What home improvement projects cost
Published guide figures for the big home projects, gathered from named UK publishers on 2026-07-17. These are guide figures, not quotes: every figure on every page links to the source that published it, with its date. The only way to know your price is quotes from local tradespeople.
Where these figures come from
Each guide gathers the figures the big UK publishers have put in print: trade directories, trade press, trade bodies, consumer bodies, installers and government pages. We never average away their disagreements. Where two publishers put very different numbers on the same job, the guide says so and explains why, because the spread itself tells you something about the job.
Figures retrieved from the named sources on 2026-07-17. Prices change; always confirm with quotes.
More ways to check who to trust
Free, independent checks. No ads, no paid placement.
- Trade Credential Guide
Which official register to check for each trade, and how to verify it.
- Cowboy Checker
Spot the warning signs of a dishonest business before you hire.
- Compare Quotes
Enter the names from your quotes and line them up on the public evidence.
- Company Health Check
Check whether the company behind a business is active, dissolved, or in liquidation.
- Certifications
The certifications, licences and registrations we have found in public sources, and what each one means.
- Do I Need Planning Permission?
Whether your project needs planning permission, with the rules cited and your council's real record.
- Paperwork Checker
The certificates your building work should have produced, and what to do if one is missing.
- Quote Check
Describe the quote you were given and see which features are officially listed warning signs.
- Rating Reality Check
Where a rating and review count really sit against the market's full distribution.
- Licence Check
A licence number from a van or quote, checked against every public register included here in one search.
- Gas and Electrical Rules
Gas Safe rules, England's notifiable electrical work, and the DIY the law actually allows.
- Emergency: Who to Call
Gas smell, power cut, burst pipe: the official number to call first, from the official pages.
- Planning Approval Times
How long planning permission really takes in your council, from its own register.
- Waste Carrier Check
If your rubbish is fly-tipped, the fine can be yours. The duty of care and the free check.
- Heat Pump Grant Checker
The published heat pump grant, who actually claims it, and whether the conditions cover you.
- Busy Season
When each trade is actually busiest, from the dates on real finished jobs.
- Before You Pay the Final Bill
Faulty work and a final bill: the Act's remedy ladder, stated honestly for both sides.
- VAT on Building Work
20%, 5%, 0%, or legitimately none at all: what the published VAT rules actually say.
- Council Experience
Which architects and agents know your local council.
- Planning Approval Rate
How often a firm's planning applications get approved.
- Planning Finder
Planning applications and the architects behind them, by postcode.