How Much Does It Cost To Decorate A House In 2026? A UK Guide

Home decoration is often one of the most flexible elements within a project scope, and project costs can vary considerably depending on preparation levels, paint systems, access requirements, and finish quality.

 

Clients may be refreshing their home for personal use, preparing a property for sale, or developers delivering multiple units, each with its own requirements and priorities.

 

This article structures costs across three specification tiers, allowing professionals to align design intent with budget from the outset and support feasibility studies, budget estimates, and early client conversations.

Decorating A House In The UK

In this article, the costs in this article are based on the following scope of work for a property with a gross internal floor area of 105m². Please note that costs associated with the treatment of damp, mould, or structural defects are excluded.

 

Here’s what’s included in the decoration projects covered in this article:

 

• Prelims: Laying dust sheets and applying window film; clearing the room of furniture, fixtures, and fittings.
• Prep: Filling and sanding walls, skirting, architraves, doors, windowsills, and staircase.
• Finish: Applying a mist coat and two coats of paint to ceilings and walls; undercoating and glossing skirting, architraves, doors, windowsills, and staircase.

 

In terms of build specification, BuildPartner gives you three broad options to choose from:

 

• Basic spec is a basic finish; e.g., Leyland, Everest, Wickes.
• Standard spec is a standard finish; e.g., Dulux, Hamilton, Slim Line.
• Premium spec is a high-spec finish; e.g., Farrow & Ball, Fine Line, Siemens.

 

In this article, we’ve provided a breakdown of the cost of decorating a home according to all three specifications. In addition, we have provided three different benchmarks to show the range of pricing you can expect among different contractors. These are: 

• Low benchmark: smaller companies are generally lower cost but less specialised and with low project management function; good for low/mid-spec projects and tight budgets.

• Mid benchmark: medium-sized companies offer a balanced mix of cost-effectiveness and specialisation; good for mid-range projects for effective execution within moderate budgets.

• High benchmark: larger companies generally have a higher cost base but can handle a wide variety of specialist tasks; good for mid/high-spec projects and project management.

 

The specification and benchmark you choose will have a major impact on the overall cost of decorating a house, so it’s important to align them with your budget and the finish you’re aiming for.

 

Cost Of Decorating A 3-Bed House – Basic Spec

Here’s a table showing the average costs of decorating a house to a basic spec in the UK:

 

3-Bedroom Detached House (Basic)	Total Average Cost			Average Cost Per Sq Metre
	Low Benchmark	Mid Benchmark	High Benchmark	Low Benchmark	Mid Benchmark	High Benchmark
East Anglia	£10,148	£11,348	£12,382	£97	£108	£118
London	£11,262	£12,611	£13,870	£107	£120	£132
Midlands	£9,837	£10,731	£11,625	£94	£102	£111
North England	£9,720	£11,552	£12,259	£93	£110	£117
Northern Ireland	£9,807	£10,134	£10,969	£92	£97	£104
Scotland	£9,977	£10,883	£11,790	£95	£104	£112
South East	£11,110	£12,455	£13,636	£106	£119	£130
South West	£10,118	£11,702	£12,843	£97	£111	£122
Wales	£10,009	£11,192	£12,228	£95	£107	£116
Average	£10,221	£11,401	£12,400	£97	£109	£118

All costs exclude VAT, overheads, and profit.

 

Here’s what the data shows for the cost of decorating a house to a basic spec:

 

• The minimum cost is £9,720, and the maximum cost is £13,870.
• The total average cost is £11,341, or £108 per square metre.

 

Cost Of Decorating A 3-Bed House – Standard Spec

Here’s a table showing the average costs of decorating a house to a standard spec in the UK:

 

3-Bedroom Detached House (Standard)	Total Average Cost			Average Cost Per Sq Metre
	Low Benchmark	Mid Benchmark	High Benchmark	Low Benchmark	Mid Benchmark	High Benchmark
East Anglia	£11,572	£12,940	£14,120	£110	£123	£134
London	£12,877	£14,398	£15,803	£123	£137	£151
Midlands	£11,257	£12,280	£13,304	£107	£117	£127
North England	£11,462	£12,554	£13,600	£109	£120	£130
Northern Ireland	£11,006	£11,593	£12,560	£101	£110	£120
Scotland	£11,385	£12,420	£13,455	£108	£118	£128
South East	£12,649	£14,143	£15,523	£120	£135	£148
South West	£11,711	£13,361	£14,664	£114	£127	£140
Wales	£11,472	£12,828	£13,997	£109	£122	£133
Average	£11,710	£12,946	£14,114	£111	£123	£134

All costs exclude VAT, overheads, and profit.

 

Here’s what the data shows for the cost of decorating a house to a standard spec:

 

• The minimum cost is £11,006, and the maximum cost is £15,803.
• The total average cost is £12,923, or £123 per square metre.

 

Cost Of Decorating A 3-Bed House – Premium Spec

Here’s a table showing the average costs of decorating a house to a premium spec in the UK:

 

3-Bedroom Detached House (Premium)	Total Average Cost			Average Cost Per Sq Metre
	Low Benchmark	Mid Benchmark	High Benchmark	Low Benchmark	Mid Benchmark	High Benchmark
East Anglia	£12,953	£14,484	£15,751	£123	£138	£150
London	£14,257	£15,942	£17,497	£136	£152	£167
Midlands	£12,636	£13,785	£14,933	£120	£131	£142
North England	£12,841	£14,058	£15,230	£122	£134	£145
Northern Ireland	£12,385	£13,098	£14,189	£118	£125	£135
Scotland	£12,764	£13,924	£15,084	£122	£133	£144
South East	£14,027	£15,685	£17,215	£134	£149	£164
South West	£13,089	£14,903	£16,356	£125	£142	£156
Wales	£12,851	£14,370	£15,627	£122	£137	£149
Average	£13,089	£14,472	£15,765	£125	£138	£150

 

All costs exclude VAT, overheads, and profit.

 

Here’s what the data shows for the cost of decorating a house to a standard spec:

 

• The minimum cost is £12,385, and the maximum cost is £17,947.
• The total average cost is £14,442, or £138 per square metre.

 

Average Cost To Decorate A House Gym In 2026

So, how much does it cost to decorate a house in the UK? Based on the three different projects covered in this article, you can expect decorating a 3-bed house to cost on average (when using a mid-benchmark contractor):

• Basic Spec: £11,401, or £109 per square metre.

• Standard Spec: £12,946, or £123 per square metre.

• Premium Spec: £14,472, or £138 per square metre.

 

Please remember that these costs exclude a contractor’s overheads and profit and VAT. There may be additional costs, such as addressing unforeseen repairs, undertaking more extensive preparation, completing bespoke finishes, or accommodating access constraints and programme requirements.

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Start your free trial with BuildPartner today to get the most accurate estimate for decorating a house based on your own dimensions and specifications.

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FAQs About Home Decoration Costs In The UK

Here are some frequently asked questions about home decoration costs in the UK.

What are some eco-friendly paints?

Eco-friendly paints are basically low or zero VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, which contain fewer nasty chemicals, smell less, and are better for indoor air quality.

Brands like Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, and Earthborn are all water-based, low-odour, and much nicer to work with in occupied homes compared to older solvent-heavy paints. 

They’re especially popular on live-in refurbs, family homes, and higher-end jobs where clients are more conscious about fumes and finish quality.

What is a breakdown of the costs of decorating a house?

As an example, based on a project totalling £14,369, costs typically break down into £919 for building materials (protection and preparation sundries), £10,796 for labour (surface preparation and all painting works), and £2,653 for finishing materials (paints and final coatings).

• Building Materials: 6.4%
• Labour: 75.1%
• Finishing Materials: 18.5%

This represents the base cost of the works and excludes VAT, overheads, and contractor profit, which could add approximately 15 to 30% to the overall total.

What additional factors can significantly increase the cost of decorating a property?

Costs can increase significantly where additional access requirements are needed, such as scaffolding for high ceilings, stairwells, or hard-to-reach areas. Further cost increases can also arise from specialist protection or handling of fixtures, such as chandeliers, bespoke lighting, artwork, or high-value goods that require careful removal and reinstallation. 

In addition, any damp, mould, or moisture-related issues may require investigative works and remedial treatment (such as damp-proofing) before decoration can proceed.