Builders in London

Quoting and job software for builders in London

EstiMate is quoting and job software for builders working across London's 32 boroughs and the City. Price the job with materials and labour itemised, send a quote the client accepts online, and keep the contract, variations, invoices and accounts on the same record.

The planning section below reads the latest approvals from every London borough's planning register, and the labour section shows the two London rates EstiMate's AI uses, one for central postcodes and one for the outer boroughs.

  • 33 councils
  • Postcodes E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC, BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB
  • Labour index 1.28 / 1.18
Live from the planning registers

What's being approved in London

Applications for building work that London's 32 boroughs and the City of London approved between 15 October 2026 and 30 October 2026. This is a busy area, so the figures cover the newest decisions on the register rather than a full month.

1,107

applications for building work approved

16

days of decisions counted

33 of 33

councils' registers answered

By kind of work

  • Extension700
  • Commercial fit-out / change of use69
  • Loft conversion67
  • Garage / outbuilding51
  • Landscaping / external46
  • Refurbishment34
  • New build33
  • Demolition23
  • Structural work19
  • Commercial new build16
  • Basement16
  • Conversion / change of use13
  • Commercial refurbishment10
  • Conservatory / orangery5
  • Annexe5

By council

  • Enfield110
  • Redbridge94
  • Bromley76
  • Bexley75
  • Ealing63
  • Havering63
  • Croydon52
  • Brent51
  • Camden51
  • Richmond upon Thames51
  • Hillingdon46
  • Southwark46
  • Haringey45
  • Hounslow43
  • Kingston upon Thames41
  • Islington35
  • Greenwich30
  • Hammersmith and Fulham26
  • Lewisham22
  • Sutton21
  • Lambeth18
  • Newham18
  • Tower Hamlets16
  • City of London10
  • Westminster4
  • Barking and Dagenham0
  • Barnet0
  • Hackney0
  • Harrow0
  • Kensington and Chelsea0
  • Merton0
  • Waltham Forest0
  • Wandsworth0

Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Harrow, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth showno recent decisions on the register. That usually means the council's feed is behind rather than that nothing was approved, so check its own planning portal.

Recent examples

Extension

Alteration of roof from hip to gable end; rear dormer roof extension (involving conversion of roofspace to habitable use), including installation of a Juliet balcony…

UB2, Ealing

Typical value £40k–£105k (typical for an extension)

New build

Details submitted pursuant to reference 24/03918/VAR: landscaping (15) (a) in respect of material amendment to 21/04271/RE4 and relevant conditions comprising the…

Enfield

Typical value £270k–£605k (typical for a new build)

Loft conversion

Erection of front roof lights and rear dormer window, internal alterations and all associated works.

SW16, Croydon

Typical value £45k–£85k (typical for a loft conversion)

Basement

Installation of painted timber door and window in the front lightwell and associated works (under pavement crossover).

N1, Islington

Typical value £100k–£250k (typical for a basement)

Commercial fit-out / change of use

Change of use of railway arch from storage and distribution (Use Class B8) to a gym and martial arts training facility (Use Class E(d)), including internal fit-out works.

E1, Tower Hamlets

Typical value £50k–£250k (typical for a commercial fit-out)

Refurbishment

Planning permission is sought for replacement of windows and installation of a new window to the rear elevation and internal alterations.

SE9, Greenwich

Typical value £30k–£100k (typical for a refurbishment)

Garage / outbuilding

T1 English Oak tree with an acute lean - Reduce by 4m height and spread to alleviate weight on the crown with the lean (This is 1m above previous pollard points). T2…

BR6, Bromley

Typical value £20k–£60k (typical for a garage/outbuilding)

Commercial new build

Certificate of Lawfulness for the proposed phased demolition of an existing single storey electricity substation transformer building, erection of a replacement single…

TW8, Hounslow

Typical value £250k–£1.7m (typical for a commercial new build)

Source: the councils' public planning registers, collected by PlanIt and searched by TenderPilot. Checked 30 October 2026 at 13:17 and refreshed about twice a day. Building work leaves out trees, signs and paperwork on existing consents. Locations are shown to postcode district only, no applicant details are shown, and value bands are typical ranges for that kind of work rather than quotes.

See them all on TenderPilot, free to search

EstiMate is made in Manchester by a working contractor. Questions from London: support@esti-mate.app. EstiMate, Piccadilly Business Centre, Unit C, Aldo Enterprise Park, Blackett Street, Manchester M12 6AE.

Labour rates

How labour is priced for a site in London

×1.28

Central London

Postcode areas E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC: 28% above the national guide

×1.18

Outer London

Postcode areas BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB: 18% above the national guide

When EstiMate Pro's AI take-off prices a job, it multiplies its national labour day-rate guide by the index for the site's postcode area: 1.28 for Central London (E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC) and 1.18 for Outer London (BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB). If you set your own day rates in Settings, the AI prices labour from those instead and the index no longer applies.

What you get

What EstiMate does for a builder in London

Quotes clients accept online

Materials and labour itemised with your markup and margin, sent as a link the client can accept, decline or query on their phone, with optional extras they can tick.

Contracts with e-signature

A build contract generated from the accepted quote, with your payment terms, signed online. Variations are added as signed addenda.

Variations and extras

Price additional works from site and send a one-tap approval link. The contract total and invoices update, with a full audit trail.

Invoicing and getting paid

Invoices with card payment links, payment milestones from the quote, and automatic chasing when an invoice falls overdue.

P&L, VAT and CIS

Receipts, supplier invoices and bank imports land in one ledger: profit and loss for any period, a VAT return helper, the CIS register and aged debtors.

Finding the work

TenderPilot, the sister product, searches live tenders and every council's planning register. Searching is free on any plan.

Every price is per business, not per user. No contract; cancel any time.

Councils and postcodes covered

  • City of London
  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Barnet
  • Bexley
  • Brent
  • Bromley
  • Camden
  • Croydon
  • Ealing
  • Enfield
  • Greenwich
  • Hackney
  • Hammersmith and Fulham
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hillingdon
  • Hounslow
  • Islington
  • Kensington and Chelsea
  • Kingston upon Thames
  • Lambeth
  • Lewisham
  • Merton
  • Newham
  • Redbridge
  • Richmond upon Thames
  • Southwark
  • Sutton
  • Tower Hamlets
  • Waltham Forest
  • Wandsworth
  • Westminster

Main postcode areas: E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC, BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB.

TenderPilot can search any of these councils' planning registers, or all of them at once, free. Search local applications or browse live tenders.

Built for your trade

Questions builders in London ask

Where do the London planning figures come from?

From the public planning registers of London's 32 boroughs and the City of London, collected by PlanIt, which gathers UK council registers into one search, and read by TenderPilot about twice a day. Councils publish at different speeds, so one that shows few decisions may simply be behind; its own planning portal has the full record.

How does EstiMate price labour for a job in London?

When EstiMate Pro's AI take-off prices a job, it multiplies its national labour day-rate guide by the index for the site's postcode area: 1.28 for Central London (E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC) and 1.18 for Outer London (BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB). If you set your own day rates in Settings, the AI prices labour from those instead and the index no longer applies. Once you know your rates, entering them is the better option.

Do I need to be based in London to use EstiMate?

No. EstiMate is an online app for builders and trades anywhere in the UK, on the web and on iPhone. This page adds what is local: the councils, their recent approvals and the labour index for the area's postcodes.

What does EstiMate cost?

Free for up to 3 jobs a month. EstiMate is £15.99 a month for unlimited jobs with quotes, contracts, invoicing and the accounts, and EstiMate Pro is £39.99 a month with the AI quote writer, take-off and Construction Copilot. Prices are per business, not per user, and there is no contract.

Quote, contract and invoice your London jobs in one place.

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