How much to build a 3 bedroom house in London?

The cost of building a three bedroom house in London is set by land, ground conditions, spec and fees far more than by the per-square-metre benchmarks you will see quoted. Those benchmarks cover construction only, on a clean site, with a standard design. London gives you none of that. The plot often costs more than the house that goes on it, and then come the items the benchmarks quietly leave out: professional fees, planning, utility connections, party wall agreements and a proper contingency.

Ground conditions do more damage to budgets than kitchen choices. Much of South London sits on clay, and plenty of plots are tight infill sites with no side access, so foundations, drainage and simply getting materials in cost more than the same house would on a clear site in Kent. Spec is the other swing factor. Two houses with identical footprints can be quoted wildly apart, and it is the specification, not the floor area, that separates them.

We are not new-build developers. All Well renovates and extends existing houses across South East and South West London, and that is the comparison actually worth pricing. A tired three bed Victorian terrace in Sydenham or Lewisham can be renovated throughout from £1,200 per square metre, on foundations and walls that already exist, on a plot already paid for. For most people asking this question, that is the realistic route to the house they want.

Either way, fix the costs before anyone starts. On our jobs we survey first, then give a fixed written quote, and the price we quote is the price you pay.