Build Cost Calculator
What might your project actually cost?
Move the sliders to match your project. Every rate band below comes straight from our own published cost guidance — not an industry-wide average, ours.
This is a starting-point estimate, not a quote. Real costs depend on site access, structural condition, contractor availability, and decisions made once work is underway. Rate bands are based on Sheldon Peever Studio's own published guidance (reviewed 2024) — for anything unusual or high-spec, get a proper quantity surveyor's opinion alongside ours.
Build cost
Floor area × a £/m² rate for your chosen specification level. Our mid-spec rate for new building elements currently runs £2,750–£3,300+VAT/m² — standard and high-end bands scale from there.
Architect & consultant fees
£5,000–£20,000+, scaled to project size and complexity — covers design, drawings, and coordination with structural engineers and other consultants where needed.
Planning & building regs
£1,500–£3,000+ to cover application submission and building control inspections.
Contingency
10–15% of build cost as standard, rising toward 15–20% for older or listed properties, where unforeseen issues are more likely once walls are opened up.
VAT
New builds are zero-VAT-rated on almost everything except consultant fees. Extensions, conversions, and renovations are standard-rated at 20%.