London and Kent Construction refurbishes flats and houses for smaller property developers who buy to modernise and add value, whether they plan to sell or to refinance and let. Every job is priced element by element from a measured scope, and any change is priced in writing before the work is done, so the number in your appraisal holds.
Who does London and Kent work with?
London and Kent Construction works with smaller developers buying flats or houses in London to modernise and add value. Some sell once the work is finished. Others refinance and let. Recent work for developers includes flats and houses in Fulham and Pimlico, and a flat just off Kensington High Street is at the design stage.
The properties are the ones we know best: Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian houses, mansion block flats and conversions, across South East, South West and West London. In a period building, what is behind the plaster can differ from what a survey assumed, so an unrealistic price does the most damage there.
Why does a price that holds matter more than a low price?
A scheme is financed against a cost plan. A number that moves after appointment costs interest as well as money, and the cheapest tender is often the one with the most assumptions buried in it. A developer is better served by a figure that can be relied on than by one that only looks good on the day it is opened.
So every London and Kent quotation is priced element by element from a measured scope, with exclusions set out as clearly as inclusions. It is never a rate per square metre applied to a whole building. You can read it line by line against your appraisal and see exactly where the money goes.
How are changes and extras handled?
Anything outside the agreed scope is priced in writing and instructed before the work is done, never after. Variations are valued as they arise, on monthly valuations, rather than collected up and presented at final account. If something is found once the walls are open, you see the cost while there is still time to decide what to do about it.
Valuations and variations are handled by Dotun, our in house quantity surveyor, who knows the job, rather than by a surveyor bought in for each project.
What about the programme?
Programme is the other half of the margin. Finance runs whether the site does or not, so the work is sequenced to keep trades in order rather than all on site at once. London and Kent works with one directly employed team, supported by specialist trades, and one contracts manager runs the job from the first survey to handover.
Every job has a WhatsApp group, so you have an open line to the people on site alongside calls and emails, without having to visit to find out where things stand.
Does selling or letting change the specification?
Yes, and we price what you specify, not what we would choose. A flat being sold has to look right to a buyer on the day of the viewing. A flat being refinanced and let has to survive tenants and need as little attention as possible for years, which changes the answer on flooring, ironmongery, paint finish and where the money is best spent. Tell us the exit and the budget, and we will price the specification that fits.
What does a developer refurbishment cost?
It depends on the condition of the building and the specification, which is why we price from a measured scope rather than a rate. As a national guide, Checkatrade puts the full refurbishment of a flat at £33,000 to £48,000, with an average of £40,500 (Checkatrade, flat refurbishment cost, last updated May 2024). That is a UK average, and London period flats vary widely around it.
We find most developers need to spend at least £40,000 to add meaningful value, even where the work is mainly a high quality redecoration. That is a typical starting budget, not a minimum. Most whole property renovations we carry out cost £150,000 to £500,000, and some cost more. Single rooms are usually around £10,000 to £15,000. For our deposit, the figure is generally 10 to 25 per cent, occasionally rising to 30 per cent where specialist materials with long lead times have to be ordered up front. The deposit and the staged payment schedule are always agreed before work starts.
Which contract and guarantee do you use?
We work under a JCT contract suited to the job, such as Minor Works or a form for larger works. JCT describes Minor Works as "designed for smaller, basic construction projects where the work is of a simple nature" (JCT, Minor Works Building Contract). We offer an insurance backed guarantee, and a defects period of normally twelve months follows handover.
London and Kent Construction Ltd is company number 04853030 on the Companies House register. We are members of CHAS and Constructionline and registered with NHBC. The business was established in 1995 and is part of The New Greenwich Group.
What if you have bought a project another builder left?
Developers sometimes buy, or inherit, a building where the work has stopped. We have taken over unfinished jobs in Notting Hill, including one where we corrected defective work including the electrics and completed the house. We assess what has been built, say plainly what can be kept and price the rest properly. The initial assessment is free. See taking over a stalled site.
Questions developers ask
Will you price from our specification?
Yes. We price what you specify, element by element from a measured scope, and say in writing what we have excluded or assumed.
Can you work with our architect or designer?
Yes. We do not have an in house design team. Where the work needs designing, we work with your architect or designer, or bring in external architects and designers we know.
How are variations handled?
Priced in writing and instructed before the work is done, and valued as they arise on monthly valuations.
Is the first site visit free?
Yes. We walk the property with you and say what we think the real issues are. There is no charge and no obligation.
Which areas do you cover?
South East London, including Greenwich, Blackheath, Eltham, Charlton and Lewisham, and South West and West London, including Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth, Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, Hammersmith and Fulham.
Talk to us about your next property
Book a site visit before you exchange if you can, so the price is in your appraisal from the start. Read more about renovation and refurbishment and how we work with architects and surveyors.
Book a site visit, call 020 8850 7064 or email team@londonandkent.co.uk.