Full House Renovations in South Woodford & East London — strip-back-to-brick refurbishments, one team

A full house renovation is the most efficient way to fix everything that's wrong with a tired East London period property in one go. Spreading the same scope across five different trades over five years costs more, takes longer, and leaves you living through six smaller disruptions instead of one planned one.

Our full-renovation scope typically covers: structural alterations (removing internal walls, adding RSJs for open-plan layouts), full rewire to current 18th Edition standards, full replumb in plastic or copper, new central heating system (gas combi, system boiler, or air-source heat pump where appropriate), full plastering, joinery (skirtings, architraves, doors, fitted storage), kitchen and bathroom fit-out, flooring, and decoration throughout.

Typical clients are owner-occupiers who've just bought a Victorian, Edwardian or 1930s house in South Woodford, Wanstead, Walthamstow, Hackney or Loughton that needs everything done — and want to do it before moving in rather than living through years of weekend works. We also work with landlords refurbishing for premium let, and developers preparing pre-war stock for resale. Most projects run 16–28 weeks on site depending on size and scope.

One contract, one PM, one programme

All trades on our payroll or directly contracted to us — not subcontracted layers. One person runs the programme and answers the phone.

Sequenced for finish quality

Trades handed over on dated milestones with formal inspection. Plastering doesn't start until M&E first-fix is signed off; decoration doesn't start until snag walk is done.

All certificates in one O&M pack

Building Control, Part P electrical, Gas Safe, EPC, FENSA (where applicable) — all handed over on completion in a single document file.

Written workmanship guarantee

Covers structural, M&E, plastering, joinery, kitchen and bathroom fit, tiling and decoration — issued with every renovation contract.

Sequencing is the single biggest determinant of finish quality on a full renovation. The right order: strip-out → structural openings and steels → drainage rework → external envelope (windows, roof if needed) → electrical first-fix → plumbing first-fix → heating first-fix → insulation → plasterboard → plastering → flooring substrate → kitchen install → bathroom install → second-fix electrical → second-fix plumbing → tiling → joinery (skirtings, architraves) → flooring finish → decoration → snag → completion.

Electrical first-fix on a full renovation typically involves a complete rewire to the current 18th Edition (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022). All cables in the walls and floor voids are installed, sockets and switch back-boxes mounted, consumer unit relocated if needed. Modern best practice: USB-A and USB-C built into kitchen and bedside sockets, double sockets in every room (single sockets are obsolete), and at least two CAT6 data drops in living areas for AV.

Plumbing and heating first-fix happens immediately after electrical. Plastic pipework (Hep2O or similar) is now standard for hot/cold supplies — flexible, fewer joints, faster to install. Heating distribution: traditional radiators, underfloor heating, or a hybrid (UFH downstairs, rads upstairs) depending on insulation levels and boiler choice. Boiler selection — combi vs system + cylinder — depends on simultaneous draw-off load (combis can't run two showers at once).

Kitchen and bathroom selection should happen before plastering — not after. The unit positions, plumbing positions, and electrical positions all need to match what's actually being installed, not what was on a generic drawing. We recommend clients commit to kitchen and bathroom suites at second-fix design stage, before first-fix M&E is started.

Decoration is the last finish, after all snags. Modern best practice: mist coat the new plaster, then two full coats. Use trade-grade paint (Dulux Trade Diamond Matt, Crown Trade Clean Extreme) — retail paint doesn't have the wash durability for a family home. Skirting and architrave always finished in eggshell or satin — never matt — so they actually clean.

How long does a full house renovation take?

Do I need to move out during the renovation?

What planning approvals will I need?

What certificates do I get on completion?

Can I supply my own kitchen, bathroom, tiles, etc?

How are payments structured?

What guarantees apply?

Will you handle planning, party wall and Building Control for me?