Build cost calculator: what will your London project cost in 2026?
A construction cost estimate for London at our 2026 rates: pick the project type, enter the floor area and the specification, and see the build cost with fees, contingency and VAT line by line.
For developers testing a scheme, owners budgeting a house project and occupiers planning a fit-out. An indication, not a quote.
Free calculator
Your construction cost estimate
Based on our 2026 London rates. Standard, high and luxury are the bottom, middle and top of our rate for that project type.
Want a cost plan, not a calculator?
Send us the drawings. The team that would build the project prices it unit by unit and comes back with a figure you can borrow against.
Developing? See our feasibility study and site appraisal. Renovating or building a home? See luxury home renovation and new build.
What drives the cost per m²
01
Structure
New steels, openings, a basement or a new storey put a project at the top of its band; keeping the frame and layout keeps it near the bottom.
02
Specification
Kitchens, bathrooms, joinery and finishes move the figure more than the floor area does. Prime finishes alone can take a renovation into the structural band.
03
Access and logistics in London
Tight streets, no parking, party walls, out-of-hours working and crane or skip permits all add to the preliminaries.
04
Planning conditions
Listed fabric, conservation-area windows, acoustic and fire upgrades, sprinklers on taller schemes: each condition is a cost line.
05
Programme
A longer build means longer preliminaries and more finance. A fixed programme, agreed before the start, protects the figure.
Projects where the cost per m² was fixed before the start
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Build cost: your questions
How much does it cost to build a house per m² in London?
At our 2026 London rates, a new private house costs £2,200 to £3,250 per m² of gross internal area, construction only, ex VAT and fees. A 200 m² house therefore sits at roughly £440,000 to £650,000 before fees, contingency and VAT. Basements are priced per house after a structural and ground survey. See luxury home renovation and new build.
What is included in a build cost per m²?
The contractor's work on the building: structure, envelope, services, finishes and the contractor's preliminaries, measured over the gross internal floor area. It leaves out land, professional fees, VAT, contingency, Section 106 and CIL, finance, loose furniture and abnormal ground conditions. The calculator adds fees, contingency and VAT as separate lines so you can see the whole budget.
How accurate is a build cost calculator?
Accurate to the band it shows for a straightforward project of that type and specification. Structure, tight access, planning conditions and a long programme can move a real scheme outside it, and a basement or a listed building always needs its own survey. The fixed figure comes after a survey and a cost plan priced unit by unit.
When do I need a QS cost plan?
Before you commit money that depends on the number: exchanging on a site, instructing a design beyond concept, or raising finance. Our feasibility study includes a cost plan priced by the team that would build the scheme, so the figure you borrow against is the figure you build to.
Send us the drawings
A director looks at the drawings, the site and the programme, and comes back with the next step.
