Refurbishment Services for Homes & Commercial Spaces in London

Who We Are?

J SONS & CO. refurbishes commercial buildings across London, Harrow or all over the UK offices, hotels, restaurants, retail units, healthcare facilities, schools, residential apartment buildings, and luxury villas. Full strip-out and rebuild where the space needs complete reinvention. Selective refresh where the building is fundamentally sound. Phased, live-environment delivery where the operation cannot stop.

The work covers everything between a cosmetic refresh and a full strip-out: structural alterations, partitioning, ceilings, lighting, full MEP reconfiguration, HVAC upgrade, bathroom and kitchen rebuild, decorating, flooring, joinery, FF&E, branded finishes, the authority approvals each project needs. Same engineering standard, same project management discipline, same documentation quality, whether the project is in Mayfair, or Croydon.

Our London team is JCT-literate, MEES-aware and Safe Contractor-accredited, working to Building Regulations and CDM 2015. 

Refurbishment vs Fit-Out What’s the Difference?

The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different things, and the cost, timeline and regulatory framework differ as a result.

Fit-Out

Building out a new tenant space from shell-and-core or from a landlord-finished CAT A condition. The space arrives empty or unfinished. The fit-out adds partitioning, ceilings, lighting, MEP, finishes, branding and FF&E to make it operational. Covered in depth on our Renovation and Fit-Out Services page.

Refurbishment

Upgrading an existing, finished, operational space, refreshing or replacing what is already there. The starting condition is functional but tired, non-compliant with current regulations, no longer matching brand standards, or operationally inefficient. Refurbishment ranges from cosmetic refresh (decorating, flooring, FF&E renewal) through to deep strip-out-and-rebuild that replaces almost everything except the structural shell.

The Practical Difference

For most commercial occupiers staying in the same building, refurbishment is the right answer. Lower cost than relocation, shorter timeline than full relocation, retains the lease and the address, and minimises operational disruption when delivered properly.

Types of Refurbishment We Deliver

Office Refurbishment

Office refurbishment is the largest single category of our work. Full CAT B strip-out and rebuild, partial refresh, hybrid-working reconfiguration (more meeting rooms and breakout space, fewer fixed workstations), end-of-trip facility additions (showers, lockers, bike storage), accessibility upgrades, lighting refresh, MEP recommissioning, branded reception rebuild, MEES compliance upgrades. 

Hotel and Hospitality Refurbishment

Rolling room programmes, FF&E refresh, lobby and public area refurbishment, restaurant and bar refits, spa and gym refurbishment, back-of-house upgrades, brand-standard compliance refresh. Hotel refurbishment is almost always live-environment work around occupied rooms, working overnight, by floor, by wing. for hotel operators across the London.

Retail Refurbishment

Single-store refresh, full chain rollouts, flagship refurbishment, store-fit recovery (post-flood, post-fire, post-vandalism), brand transition refurbishment (rebadging from one brand to another), and shopping mall unit refits between tenants. Programme-critical work every day the retail unit is closed is a direct revenue loss to the operator.

Restaurant and Café Refurbishment

Kitchen rebuild, dining area refresh, branded interior refits, extract canopy upgrades, refrigeration upgrades, accessibility and toilet refurbishment, façade refresh. Both fully closed delivery (typical 4–8 weeks) and overnight/weekend phased delivery for operating restaurants.

Healthcare and Clinical Refurbishment

Bringing existing healthcare premises up to current CQC standards for london. Infection control flooring (welded vinyl with coved skirting), antimicrobial wall finishes, accessibility compliance, clinical area zoning, dental practice surgery refits, GP consulting room upgrades, pharmacy refurbishment, dental and aesthetics clinic refits, and veterinary practice upgrades.

Education Refurbishment

Schools, nurseries, colleges and universities, classroom refurbishment, library and learning resource refresh, sports hall and changing room refurbishment, summer-holiday delivery windows, Building Bulletin standard compliance, accessibility upgrades, safeguarding-compliant design.

Listed Building and Heritage Refurbishment in London

Sympathetic refurbishment of Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II listed buildings. Listed Building Consent applications managed, concealed MEP services, period detail preservation, conservation-grade materials, and the documentation Heritage England and local conservation officers expect to see.

Hury Residential Refurbishment

Luxury apartment refurbishment, penthouse refurbishment, full villa renovation, period townhouse restoration, basement extensions, loft conversions. 

Façade and Building Envelope Refurbishment

External wall refresh, cladding replacement, window replacement, external decoration, render repair, façade cleaning, balcony refurbishment. 

Our Refurbishment Process

Every refurbishment, a £40,000 café refresh or a £4m corporate HQ deep refurbishment follows the same eight-step process.

1. Free site survey and brief. Site walk, dimensioned survey, services survey, asbestos awareness (London), and pre-existing condition documented. The brief captured what success looks like, what the operational constraint is, what the budget envelope is, and what the timeline is.
2. Design and concept. Architectural drawings, interior design, M&E coordination, structural input where required, finishes selection, sample boards, and 3D visuals for sign-off.
3. Detailed design and specification. Construction drawings, M&E layouts, finishes schedule, bespoke joinery shop drawings, FF&E specification.
4. Fixed-price tender or build-up. Fully itemised quote against agreed specification equipment, labour, ancillaries, MEP, builder’s work, finishes, FF&E, commissioning, certification, and warranty. Provisional sums clearly flagged. Contingency typically is 8–12% on most projects, up to 15% for heritage and older buildings.
5. Programme, approvals and surveys. Detailed programme of works, RAMS, CDM compliance (UK), Listed Building Consent applications if required, asbestos R&D survey if pre-2000 (london), pre-construction condition surveys.
6. Phased delivery, live-environment if required. Refurbishment of operational buildings means working around the occupier phased by zone, overnight delivery, weekend works, sound-isolation, and dust-control. We have phased and live-environment delivery experience across hotels, hospitals, schools, supermarkets and corporate offices.
7. Aftercare and Defects Liability Period. 12-month DLP as standard, our aftercare team is available for any teething issues. Optional ongoing PPM/AMC contracts from handover.

Refurbishment in London

Why MEES Is Driving Office Refurbishment Demand

The single biggest driver of UK commercial refurbishment activity over the next decade is MEES, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. Since April 2023, commercial landlords cannot continue to let property with an EPC rating below E, and from April 2030, the minimum will rise to EPC C, with intermediate uplifts before that. Buildings below the standard cannot be legally let, which means:

• Landlords must refurbish to lift EPC ratings or take the building off the lettable market.
• Tenants in low-rated buildings face uncertainty at lease end
• Acquisition pricing on sub-EPC-C commercial property is dropping to reflect the mandatory refurbishment cost

Practically, this means the next decade of London office refurbishment will be MEES-driven lighting upgrades to LED, controls and BMS upgrades, HVAC efficiency upgrades, glazing upgrades, and insulation upgrades. We design refurbishments specifically to lift EPC ratings while also delivering the brand and operational benefits the occupier wants.

UK Regulatory Framework

• Building Regulations Parts A–Q apply to refurbishment, depending on the scope of works.
• CDM Regulations 2015 — construction design and management duties for any project beyond minor works.
• Building Safety Act 2022 — Higher Risk Building (HRB) regime affects refurbishment of buildings 18m+ or 7+ storeys.
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — fire risk assessment must be updated post-refurbishment.
• Listed Building Consent — required for any work to Grade I, II*, II listed buildings.
• Planning permission and Article 4 directions — conservation area restrictions on external alterations.
• MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) — EPC rating minimums for commercial leases.
• Asbestos regulations (CAR 2012) — survey requirements for any pre-2000 building.
• EICR and electrical compliance — post-refurbishment electrical certification.

London Refurbishment Costs

Indicative pricing per square foot or per square metre for typical projects. Fixed-price quote after detailed survey and design sign-off. VAT additional.

Office Refurbishment (London)

Furniture (FF&E) typically: £500 – £900 per person for standard commercial, £900 – £1,800+ for premium.

Other Sector Refurbishment (London)

London Service Coverage

All 32 London boroughs and the City of London. M25 corridor: Watford, St Albans, Slough, Reading, Guildford, Sevenoaks, Dartford. Larger refurbishment projects are covered across the South East and Home Counties.

Sectors We Refurbish

Corporate offices, financial services HQs, law firms, accountancy practices, professional services, technology companies, banks, co-working operators, hotels, boutique hotels, serviced apartments, hostels, restaurants, fine-dining venues, gastropubs, cafés, dark kitchens, central production kitchens, supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, multi-site retail chains, flagship retail, beauty salons and clinics, hair salons, gyms and leisure centres, healthcare clinics, dental practices, GP surgeries, veterinary surgeries, private hospitals, care homes, schools, nurseries, universities, places of worship, listed and heritage buildings, embassies, residential apartment buildings, communities, mixed-use developments, commercial premises.

Why Commercial Clients Choose J Sons & Co. for Refurbishment

Live-environment delivery experience. Most of our commercial refurbishment work is in occupied or partly-occupied buildings, hotels with guests in adjacent rooms, hospitals with operational departments, offices with working tenants, and supermarkets with trading hours. Phasing, sequencing, dust-control, acoustic separation and out-of-hours delivery are everyday practices, not an exception.

Single contractor across all trades. Demolition, structural, MEP, HVAC, joinery, ceilings, flooring, decorating, FF&E  all delivered by J SONS & CO. teams or under our direct main-contract management. No inter-contractor blame, no warranty gaps, single point of accountability.

Authority approvals managed in-house. Listed Building Consent, planning, MEES compliance and Building Control in London.  We handle the approval workflow as part of the project, not subcontracted out.

MEES-aware design in London,  Refurbishment that lifts the building toward higher EPC ratings for london  protects the asset value long-term, not just the immediate occupancy.

Programme certainty. We deliver to date. Pre-opening hospitality, retail rollouts, lease-start corporate moves, and refurbishment programmes where the operator has fixed commitments downstream. Our programme management discipline is built for these.

Fixed-price quoting. Once design and specification are signed off, the contract price is locked. Variations are quoted and approved before any work proceeds.

12-month DLP plus optional ongoing FM. Standard Defects Liability Period of 12 months, with optional ongoing facilities management and PPM/AMC contracts from handover (see our Facilities Management page).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between refurbishment and fit-out?

Fit-out is building out a new tenant space from a shell or CAT A condition. Refurbishment is upgrading an existing, finished, operational space refreshing or replacing what is already there. Most commercial occupiers staying in the same building need refurbishment; new tenants taking a building from the landlord need fit-out.

How much does office refurbishment cost in London?

Light refresh £25–£45/sqft. Standard CAT B refurbishment £75–£140/sqft. High-spec corporate £140–£220/sqft. Premium Mayfair/City £200–£300+/sqft. Heritage and listed buildings £250–£400+/sqft. Furniture typically £500–£900 per person standard, £900–£1,800+ premium. Construction figures only all-in cost including FF&E, professional fees and VAT typically runs 50–80% higher than the construction quote.

How long does an office refurbishment take?

Light refresh: 3–6 weeks. Standard refurbishment 200–800m²: 8–14 weeks. Large refurbishment 800–3,000m²: 14–22 weeks. 

What is MEES, and why does it matter for London office refurbishment?

MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) sets minimum EPC ratings for commercial leases. Since April 2023, commercial property below EPC E cannot be legally let. From April 203,0 the minimum will rise to EPC C. Buildings below the standard cannot continue letting, which means landlords must refurbish to lift ratings or take the building off the market. This is driving the largest single wave of London commercial refurbishment in decades.

Do you do live-environment refurbishment?

Yes, across hotels (works around occupied rooms), hospitals (occupied departments), schools (during term-time or summer holidays only), supermarkets (overnight closure windows), restaurants (Mondays only or full closure), offices (zoned phasing or overnight works). Phased delivery requires more management overhead and slightly longer programmes, but eliminates operational shutdown cost for the occupier.

Can you handle Listed Building Consent applications in London?

Yes, we have ongoing experience with Grade II and Grade II* listed building refurbishments across central London. Listed Building Consent applications, sympathetic design, concealed services, period-detail preservation, and the documentation Heritage England and local conservation officers require. We manage the consent process as part of the project.

What’s not included in a typical refurbishment quote?

Standard refurbishment quotes include construction works, MEP, finishes, joinery, FF&E (where in scope), commissioning and authority approvals. They typically don’t include: dilapidations works at lease end, asbestos remediation if discovered beyond R&D survey scope, structural unknowns revealed only during strip-out (managed via the contingency), client-supplied AV/IT infrastructure beyond basic cabling, branded signage beyond standard, art and finishing-touch FF&E selected after contract sign-off. Provisional sums for these items are flagged at the quote stage.

Do you provide design as well as build for refurbishment?

Yes, design-and-build is our default delivery model on most projects. Architectural and interior design, M&E coordination, structural input, finishes selection and FF&E specification delivered in-house or through our integrated design partners. Single contract, single accountability. Separate designer and contractor procurement works well above £500k, where competitive tendering of construction work adds value.

Can you take over a stalled refurbishment from another contractor?

Yes, and we have done it many times. We carry out a takeover survey to document the state of existing works, agree on the completion scope and price, and then deliver. Particularly common on pre-opening hospitality projects where the original contractor has fallen behind programme, and on stalled fit-out projects where the original contractor has been unable to obtain authority approval.

What contingency should I budget for refurbishment?

8–12% on most projects where the building condition is known. Up to 15% on older buildings (pre-2000 in London), where strip-out can reveal unknowns. Never below 5% something always comes up. Listed buildings and heritage refurbishment carry a higher contingency, typically 15–20%.

Request a Refurbishment Quote

For London projects

Phone: +44 20 8050 7969

Email: info@jsonsco.com