London · Private residences
Apartment refurbishment in London.
The building's rules matter as much as the design.
Refurbishing a prime London apartment means working inside someone else's asset. Mansion blocks and managed buildings impose working hours, lift restrictions, protection requirements, insurance levels and a licence to alter that must be agreed before anything begins — and freeholder consent is frequently the longest item on the programme.
Inside the flat, the real work is usually invisible: rewiring, plumbing renewal, comfort cooling where it can be installed, ventilation, acoustic upgrade between floors and neighbours, and reconfiguring layouts that were sensible when the block was built and are not now.
Método coordinates all of it under one contract, with joinery, stone and metalwork manufactured off site and delivered as components to keep site duration — and disruption to your neighbours — as short as possible.
What the scope includes
- Licence to alter and managing agent approvals
- Measured survey and services condition review
- Layout reconfiguration within structural limits
- Electrical rewire, lighting design and controls
- Plumbing, heating, comfort cooling and ventilation
- Acoustic upgrade to floors, walls and services
- Bespoke kitchens, wardrobes, panelling and joinery
- Furnishing, styling and handover
Local detail
What matters on these projects in London.
Licence to alter
Most leases require freeholder consent for structural change, services alteration and floor finishes. Drawings, specifications and schedules of work are prepared for that submission as part of our scope.
Acoustics between neighbours
Hard floors, new services routes and open-plan changes all transmit sound. Acoustic build-ups, isolation and pipe treatment are designed in, both to satisfy the lease and to keep relations civil.
Cooling in period blocks
Comfort cooling is often restricted by external unit rules, riser space and consent. What is genuinely achievable should be established before the design assumes it.
Short site duration by design
Off-site manufacture, pre-assembly and scheduled deliveries keep the disruptive phase brief, which is what managing agents and neighbours actually judge you on.
How the work is controlled
01
Define
Understand the property, the requirements, the budget and how the home will actually be used.
02
Freeze
Resolve design, materials, engineering, specification and cost before anything is manufactured.
03
Make
Procure and manufacture the approved elements, with samples and benchmarks approved first.
04
Deliver
Coordinate logistics, site works and installation as one sequenced programme.
05
Close
Inspect, resolve and hand over a completed home, with documentation and aftercare.
Questions
Apartment refurbishment in London — questions
- Where do prime London apartment refurbishments become complicated?
- Consent and services. Freeholder licence, party wall matters, acoustic requirements, restricted riser space and limited access govern what is possible; the finishes are the straightforward part.
- How long does an apartment refurbishment take?
- Four to eight months on site for a full refurbishment, plus consent and design time beforehand, which can add two to six months depending on the building.
- Can you manage MEP upgrades during the works?
- Yes. MEP renewal is normally the core of the project and is coordinated with the finishes rather than run as a separate trade.
Start
Discuss your London project.
Tell us where the property is, what condition it is in and how you want to use it. We will tell you honestly what it needs.