Tenement renovation cost in Edinburgh, what drives the number
Renovating an Edinburgh tenement flat is priced by condition, consent position, how much of the services are being replaced, and how difficult the building makes it to work. Floor area matters far less than any of those. We price from a measured survey with selective opening up, because in a pre-1919 building the scope is set by what is behind the plaster, not by what is on the plan.
The cost drivers in a pre-1919 tenement
The first driver is the tier of work. Keeping the layout and the services and replacing finishes is a different order of project from replacing services throughout, which is different again from moving walls, forming rooms or altering drainage. Agree the tier before comparing any two quotes, because it is the tier and not the size of the flat that sets the number.
The second is condition, and it is the reason honest tenement pricing needs opening up rather than a walk round. Lath and plaster ceilings may need overboarding or replacement. Floors have usually been notched and patched by generations of trades. Walls are solid stone with no cavity, which changes how insulation, fixings and finishes are detailed, and demands breathable materials so moisture is not trapped in the wall.
The third is services. A rewire with certification, a heating replacement, and drainage alterations are the items that cannot be value-engineered, and they are also the items most often assumed rather than priced. Where the flat has had partial work over decades, the existing installation frequently cannot be extended and has to be taken back and redone properly.
The fourth is the building itself. Stairs with no lift, controlled parking across most central streets, shared close rules on working hours, factor involvement in anything common, and asbestos in pre-2000 additions such as artex, tiles and board. Each of those is a real line in a tenement programme and each is missing from quotes that look cheap.
- The tier: finishes only, full services replacement, or structural change
- Ceiling condition and whether lath and plaster is repaired, overboarded or replaced
- Floor structure repair and levelling after decades of notching
- Full rewire and certification, against extending an existing installation
- Heating replacement, pipe routing and radiator positions in solid-wall rooms
- Drainage alterations, and the fall available within the floor depth
- Listed building and conservation area consent, and the timescale it adds
- Sash and case window repair, draught-proofing or section replacement
- Asbestos survey and licensed removal in pre-2000 materials
- Common stair protection, timed deliveries and controlled parking permits
- Factor and neighbour notification where any common element is touched
- Breathable specification on solid stone, rather than a standard new-build build-up
What makes one tenement flat cost several times another
Two flats in the same building, same size. The first has been maintained: the electrics were done recently and certificated, the heating works, the ceilings are sound, the floors are broadly level and the layout is staying. The scope is finishes, joinery repair, a bathroom and a kitchen, decoration. It is a contained project with a predictable programme, because the expensive invisible work has already been done by someone else.
The second has had nothing done in decades. The ceilings are failing, the installation is a patchwork that cannot be extended and needs a full rewire with certification, the heating is at the end of its life, the floors need structural repair, the walls need replaster on a breathable build-up, the windows need a joiner, and the client wants two rooms reconfigured with the drainage altered to suit. That is a structural renovation with consents, an asbestos survey, scaffolding if external stone or window work follows, and a much longer programme with far more trade sequence.
Same footprint, same street, and a completely different piece of work. This is why square metre rates are misleading in tenement stock, and why we open up before we price rather than after.
What a quote from us includes, and what it never includes
A tenement quote from us is a written scope with the assumptions stated, so that when something appears behind the plaster you can see immediately whether it was priced or not.
- Included: survey, selective opening up where access allows, and a written scope
- Included: strip-out, common stair protection, timed waste removal and permits
- Included: the trades named in the scope, with certification for the work carried out
- Included: plaster, levelling, joinery repair and making good after every trade
- Included: a stated contingency position, so unknowns are discussed rather than sprung
- Never included: common repairs, roof, stone or close works that belong to the building
- Never included: consent fees, warrant fees or factor charges
- Never included: licensed asbestos removal until a survey confirms what is there
- Never included: work beyond your title boundary, or in a neighbour's property
What to establish before you ask anyone to quote
Tenement quotes only become comparable once the tier, the consent position and the condition of the services are known. Establish these and you will get numbers for the same job.
- Is the building listed, or in a conservation area, or both?
- Which tier are you asking for: finishes, full services replacement, or structural change?
- Is there a current electrical certificate, and how old is the heating?
- Are any walls coming out, and has anyone confirmed whether they are structural?
- Is there a home report, factor correspondence or common repair history to share?
- Are there pre-2000 materials likely to need an asbestos survey?
- What are the stair, parking and permitted working hours at the address?
- Will the flat be empty during the works, and is there a date it has to be ready by?
Where we deliver this work
Frequently asked questions
How much does a tenement renovation cost in Edinburgh?
It is set by the tier of work, the condition of the building, how much of the services are being replaced, and the consent and access position, not by floor area. We do not publish a figure because a tenement number without opening up behind it is a guess. We survey, open up where we can, write the scope and price that.
Why do tenement renovation quotes vary so much?
Mostly because of what each quote assumes about the invisible work. Rewiring and certification, ceiling replacement, floor repair, replaster on a breathable build-up and making good are the items that are quietly assumed away in a cheaper number. Ask each contractor what they have assumed and the difference usually explains itself.
Does listed building consent add to the cost?
It can add both cost and time, and the time sits outside the construction programme. Consent may constrain specification on windows, doors, and protected internal features such as cornice, shutters and staircases. We establish the position with the council before the scope is fixed rather than halfway through.
Is it cheaper to keep the existing layout?
Almost always, because moving walls brings structural checks, and moving bathrooms or kitchens brings drainage falls, floor lifting and often building warrant considerations. If the existing layout works, keeping it puts the budget into condition and finish instead of into structure.
Do I need an asbestos survey in an Edinburgh flat?
If the flat contains pre-2000 materials that are being disturbed, such as textured coatings, floor tiles or board, a survey is the responsible step before strip-out. It protects the programme as much as the people, because discovering it mid-strip stops the job.
Want a tenement scope written before it is priced?
Send us the address and what you want to achieve. We will survey the flat, establish the consent position and price one written scope.