Renovation
Home renovations in Barbados
There is a lot of good housing stock on this island hiding under forty years of patching. A renovation is the best value building work you can do here — as long as somebody opens it up and looks properly before the money is committed.
What a full renovation involves
- Survey first. Roof structure, wall condition, damp, termite damage in timber, the state of the electrical installation and the plumbing.
- Strip out. Carefully, and with the salvage decisions made before anything is skipped rather than after.
- Structural repair. Cracked or spalling concrete, corroded reinforcement, failed lintels, movement at old extensions.
- Roof. Repair or replace, with the tie-down brought up to something that will survive a serious blow.
- Rewire and re-plumb. On most houses of a certain age this is not optional, and it is far cheaper before the finishes go on.
- Layout changes. Opening up, moving walls, reworking kitchens and bathrooms.
- Finishes. Render, screeds, tiling, joinery, painting, external works.
How we price a renovation
Nobody can price what nobody has seen. The honest way to handle that is not a lower headline number — it is a quote that separates the known work from the opening-up work, names the unknowns as provisional sums, and tells you what each one is likely to cost if it turns out badly.
Then you make the decisions with numbers in front of you, rather than being told half way through that the price has changed.
What we check first in an older Barbadian house
- Roof fixings that would not hold in a serious storm — the single most common and most important finding.
- Corroded reinforcement in concrete near the coast, showing as rust stains and spalling before it shows as anything worse.
- Electrical installations extended repeatedly over decades with no earthing worth the name.
- Termite damage in roof timbers, joinery and anywhere timber meets masonry.
- Blocked or absent drainage around the building, which is behind a surprising amount of damp.
- Water tanks and pumps long past their working life.
Renovate in stages?
Yes, and often you should. But sequence it properly: anything that involves opening walls, floors or the roof has to come before the finishes, or you pay for the finishes twice. We will map the stages with you even if we only do the first one.
Buying a house to renovate?
Take a builder round before you close, not after. An hour on site costs nothing and regularly changes what someone is willing to offer. We are happy to do it.
Live in it or move out?
For a full renovation, moving out is faster, cheaper and far less miserable. For room-by -room work you can usually stay. We will tell you honestly which one your job is.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to renovate or to build new?
Renovation often works out the better value, because the structure, the plot works and the services already exist. That changes when the structure or the roof has to be substantially replaced. Establishing which one you are dealing with is the first thing we look at.
Do renovations need planning permission?
Internal work that does not alter the footprint or the use often does not. Anything that extends, changes the external appearance materially, or changes the use of the building generally does. We will tell you which side of the line your job sits on.
How do you handle unknowns behind the walls?
They are named as provisional sums in the quote, with a realistic figure and a worst case. When we open up, you see what we see, and you decide.
Can you work on an old chattel or wall house?
Yes. They need a different approach — traditional detailing, timber repair, and respect for how the building was built to breathe. Modern sealed detailing on an old house causes damp rather than curing it.
Other things we do
New Home Construction
Turnkey house building across Barbados — from a cleared lot to the keys, on a written programme and a fixed scope.
Read moreHouse Extensions
Ground-floor and upper-floor extensions tied properly into the existing house, with the planning application handled.
Read moreKitchens & Bathrooms
Kitchen and bathroom refits managed as one job, so the trades follow each other instead of waiting on each other.
Read moreRoofing & Roof Repairs
Re-roofing, roof replacement and storm repair, built and strapped for hurricane wind loads.
Read moreConcrete & Blockwork
Blockwork, columns, beams, slabs and rendering — the structural core of a Barbadian building, done right.
Read moreGroundworks & Foundations
Site clearance, excavation, foundations, retaining walls, drainage and suck-wells on Barbados coral rock.
Read morePatios, Walls & Driveways
Patios, decks, boundary walls, driveways, pool surrounds and outdoor kitchens — built to live outside in.
Read moreHurricane Strengthening
Roof strapping, shutters, opening protection and post-storm repair, before and after the season.
Read moreConstruction Project Management
Running the whole job for you — drawings, approvals, trades, programme and payments — with one point of contact.
Read moreProperty Maintenance
Small works, repairs and scheduled maintenance for homes and rental properties across the island.
Read more