UK home improvement cost data
The typical 2026 cost of common UK home improvement jobs, and exactly how we put the numbers together. The figures below are free to cite.
UK home improvement cost index 2026
Last updated 14 July 2026Typical UK costs for the most common home improvement jobs. These are national typical ranges: the middle band of what people actually pay, with the cheapest and priciest outliers stripped out. These headline ranges are a summary; the linked cost page carries the full breakdown, including the higher-spec options that sit outside this band. Journalists and researchers are welcome to use these, and all we ask for is a credit and a link.
| Job | Typical 2026 UK cost |
|---|---|
| New gas boiler | £1,800 to £3,500 |
| Full house rewire | £3,000 to £6,000 |
| New central heating system | £3,000 to £5,500 |
| Full bathroom renovation | £4,500 to £9,000 |
| New fitted kitchen | £5,000 to £15,000 |
| New roof (re-roof) | £5,000 to £12,000 |
| Block paving driveway | £3,500 to £8,000 |
| Solar panel system | £5,000 to £11,000 |
| Air source heat pump | £8,000 to £15,000before the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant |
| Conservatory | £8,000 to £25,000 |
| Loft conversion | £20,000 to £50,000 |
| Single-storey extension | £40,000 to £75,000 |
Pricing up one of these jobs? Each linked guide has the full breakdown and a free form for quotes from local firms.
Where you live changes the price by about a third
The same job does not cost the same across the country. London runs around 25% above the national average, while the North East and Wales sit around 10% below. In practice that is a gap of roughly a third between the priciest and cheapest regions for identical work. A £10,000 fitted kitchen is nearer £12,500 in London but closer to £9,000 in the North East.
Citing this data
These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research. Please credit Less.co.uk with a link so readers can check the full method and regional breakdowns.
Source: Less.co.uk UK Home Improvement Cost Index 2026, https://less.co.uk/about/our-data
Contractor price submissions
UK tradespeople can submit their typical pricesfor specific job types in their region. We check their business details by hand before any data goes live. For limited companies that means a Companies House lookup. There is no equivalent register for sole traders, so for them we go on trading name, working area and any scheme number given. Trade accreditations (Gas Safe, FENSA, NICEIC and the like) are checked against the scheme's own database where they apply.
We publish each contributor's business name in the Trusted Contributors section on relevant pages, along with the date their data was last updated. Contributor data is anonymised before being included in regional averages - we don't show individual quotes as a public price list.
We ask contributors to update their prices at least once a year. Stale submissions (over 18 months old) are flagged and removed from the averages until updated.
Researched market data
Until tradespeople start sharing their own figures, every price comes from research: industry bodies, trade association rate cards, supplier prices and government data. When contributed figures start shaping a price, we'll say so on the page.
Sources we reference include the Office for National Statistics construction output data, the Federation of Master Builders' State of Trade Survey, BCIS (Building Cost Information Service) published benchmarks, and manufacturer-published installation cost guidance from boiler and window manufacturers.
How we calculate averages
Once we hold enough submitted prices for a job type and region, we will take the middle 80% (removing the lowest 10% and highest 10% to exclude outliers), then calculate the median and interquartile range. The "typical price" shown on cost pages is the median; the price range reflects roughly the 25th to 75th percentile.
Regional multipliers for the London premium and lower-cost regions are calibrated against ONS construction output data and cross-checked against our own submissions where volume permits.
How often we update
Each cost page shows a "Last updated" date. We review core prices at minimum quarterly, and update following significant market events - energy price changes affecting boiler demand, material cost spikes (timber, steel), or major changes in labour costs.
All pages are reviewed annually as standard. Pages flagged by readers as inaccurate get priority review within 5 working days.
Commercial disclosure
Less.co.uk earns money in two ways. Our cost pages include a free quote service - when you request quotes, we may receive a referral fee from our lead generation partner. You pay nothing for this and are under no obligation. Some DIY and materials pages also contain affiliate links, clearly labelled near the link. Neither relationship influences our pricing data, editorial content, or the order in which information appears.
Something look wrong?
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