Frequently Asked Questions

We offer flexible pricing options to suit different needs:

• Monthly Plan: £24.99 per month - Pay month-to-month with flexibility to cancel anytime
• Annual Plan: £249.90 per year (save £49.98 - equivalent to 2 months free)

All plans include:

• Full access to the refurbishment calculator
• Regional pricing adjustments for accurate estimates
• Unlimited saved projects
• PDF report exports (Schedule Summary & Blank Template)
• Excel exports for customisation
• Regular rate updates

Yes! We offer a 1-week (7 days) free trial with FULL access.

During your free trial, you get:

• Complete access to all calculator features
• Create unlimited estimates
• Download as many reports as you like
• Save unlimited projects
• All the same features as paid subscribers

No credit card required to start your trial. After your 7-day trial ends, you can choose to subscribe to continue using the platform. Start your free trial here.

We only take payment AFTER your 1-week free trial ends.

Here's how it works:

• Day 1-7: Free trial - full access, no payment required
• Day 8: Your chosen subscription begins and payment is taken
• You can cancel anytime during the trial period with no charge

Your billing date is set based on when your trial ends. For monthly plans, you'll be charged on the same date each month. For annual plans, on the same date each year.

Yes! You can cancel anytime with no cancellation fees or penalties.

To cancel:

• Go to Account Settings
• Select 'Subscription'
• Click 'Cancel Subscription'
• Confirm cancellation

What happens after cancellation:

• You'll continue to have full access until the end of your current billing period
• Your saved projects remain accessible in read-only mode for 90 days
• You can view and export projects, but not create new ones
• No refunds for partial months/years

We accept all major payment methods through our secure payment processor Stripe:

• All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
• Debit cards

All payments are processed securely with industry-standard encryption. UK VAT is added to prices where applicable, and invoices are automatically emailed after each payment.

Our estimates are typically accurate to within ±10% for standard residential refurbishment and ±15% for more complex projects. This is industry-standard accuracy for preliminary estimates and acceptable to most investors and lenders.

What affects accuracy:

• Quality of room measurements you provide
• Correct property location selection (regional pricing varies significantly)
• Appropriate work item selection
• Property condition and complexity

How to improve accuracy:

• Use laser measures for precise dimensions
• Conduct thorough site inspections
• Select the correct property type
• Include 10-15% contingency for unexpected issues
• Use manual lines for known specific costs

Most users create comprehensive estimates in 5-15 minutes for a typical 3-bed house refurbishment. Traditional manual estimating can take hours or even days!

Time savings include:

• Automated area calculations from room dimensions
• Pre-built work categories with pricing
• Instant totals as you add works
• No complex spreadsheet building
• Professional reports generated instantly

Property developers using Refurb Calculator report saving 5-10 hours per week on estimating tasks.

Creating an estimate follows a simple 6-stage workflow:

• Stage 1: Enter property information (name, location, type, purchase price)
• Stage 2: Add and name all rooms (do this before site visits!)
• Stage 3: Enter room dimensions - calculator auto-calculates areas
• Stage 4: Select required works from comprehensive lists
• Stage 5: Choose project management method and add services
• Stage 6: Review and download your professional reports

Each stage builds on the previous one, making the process logical and efficient.

Yes! You can add unlimited custom work items (manual lines) throughout your estimate.

For each custom item, specify:

• Description of the work
• Quantity
• Unit of measure (m², items, linear metres, etc.)
• Cost per unit

Important: The prices you enter for custom items pass through to the total and appear in ALL reports (PDF Schedule Summary, Blank Template, Excel export, and dashboard).

This is perfect for specialist works, bespoke installations, unique structural requirements, or specific client needs.

Yes! Save unlimited projects with full editing capability.

What you can do:

• Save projects at any stage of completion
• Edit any saved project anytime
• Duplicate projects for similar properties
• Access from any device
• Track multiple projects in your dashboard
• Delete projects you no longer need

Auto-save: Your work is automatically saved as you progress through the stages, preventing data loss.

There are no limits on the number of projects you can save - build a comprehensive library of all your developments.

You can export three types of professional reports:

• Schedule Summary (PDF): Comprehensive budget estimate with detailed work descriptions, quantities, and costs. Perfect for your records, investor presentations, and lender applications.
• Blank Estimate Template (PDF): Professional template with work items but no costs - send this to contractors for competitive quoting. Standardises the tender process.
• Excel Document: Full estimate in spreadsheet format for customisation, financial modelling, or adding your own notes and adjustments.

All reports are professionally formatted and investor-ready. Generate them instantly with one click from your completed estimate.

Location is critical! Refurbishment costs vary dramatically across the UK - a London project can cost 40% more than the same work in the North East.

How it works:

• When you select your property location, we automatically adjust EVERY cost line
• Both labour rates and material costs are adjusted for your region
• Covers all UK regions with detailed pricing zones
• Reflects local wage levels, supplier pricing, and market conditions

Example impact: A typical 3-bed terrace refurb could range from £45,000 in a regional town to £75,000+ in Central London - that's why accurate regional pricing matters!

Currently, you cannot adjust individual rates in the calculator. However, the calculator already adjusts rates based on:

• Property location: Automatic regional pricing adjustments
• Project management method: Self-build, subcontractors, or main contractor
• Floor level: Affects certain work costs

For custom pricing: Use the manual lines feature to add your own cost items, or export to Excel and adjust as needed.

The ability to customise standard rates is planned for a future update.

We automatically include a 10% contingency in all estimates (you can adjust or remove it, but we strongly recommend keeping it).

Why contingency matters:

• Refurbishment projects almost always encounter unexpected issues
• Hidden structural problems
• Concealed damp or decay
• Building regulation requirements
• Material price fluctuations

A 10-15% contingency protects your budget and maintains investor confidence. It's far better to have contingency left over than to run out of funds mid-project.

Refurb Calculator is designed for residential refurbishment projects including:

• Houses (Victorian terrace, Edwardian house, terraced, semi-detached, detached)
• Flats and apartments (modern flat, conversion flat)
• Buy-to-let properties
• Flip projects
• Renovation and conversion projects
• Light commercial conversions to residential

Perfect for property developers, investors, landlords, and anyone planning refurbishment work. Not suitable for new-build construction or heavy commercial projects.

We review and update rates regularly to ensure accuracy:

• Quarterly: Comprehensive rate reviews
• As needed: For significant market changes (material shortages, economic shifts)
• Annually: Full database refresh with new benchmarking data

What triggers updates: Changes in material costs, labour market adjustments, inflation, regulatory changes, and market feedback.

Important: Existing saved projects maintain their original rates to preserve estimate consistency. New projects automatically use the latest rates.

Our rates are compiled from multiple authoritative sources:

• Industry price books and benchmarking data
• Real project costs from completed refurbishments
• Major supplier pricing
• Trade association data
• Regional market research

Professional validation: Our rates and methodology are reviewed by experienced quantity surveyors, active property developers, and construction professionals.

All rates include both labour and materials based on current market data, with regional adjustments applied automatically.

Yes! We provide comprehensive support:

• Email Support: [email protected]
• Response Time: Usually within 24 hours (often much faster)
• Help Centre: Comprehensive guides and step-by-step tutorials
• FAQ: Answers to common questions
• Video Guides: Visual walkthroughs of key features

We're here to help you get the most out of Refurb Calculator. Don't hesitate to reach out with questions!

Yes. We take data security seriously:

• All data encrypted in transit and at rest
• Secure payment processing via Stripe (PCI-DSS compliant)
• Regular security audits and updates
• UK GDPR compliant
• Secure hosting infrastructure

Your project data, personal information, and payment details are protected with industry-standard security measures.

To reset your password:

• Go to the login page
• Click "Forgot Password?"
• Enter your email address
• Check your email for the reset link
• Click the link and create a new password

Didn't receive the email? Check your spam/junk folder, ensure you entered the correct email, wait 10 minutes and try again, or contact support.

Yes, you can update your email address in Account Settings. You'll need to verify the new email address before the change takes effect.

All your saved projects and subscription details will remain linked to your account - nothing is lost when changing your email.

After cancellation, your projects are handled as follows:

• 0-90 days: Projects kept in read-only mode - you can view and export them
• After 90 days: Projects may be deleted
• Reactivation: If you reactivate within 90 days, full access is restored

Best practice: Export any important projects to Excel or PDF before cancelling, just to be safe.

Yes! You can change your subscription plan anytime from Account Settings.

Upgrading: Changes take effect immediately and you're charged the prorated difference.

Downgrading: Changes take effect at the start of your next billing period - you keep your current benefits until then.

All your saved projects and data are preserved when changing plans.

Refurb Calculator works on all modern browsers:

• Google Chrome 90+ (Recommended - best performance)
• Mozilla Firefox 88+
• Safari 14+ (Mac/iOS)
• Microsoft Edge 90+

Not supported: Internet Explorer - please use Edge instead.

Mobile: Fully responsive and optimised for mobile browsers. Works great on tablets and smartphones (iOS Safari/Chrome, Android Chrome).

Keep your browser updated for the best experience.

Currently, Refurb Calculator is a web-based application that works perfectly on mobile browsers. It's fully responsive and optimized for mobile use.

Quick access tip: Add the web app to your phone's home screen for instant access that feels like a native app.

A dedicated mobile app is planned for release in late 2025.

If PDF export isn't working, try these solutions:

• Check pop-up blockers: Ensure pop-ups are enabled for refurbcalculator.co.uk
• Save the project first: Make sure you've saved before exporting
• Try a different browser: Chrome usually works best
• Check your internet: Ensure stable connection
• Disable extensions: Browser extensions can interfere
• Clear cache: Clear browser cache and try again

Still not working? Contact support with your browser type, version, and device. We can email your PDF directly if needed.

Required:

• Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
• Internet connection
• JavaScript and cookies enabled

Recommended for best results:

• Laser measure for accurate room dimensions
• Property details (address, type)
• General idea of works required
• Desktop or laptop for complex projects (mobile works too)

That's it! No software installation required - everything runs in your browser.

No! Refurb Calculator is 100% web-based.

Everything runs in your browser - no downloads, no installations, no updates to manage. Just log in from any device with internet access and you're ready to go.

This means:

• Works on any device (Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile)
• Access from anywhere
• Always up-to-date
• No storage space required on your device