What Should Be Included in a Refurbishment Scope of Works?
What Should Be Included in a Refurbishment Scope of Works?
A good refurbishment project should not begin with a vague instruction such as “renovate the flat” or “refit the kitchen and bathroom”.
Before a contractor prices the work, there should be a clear scope of works setting out exactly what is expected.
The better the scope, the easier it is to compare quotations, control variations, manage the programme and understand what is actually included in the price.
For homeowners, landlords and property investors, this is one of the most important documents in the pre-construction process.
1. What is a scope of works?
A scope of works is a written description of the construction work that needs to be carried out.
It should explain what is being removed, retained, altered, supplied, installed, repaired and finished.
Depending on the size of the project, it may be supported by:
- Existing drawings
- Proposed drawings
- Structural information
- Electrical layouts
- Plumbing layouts
- Kitchen designs
- Bathroom specifications
- Finish schedules
- Door schedules
- Product specifications
The aim is to give everyone involved the same understanding of the finished project.
2. Start with preliminaries and site requirements
Before describing the physical building work, the scope should address how the project will be managed.
Typical preliminaries may include:
- Site setup
- Protection to existing finishes
- Protection to communal areas
- Waste removal
- Skip or rubbish-clearance arrangements
- Temporary services
- Working-hour restrictions
- Access arrangements
- Dust protection
- Daily cleaning
- Final builders clean
- Site supervision
These costs are easily overlooked when clients compare quotations.
A contractor who has included proper protection, waste management and supervision may appear more expensive than someone who has simply priced the visible installation work.
3. Strip-out and demolition should be specific
“Strip out property” is rarely detailed enough.
The scope should identify exactly what needs to come out.
For example:
- Remove existing kitchen
- Remove sanitaryware
- Lift existing flooring
- Remove selected internal walls
- Remove redundant radiators
- Remove existing doors where required
- Remove old electrical accessories
- Remove unwanted fitted furniture
- Remove debris from site
It should also make clear what must remain.
This is particularly important in refurbishment projects where existing features are being retained alongside new work.
4. Include structural and layout alterations
If the layout is changing, those alterations need to be clearly described.
This may include:
- Forming new openings
- Closing existing doorways
- Installing structural steelwork
- Constructing new stud partitions
- Altering ceilings
- Forming niches
- Creating new bathroom layouts
- Altering kitchen positions
- Forming cupboards or storage areas
Where structural work is involved, the scope should refer to the engineer's drawings and calculations rather than leaving the contractor to make assumptions.
5. Electrical work needs more than “full rewire”
Electrical specifications are a common source of misunderstanding.
A useful scope should identify the expected number and type of fittings wherever possible.
This might include:
- Socket locations
- Switch positions
- Downlights
- Pendant lights
- Wall lights
- External lighting
- Extractor fans
- Smoke alarms
- Heat alarms
- Consumer-unit upgrades
- Appliance supplies
- Data points
- TV points
- Dimmers
- USB outlets where required
The drawings and written scope should agree with each other.
If the specification changes after the price has been agreed, those changes may become variations.
6. Plumbing and heating should identify what is moving
Plumbing work can become expensive when the proposed design requires significant changes to existing services.
The scope should identify:
- New sanitaryware
- Relocated sanitaryware
- New taps and mixers
- Shower systems
- Concealed cisterns
- Waste connections
- New radiators
- Relocated radiators
- Pipework alterations
- Boiler-related work where applicable
- Underfloor heating where required
Moving a toilet, shower or kitchen sink is very different from simply replacing one in the same position.
That difference needs to be visible at pricing stage.
7. Kitchens need clear supply and installation responsibilities
A kitchen scope should establish who is responsible for each element.
This can include:
- Kitchen units
- Worktops
- Splashbacks
- Appliances
- Sinks
- Taps
- Handles
- Lighting
- Electrical connections
- Plumbing connections
- Decorations
- Floor finishes
It should also make clear whether the contractor is supplying the kitchen or whether it is being purchased directly by the client.
The same principle applies to specialist worktops, appliances and bespoke joinery.
8. Bathrooms need detailed specifications
Bathrooms contain several trades in a relatively small area, so vague specifications can quickly cause disputes.
The scope may need to cover:
- Sanitaryware
- Taps
- Showers
- Baths
- Concealed cisterns
- Tanking
- Tiling
- Grout
- Silicone
- Niches
- Mirrors
- Cabinets
- Extractor fans
- Lighting
- Towel radiators
- Underfloor heating
- Accessories
It should also clarify whether tiles and sanitaryware are contractor-supplied, client-supplied or covered by provisional allowances.
9. Finishes should not be left until the end
Decoration and finishing standards can make a significant difference to the final cost.
A proper scope should address:
- Plaster repairs
- Full plastering where required
- Mist coats
- Wall preparation
- Ceiling preparation
- Woodwork preparation
- Number of finish coats
- Skirtings
- Architraves
- Doors
- Ironmongery
- Floor finishes
- Sealants
- Touch-ups
Statements such as “decorate throughout” can mean very different things to different contractors.
10. Clearly identify what the client is supplying
Client-supplied materials should be listed separately.
Typical examples include:
- Kitchen units
- Appliances
- Tiles
- Sanitaryware
- Taps
- Light fittings
- Flooring
- Door furniture
- Specialist finishes
The scope should still state whether the contractor is responsible for unloading, storing, installing and protecting those items.
This reduces confusion when products arrive on site.
11. Include provisional sums where selections are not final
Not every product needs to be selected before an initial cost plan or quotation is prepared.
Where a decision has not yet been made, a realistic allowance can be included.
For example:
- Sanitaryware allowance
- Tile allowance
- Flooring allowance
- Ironmongery allowance
- Kitchen worktop allowance
- Light-fitting allowance
These should be clearly labelled rather than hidden inside the overall price.
That allows the budget to be updated later without losing visibility of the original assumption.
12. Exclusions are just as important as inclusions
A strong quotation should make clear what has not been allowed for.
Possible exclusions might include:
- Professional fees
- Planning fees
- Building Control fees
- Party Wall surveyor fees
- Freeholder fees
- Loose furniture
- Certain specialist finishes
- Asbestos removal unless identified
- Unforeseen structural defects
- Utility-company charges
Clear exclusions protect both the client and contractor.
Why a detailed scope helps control variations
Variations are often blamed entirely on contractors, but many begin because the original project information was incomplete.
If the original scope clearly defines the agreed work, it becomes much easier to identify whether something is:
- Included in the original contract
- A client-requested change
- An unforeseen condition
- A design development
- An additional statutory requirement
That makes valuation and final-account discussions much more transparent.
How Bayocorp approaches scopes and cost planning
At Bayocorp, we use the scope of works as part of the wider pre-construction process.
Depending on the project stage, we can assist with:
- Scope preparation
- Drawing review
- Cost planning
- Builder's estimates
- Quotation preparation
- Buildability reviews
- Provisional allowances
- Value engineering
- Programme planning
- Project management
- Construction delivery
For larger refurbishments, getting the scope right before work starts can save considerably more time and money than trying to resolve ambiguities once the site is already live.
Planning a refurbishment?
Before asking contractors for prices, make sure they are pricing the same project.
A clear scope of works gives you a much stronger basis for budgeting, quotation comparison, programme planning and managing the eventual build.
Bayocorp supports refurbishment, renovation and fit-out projects across London and the South East, from early cost planning through to construction delivery.
Renovate | Refit | Refurbish