Depending on the requirements and condition of the balcony, the balcony renovation cost in the UK can vary greatly. Find out here which factors have a decisive influence on the price and how you can best save.
What does balcony renovation cost in the UK?
On average, balcony renovation costs are around £150 – £400 per square metre in the UK. Depending on what needs to be done and the condition of the balcony, these costs can vary greatly. This is especially the case if the balcony needs to be thermally renovated in order to decouple it.
AVERAGE: £150 – £400 PER SQM
Basically, the costs for a balcony renovation are made up of several individual costs, not all of which are necessary for every balcony. If old balcony tiles are present and must be removed beforehand, additional costs of around £30 – £50 per sqm will be incurred. If a railing is present, it will need to be removed and reinstalled prior to balcony refurbishment at a cost of approximately £10 – £20 per metre.
The balcony is then sealed. This is done using a filler and, in most cases, a liquid sealant. The cost of both, including labour, is around £80 – £160 per sqm. If new flooring is to be installed, the costs vary greatly, from £10 per sqm for artificial grass to £80 (or more) per sqm for high-priced natural stone tiles.
A further factor that has a major impact on the overall cost is whether the balcony needs to be thermally renovated (decoupled). This may be the case if the façade has insulation and the balcony is an extension of the floor slab. Without decoupling, cold would enter the interior of the house without hindrance. The cost of balcony decoupling varies between £40 – £120 per sqm, depending on the balcony and the work involved.
Below is a cost example for 6 sqm balcony refurbishment near Manchester. All figures are indicative and include VAT and may vary.
Example: Balcony renovation cost – 6 m2
1 m2 | 6 m2 | |
|---|---|---|
Remove old floor tiles | £40 | £240 |
Dismantling and mounting the railing | £15 | £90 |
Filling + sealing (liquid plastic) | £100 | £600 |
Decoupling + drainage system | £65 | £390 |
Laying new floor tiles | £75 | £450 |
Travel costs | flat rate | £100 |
Total cost | £295 | £1,770 |
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What does the balcony refurbishment cost consist of in detail?
The amount of the balcony refurbishment cost depends on which services are desired or necessary if the balcony has damage that needs to be corrected in advance. Basically, the following work is included in the field of balcony refurbishment:
– Removal of moisture and mould
This is not necessary if there is no damage in this direction. However, should it be the case, this is
an essential part of the balcony renovation.
– Disassembly and assembly of the balcony railing
If a balcony railing is present, it is usually dismantled prior to the refurbishment work and re- installed afterwards. This will cost approximately £10 – £15 per metre of railing.
– Removal of old floor coverings
This step is necessary before the balcony can be sealed. Depending on what flooring has been installed, the cost can vary. While removing carpet or wooden beams is relatively inexpensive (about £10 – £20 per sqm), removing old balcony tiles is much more complex and costly. Demolition work of old tiles is usually charged between £30 – £60 including debris removal.
– Filling and sealing the balcony
After the balcony floor has been exposed, it is first levelled with filler and then compacted. There are several methods of waterproofing, such as bitumen sheeting, waterproofing membrane or mineral sponges, but in most cases liquid plastic is used for compaction, which is also the most sustainable method. The cost of filler, liquid plastic and labour for waterproofing is in the range of approximately £80 – £160 per square metre.
– Decoupling and drainage system
Especially if the facade of the building is insulated, it can make a lot of sense to decouple the balcony so that no heat can be lost via the floor slab or no cold can be carried inside. Of course, this is only necessary if the balcony represents an actual “extension” in structural terms, as is often the case with old buildings, for example. As a rule, this does not apply to a balcony that has been subsequently added or is self-supporting.
The type of drainage system used is closely related to the decoupling method. If the balcony does not have a slope for water to drain off, this must be implemented. The cost of decoupling a balcony and installing a drainage system varies greatly depending on the requirements and material, and can range from £40 – £120 per square metre.
– Installing a new floor covering
If you don’t want to have a simple screed floor on your balcony, you have to calculate an additional budget for the installation of a new floor covering. Here, the costs vary greatly depending on the chosen subfloor.
While simple artificial grass can be installed from around £10 per sqm, the installation of wooden beams (from around £60 per sqm) is considerably more expensive. The installation of balcony tiles made of e.g. switch plates or natural stone starts from about £70 per sqm.
What factors influence balcony renovation costs?
As we have learned, the balcony rebuild cost can vary extremely and depends on several factors. In summary, the following factors influence the price:
- What is the damage?
- How large is the balcony?
- Does a railing need to be removed and reinstalled?
- Does the balcony need to be decoupled?
- Which drainage system should be installed?
- Does an old floor covering have to be removed beforehand?
- Which method of waterproofing will be chosen?
- What is the hourly rate of the craftsmen?
How can I detect damage to the balcony at an early stage?
The earlier you react to the first signs of damage, the cheaper the balcony renovation can be. Although it is difficult to detect slight weak points in the waterproofing, as soon as clear cracks are visible, a specialist should be contacted promptly to avoid expensive consequential damage.
Other signs of acute damage to the balcony, especially with regard to moisture permeability, are:
- Visible cracks on the balcony floor in the ground
- Wet interior walls as well as cracks on interior walls
- Wet spots on the interior ceiling below the balcony floor
This should be dealt with quickly. Spreading a silicifying agent can also be a quick, short-term ‘initial treatment’. However, this is no substitute for balcony renovation and the balcony should be inspected by a specialist company as soon as possible.
Can I renovate my balcony myself and thus save costs?
A balcony renovation is a very demanding service where some (very serious) mistakes can be made. This is especially true for waterproofing work with liquid plastic. Experience is required to ensure that the balcony is really watertight and that liquid does not continue to seep through. For this reason, balcony renovation, unless you can call yourself an expert in the field, is a job for specialist companies.
Saving tips: How to reduce your balcony renovation costs
1. Do the preparatory work yourself
In addition to simple preparatory work such as removing furniture and plants and clearing the balcony of dirt, other work can also be carried out yourself (with a little experience and skill). If you have the necessary experience, you can, for example, remove the old flooring yourself and, if available, dismantle the balcony railing.
Filling the floor is more demanding and sealing with liquid plastic is really only something for absolute professionals. The latter should really only be carried out by qualified professionals in order to avoid expensive consequential damage.
2. Choose a floor covering that is easy to replace
No matter whether wood or tiles: Particularly with regard to future balcony renovation costs (to make them cheaper and to make the work easier), it is worthwhile to opt for easily replaceable floor coverings. This can save you expensive demolition work on the floor in the future and thus also a lot of time and money.
3. Carry out a regional price comparison
Precisely because the cost to refurbish a balcony can vary so greatly, it is always worth carrying out a free price comparison beforehand in order to find the best cost/benefit ratio in the region. At the same time, you can compare customer ratings of the individual specialist companies.
