Whole House Renovation
Whole house renovation, for the house that deserves better
Complete refurbishment of homes across Essex and London, from strip out to show home standard finish.
The service
You bought well. Great location, great kerb appeal, the right street. Then you lived in it for a month and understood the problem: the interior was poorly thought out, and no amount of decorating fixes a layout that does not work.
That is the house a whole house renovation is for. We take on complete refurbishments of homes that are worth doing properly: rethinking the layout, renewing what is tired, and finishing every room to the standard Craig has delivered in show homes for 33 years.
What we build
- Full strip out and refurbishment, room by room or all at once
- Internal layout changes and structural openings, so the house flows
- New kitchens, bathrooms and luxury W/C fit outs
- Complete redecoration, flooring, joinery and bespoke detailing
- High end finishes and furnishings, sourced through our supplier relationships
- Building regulations, structural design and approvals coordinated for you
The process
Site visit and brief
We respond within 24 hours and walk the house with you, listening for how you actually want to live in it.
Design
Layout, finishes and furnishings planned as one scheme, not decorated afterwards.
Transparent quote
One clear price for the whole renovation before work begins.
Delivery
Typically 8 to 12 weeks for a refurbishment, under SMSTS qualified management, programmed honestly around whether you stay in the house.
Handover
Full snagging, a 3 month workmanship warranty, product warranties, 12 month touch up service.
SMAS accredited · SMSTS site management · First aid trained team
£5m public liability · £10m employers liability · £1m professional indemnity
Established 2009 · £20m+ of projects delivered
Featured project
Cold Norton: a whole house refurbishment, handed over on the day promised
A complete house refurbishment for owners on a very tight timeline: new layout, new staircase, three new bathrooms and a new kitchen, delivered on the day we promised. Deadlines are a design constraint like any other: you plan for them, then you keep them.
Read the Cold Norton case study
Proof
Renovation work we have delivered
- An 1850s home in Wickham Bishops, renovated the traditional way: every room stripped back to the brickwork and rebuilt in keeping with the original lime construction, to a modern, high specification finish, for a client we had already worked for in Danbury. Read the Wickham Bishops case study
- A full house conversion, an earlier project: a complete internal transformation delivered as one programme.
A renovation client of ours, in their own words:
“We had Madisons refurbishing our home for 7 months. They did a fantastic job and were great to have around. We got a new home and new friends too!”
Related services
Chigwell · A whole house, rethought
FAQ
Answers from the Madisons team, led by Craig Bellamy, founder and director. Last checked 27/09/2026.
Can we live in the house during the renovation?
Sometimes, and we will tell you honestly at the site visit. A room by room programme keeps a household running but takes longer; a full strip out with the house empty is faster and usually cheaper. We plan the programme around your answer and protect what stays. Craig answers can we stay in the home?
How long does a whole house renovation take?
Typically 8 to 12 weeks on site for a refurbishment, depending on scope; schemes with major structural work or a full layout change run longer. Cold Norton, a complete house with a new layout against a fixed handover date, took around ninety days and was handed over on the day promised. You get an honest programme with your quotation, not an optimistic one.
How much does a whole house renovation cost?
It depends on scope and, above all, on finish, which is why every project is priced individually with one transparent quotation. Our projects start from £25,000 and whole house schemes run well beyond that. Our philosophy on where to spend is consistent: it is not always about money, it is about value. Buy cheap and you often buy twice.
Do I need planning permission for a renovation?
Usually not for the renovation itself: internal work, however extensive, rarely needs planning permission, though structural alterations need building regulations sign off, which we coordinate. Where the scheme adds an extension, changes the outside of the house or touches a listed building, consent comes into play, and we confirm the honest position at the site visit.
Is it better to renovate before we move in?
If you can, yes. A full strip out with the house empty is faster and usually cheaper than working around a household, and it is how Cold Norton was delivered in around ninety days. Plenty of clients cannot arrange that, which is fine: a room by room programme keeps a home running, it just takes longer, and we programme honestly either way.
Do you renovate period homes?
Yes, and carefully. In Wickham Bishops we renovated an 1850s home built with traditional lime and horsehair: every room stripped back to the brickwork and rebuilt in keeping with the original construction, to a modern, high specification finish. Older properties are covered in more depth on our heritage and listed buildings page.
More answers to common questions are on our FAQ page.
Sources: Planning permission: internal walls, Planning Portal; What building regulations apply to internal walls?, Planning Portal; Planning permission: extensions, Planning Portal; Listed building consent, Planning Portal.
Areas we cover
Renovating in the capital? See our London renovation work.
Enquiries
Make the house match the location
Tell us what is wrong with it. We respond within 24 hours.
Get a quote