House Renovations

House Renovation Manchester
Full Refurbishment Across Greater Manchester

Renovat Construction delivers complete house renovation and refurbishment services across Greater Manchester. Whether you are renovating a Victorian terrace in Chorlton, refurbishing a buy-to-let in Salford, or undertaking a full structural renovation of a period property in Stockport, we manage every trade under one contract. 25 years of experience across Greater Manchester's housing stock. Fixed pricing, certified project management, 12-month workmanship guarantee.

What Does a Full House Renovation Include?

A full house renovation is the most comprehensive building project a homeowner or property investor undertakes. The scope varies significantly depending on the property's age, condition and what the finished result needs to achieve. In Greater Manchester, where the majority of the housing stock was built before 1939, a full renovation typically involves working with lime plaster, solid brick walls, cast iron drainage, lead pipework in older properties and knob-and-tube wiring in properties that have never been rewired. Understanding these specific characteristics of the region's housing stock before pricing a project is what separates an accurate fixed price quote from one that unravels once the walls come open.

A complete house renovation typically includes a combination of the following works, depending on the specific property and project scope.

• Structural alterations including removing or relocating internal walls with engineer-designed steel beams, addressing historic movement and installing structural openings for extensions or loft conversions
• Complete rewiring to current BS 7671 wiring regulations including new consumer unit, all circuits, sockets, lighting and smoke alarms throughout
• Full replumbing replacing outdated pipework, relocating bathrooms and kitchens and installing new heating systems
• Central heating upgrades including new boiler, cylinder, underfloor heating, radiator upgrades and smart thermostat controls
• Kitchen installation including design, units, worktops, appliances and all associated plumbing and electrical work
• Bathroom renovations including new bathrooms, en-suites, wet rooms and cloakrooms with all associated trades
• Plastering and dry lining including replastering existing walls and ceilings and installing new plasterboard where required
• Flooring throughout including engineered wood, LVT, ceramic tiles, laminate or carpet depending on room and specification
• Window and external door replacement to current thermal performance standards
• Insulation upgrades including loft, cavity wall, internal wall insulation and floor insulation where accessible
• Complete decoration throughout including preparation, painting, wallpapering and all finishing
• External works including roof repairs, repointing, rendering and making good the external envelope

Renovating Victorian and Edwardian Properties in Greater Manchester

The majority of renovation projects we undertake across Greater Manchester involve Victorian or Edwardian terraced and semi-detached properties. These properties, predominantly built between 1860 and 1914, share specific construction characteristics that determine how they are renovated correctly and what the common failure points are when they are renovated incorrectly.

Solid brick walls without a cavity are the standard construction type for this era. Unlike cavity wall properties, solid brick walls cannot be injected with foam cavity insulation. The only insulation options are external render with insulation incorporated or internal wall insulation using insulated plasterboard or a separate stud wall with insulation batts. Internal insulation reduces room dimensions marginally but is the most practical option in most cases. It must be designed carefully to avoid cold bridging at floor and ceiling junctions, which creates condensation and mould at the edges of the insulated area. We have encountered poorly designed internal insulation across numerous Greater Manchester properties where cold bridging was not addressed and mould has developed within months of completion. We design around this from the outset.

Lime plaster on original lath is present throughout unmodified Victorian properties. This plaster is breathable and has typically survived well over a century of use. Where it is sound, it can be renovated with careful filling, stabilising and redecoration using breathable paints. Where it has failed — detached from the lath, cracked in large sections, or contaminated by historic damp — replastering with modern gypsum plaster is the correct approach. We assess each area individually rather than applying a blanket approach. Unnecessary replastering in a Victorian property wastes money and removes historic fabric that cannot be replaced. See also our painting and decorating service for more on breathable paint specifications for older plaster.

Original timber floors, cast iron fireplaces, cornicing and ceiling roses in Victorian properties across Chorlton, Didsbury, Levenshulme and Salford are assets that add character and value. We restore and retain these features where they are sound rather than defaulting to their removal. Timber floors are sanded and finished rather than covered. Fireplaces are retained and made functional where the chimney is sound. Cornicing is repaired in matching profiles using fibrous plaster rather than being removed and replaced with a plain cornice or coved ceiling.

Types of House Renovation We Undertake

Rewiring a Victorian House in Manchester: What to Expect

Complete rewiring is one of the most disruptive elements of renovating an older Greater Manchester property and the one homeowners and property investors most commonly underestimate in terms of scope. Understanding what it involves before the project begins avoids surprises during construction.

A full rewire involves removing all existing wiring throughout the property, installing new cable runs to every socket, light fitting, switch and appliance, installing a new consumer unit to current 18th Edition wiring regulations, and connecting to the meter tails. In a Victorian terrace the cable runs typically go through the floor voids on the ground floor and through the roof void at first floor level, dropping down through channels cut in the plasterwork to reach socket and switch positions. This channel cutting is unavoidable and means that a full rewire on an original plaster property requires replastering of all walls where channels have been cut. We plan rewiring routes at the outset to minimise the number of channels required and advise on whether spot repairs or full replastering is the more cost-effective approach for the specific condition of each wall.

All electrical work must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations and be carried out by a registered electrician. An Electrical Installation Certificate is issued on completion and is required when the property is sold or let. For rental properties, an Electrical Installation Condition Report is required every five years. We provide all certifications at handover.

Renovation for Landlords and Property Investors in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester's rental market is one of the strongest in England outside London. The combination of two major universities, a large young professional population, sustained inward migration and the growth of MediaCityUK and the wider city centre economy generates consistent demand for well-renovated rental property across all price points and in all boroughs.

The most effective landlord renovation approach in Greater Manchester differs depending on the target tenant and the location. Properties targeting young professionals in Chorlton, Didsbury, the Northern Quarter fringe and Salford Quays benefit from quality finishes, proper insulation reducing energy bills, and a specification that photographs well for online listings. Properties targeting working families in the outer boroughs benefit more from durability and low maintenance finishes than from premium materials. Properties being converted to HMO use have specific minimum standards for room sizes, fire safety and facilities. We advise on the right specification for each property and tenant market before pricing any renovation. See our HMO conversions service for full details on HMO-specific requirements.

Landlord compliance requirements have increased significantly since 2015. Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards now require rental properties to achieve an EPC rating of E or above for new tenancies, with proposals to raise this further. We advise on the insulation and heating upgrades needed to achieve the target rating for your specific property as part of any renovation specification. All gas work is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers. All electrical work is certified under Part P. We hand over every landlord renovation with a complete compliance documentation pack ready for the letting agent.

The House Renovation Process

Areas We Cover for House Renovations

We renovate properties across all of Greater Manchester. Our strongest volume of work is in the Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing of south Manchester, including Chorlton, Didsbury, Levenshulme, Withington, Fallowfield, Gorton and Longsight, and in Salford where similar property types predominate. We also carry out significant volumes of work in the 1930s semi-detached housing of Trafford, Sale, Altrincham and Stockport, and in properties throughout Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Tameside, Wigan and Oldham. Each area and property type presents specific challenges and we bring 25 years of regional experience to every project.