What does a real buy-to-let refurb actually cost?

🔧 Refurb case study - Ferryhill

We get asked this a lot by landlords: what does a refurb actually involve, and what does it cost in reality? Rather than give a vague answer, we thought we'd show you a real one. This is a property on Encombe Terrace in Ferryhill - a typical older terraced property, tenanted for years, now between lets and in need of some attention before it goes back on the market.

Watch the full refurb walkthrough here.

🔧 The breakdown

The old cast iron soil stack was sitting too low, hiding a problem under the floor - it's being replaced with a new stack and the floor made good, plus a full CCTV drain survey so nothing else gets missed. Up top, the chimney's being ground out, repointed and capped off with a proper air brick, and the gutters cleared right out.

Inside, it's a mix of legal compliance and general upkeep: a new consumer unit and a current EICR, a fresh Gas Safety Certificate and boiler service, and the staircase banister raised to meet current safety height. The rest is the everyday work of getting a tenanted property back to a lettable standard - filling and painting throughout, brickwork repointed front and rear, and a full builders clean before it goes back on the market.

Total refurb cost: £6,745

Every property is different, and this figure is specific to this job. But it gives a real sense of where the money goes on a typical refurb between tenancies: a mix of legal compliance, structural upkeep, and general wear and tear from years of tenancy.

Thinking of refurbing a property like this yourself? Reach out to landlords@nguhomes.co.uk, and we'll walk your property with you.