Renovate, Remodel, Retrofit: What’s Right for Your Home and yOur Future?
At Barefoot Architects, whether we’re cycling through Bristol’s vibrant streets or walking the wooded lanes of Totnes, we’re constantly reminded that our homes aren’t just buildings. They’re the backdrop to our lives. When a home no longer serves you, deciding how to reshape it isn’t just about design. It’s about vision, values, and how you want to live.
‘High-end and cost effective: Ikea cabinets combined with Husk door fronts’
You might be wondering: should we renovate, remodel, or retrofit? Each path offers something different. Understanding the difference can unlock the full potential of your home, your lifestyle, and your budget.
Renovation (£750/m²): Honouring What’s There
Renovating is about bringing tired spaces back to life without changing the bones of the house. Think fresh finishes, repaired features, and updated kitchens or bathrooms, all while preserving the character that makes your home special. At around £750 per square metre, it’s an efficient way to breathe new life into older homes, especially those that are already well laid out.
Remodelling (£750–£1,750/m²): Rethinking Everyday Living
Remodelling is for those ready to rethink how their home works. Maybe it’s opening up a series of small rooms to create light-filled, open-plan living, or redesigning a connection to the garden to better suit family life. This level of transformation usually falls between £750 to £1,750 per square metre, depending on complexity and finish.
‘Bespoke joinery framing the opening into the kitchen’
Take our recent Oakwood Road project.
Our clients came to us with a 1930s semi that needed new life. Rather than adding an extension, we proposed a remodel and retrofit approach. We demonstrated that improving the quality, not the quantity, of space would have the most impact. That change in perspective meant the budget could be invested in a higher quality internal fit-out. The result was a stunning open-plan kitchen featuring Husk door fronts, bespoke joinery, and high-spec sliding doors that flood the space with natural light.
Because we didn’t need to design an extension, we were able to provide visualisations of the interiors as part of our standard service. This helped the clients visualise the potential of the space early on and make confident, design-led decisions.
‘Bespoke joinery framing the opening into the kitchen’
Retrofitting (£2,000–£2,500/m²): Investing in the Future
Retrofitting is where architecture meets climate action. It’s about turning your existing home into a low-energy, low-carbon one. At £2,000 to £2,500 per square metre, it can involve upgrading insulation, replacing windows, improving airtightness, and switching from fossil fuels to renewable systems. The investment is significant, but the return in comfort, performance, and long-term energy savings is truly transformative.
Retrofitting and Extending (£3,000–£4,000/m²): Whole-Home Transformation
If you need more space and want to futureproof your home, combining a retrofit with a carefully considered extension offers the most comprehensive transformation. At £3,000 to £4,000 per square metre, this approach delivers a home that’s more spacious, more efficient, and fully aligned with how you want to live both now and in the future.
What’s Right for You?
At Barefoot Architects, we don’t just design houses. We create homes that reflect your values, support your lifestyle, and tread lightly on the planet. Renovation, remodelling, retrofitting — each path has power. We’ll help you choose the one that makes the most of every square metre.