are kept tidy for health and safety, swept regularly, with waste and supplies managed appropriately.
If something changes
The affected work pauses. We show you the finding, explain the practical options and record the cost and programme effect before additional work proceeds.
At handover
We walk through the work, record agreed snags and confirm the relevant project documents. The workmanship warranty is set out in the written project terms.
Before buying a property for a project, work through these tenement checks.
For this kind of project
Know what the advice can answer before the visit
This is contractor-led, visible feasibility advice. It helps with renovation scope, order and budget, but it is not a structural survey, valuation or legal report.
- Which decisions must the visit help you make, and what documents are already available?
- Which areas cannot be seen without opening up, and which specialist checks may still be needed?
- What should the written summary make clear enough to take to any contractor?
Tell us anything about living in the home that the project plan should take into account.
Tell us about your projectLet’s talk about your home
What would you like to understand?
Send a short enquiry. We reply by email and arrange a follow-up call; any paid visit is agreed separately.
Ask about renovation advice