Home improvement costs in Durham
Prices in Durham run about 10% below the UK average. Consistently the lowest labour rates in England, with a high proportion of pre-1945 terraced stock.
- REGION
- North East
- COST INDEX
- 90 / 100 UK
- POPULATION
- 48,000
What each job costs in Durham
National averages adjusted for North East labour and materials rates.
Bathrooms
£3,600 – £11,000
Bathrooms in Durham · 7–14 days
See the Durham breakdownKitchens
£5,400 – £27,000
Kitchens in Durham · 2–4 weeks
See the Durham breakdownBoilers
£1,800 – £5,000
Boilers in Durham · 1–3 days
See the Durham breakdownAir Conditioning
£1,400 – £7,200
Air Conditioning in Durham · 1–2 days per unit
See the Durham breakdownSolar Panels
£3,600 – £12,500
Solar Panels in Durham · 2–4 days
See the Durham breakdownRoofing
£1,400 – £18,000
Roofing in Durham · 3 days – 3 weeks
See the Durham breakdownExtensions
£27,000 – £108,000
Extensions in Durham · 12–24 weeks
See the Durham breakdownLoft Conversions
£22,500 – £72,000
Loft Conversions in Durham · 6–10 weeks
See the Durham breakdownDriveways
£1,800 – £11,000
Driveways in Durham · 3–10 days
See the Durham breakdownWindows
£2,700 – £13,500
Windows in Durham · 1–3 days
See the Durham breakdownElectrical
£270 – £7,200
Electrical in Durham · 1 day – 2 weeks
See the Durham breakdownPlumbing
£110 – £5,400
Plumbing in Durham · Same day – 1 week
See the Durham breakdownLandscaping
£1,400 – £22,500
Landscaping in Durham · 1–4 weeks
See the Durham breakdownFlooring
£540 – £7,200
Flooring in Durham · 2–5 days
See the Durham breakdownPainting & Decorating
£360 – £5,400
Painting & Decorating in Durham · 2 days – 2 weeks
See the Durham breakdownHousing stock in Durham
A World Heritage core with tight conservation control, surrounded by former pit-village terraces. Student HMO conversions make up a large share of local renovation work.
Common postcodes covered: DH1, DH6, DH7.
Planning and building control
Building regulations applications and planning permission in Durham are handled by Durham County Council. Most internal refits fall under permitted development, but new electrical circuits, structural openings, boiler installations and anything affecting a party wall need notification or sign-off before the work is signed off as compliant.
Always check whether your property sits inside a conservation area or has an Article 4 direction — both remove permitted development rights that most homeowners assume they have.
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