Whole House Renovation Cost Breakdown
Renovating a home can cost anywhere from $17,686 to $79,431, depending on the size of the house, the rooms you want to remodel, upgrades to utilities, permits, labor, and more.
Home Size
House renovation costs about $10 to $60 per square foot on average, but if you want custom paints, high-end flooring, or other premium finishes, you can expect to spend upward of $150 per square foot.
Room Type
When renovating the house, you may decide to overhaul all the rooms at once or take it one room at a time. Keep in mind that wet rooms, those that require running water, cost more to renovate than dry rooms that don’t. Here are some common costs to expect to renovate each room, with prices ranging from $1,500 to over $50,000 per room.
Living Room
Remodeling the living room will cost about $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the changes you’d like to make. Easier projects like adding a fresh coat of paint, new baseboards, and swapping out light fixtures will fall on the lower end of the price range, while adding new outlets or rewiring the room, installing new windows, and other major upgrades can cost over $60 per square foot.
Bedroom
Bedroom renovations are one of the most affordable changes you can make in a home, costing about $1,500 to $5,500 per bedroom. Bedroom upgrades may include a fresh coat of paint, new storage shelves, a closet organization system, or new furniture. Custom materials and finishes will increase the cost. On the other hand, converting another type of room, like an attic or garage, into a bedroom will increase renovation prices significantly, up to $40,000.
Kitchen
Kitchen renovations cost about $14,550 and $40,400. You can make minor upgrades, like adding a kitchen backsplash and upgrading lighting, for less than $20,000. A major overhaul with new flooring, custom cabinets, smart appliances, and luxury materials may cost over $70,000.
Bathroom Remodel
Remodeling a bathroom costs about $11,250. Small bathrooms will cost less, around $6,600, but adding premium finishes like marble flooring or rainfall showerheads will increase the cost up to $28,000. Bathroom remodels are one of the top remodeling projects that homeowners take on, and you can reduce costs by installing budget-friendly features and fixtures.
Basement Remodel
A basement remodel costs an average of $21,700. Basement remodels have a high upfront cost but a generous return on investment (ROI). The average basement remodel costs $30 to $75 per square foot, so the bigger the basement, the higher the price tag. Transforming the basement into a cozy home theater costs about $12,000, and creating a basement gym ranges from $300 to $15,000.
Attic
Finishing or renovating an attic costs about $4,600 to $16,400. If you haven’t been up in the attic recently, you may need to pay to remove pests, repair water damage, or install new insulation before moving onto the fun aspects, like choosing paint colors or flooring types. Extensive attic remodeling typically costs about $200 per square foot.
Garage Remodel
With so many different ways to upgrade a garage, garage remodels cost anywhere from $1,500 to $50,000. You can spend as low as $2 to $5 per square foot to seal the concrete floors, repaint the walls, or install storage shelves on your own, while converting a garage into a living space costs over $86 per square foot.
Labor
You’ll spend about $20 to $150 per hour for labor costs, and there will likely be several pros you’ll need to hire for a home renovation. Rewiring a room or adding more outlets to charge all your devices will require an electrician’s expertise, or you might hire an interior designer near you to create a cohesive look across multiple rooms. Expect to spend about 10% to 20% of the total renovation budget to hire a general contractor to oversee the work.
Permits
Major home improvement projects often require permits, and building permits cost about $500 to $2,500. If you plan to add rooms to the house, work on the plumbing, or install or change existing wiring, you or your contractor can expect to file for permits. Small updates, like painting a room, typically do not require permits. Check your local rules and regulations about required permits for your project.
Plumbing
Installing or replacing plumbing costs $350 to $2,000 on average. If you need to make a few updates to a room or fix some leaky pipes, plumbing repairs cost about $325. However, you’ll need to budget for labor costs, about $175 to $500 per hour on the cost to hire a plumber.
Electrical
Rewiring a house costs range from $1,500 for a small rewiring project to $10,000 or more to rewire the entire house. Installing new outlets costs about $75 to $485 per outlet while upgrading an electrical panel costs about $1,250. No matter what type of electrical work you need, you can expect electricians to charge about $50 to $100 per hour.
HVAC
While you’re updating the rooms in your home, you may also want to ensure they stay cozy and comfortable year-round with a repaired or new HVAC system. HVAC repairs cost an average of $350, while installing new heating or cooling systems costs around $5,000 to $12,500.
Home Renovation Costs by Type
Renovating an entire home will be more expensive than renovating only a few rooms. In addition, gutting a house to its framework or restoring a historic home can have high upfront costs.
Whole-House Renovation Cost
Renovating a whole house costs about $48,000 or $10 to $60 per square foot, although prices can rise to over $80,000 if you have a large home or are incorporating custom designs and luxury materials.
Gut and Remodel Renovation
Gutting a house to the studs and remodeling the remaining framework into a livable space costs about $100,000 to $650,000. This labor-intensive and time-consuming type of demolition and remodeling costs about $60 to $150 per square foot.
Historic Home
Remodeling historic homes costs about $100 to $200 per square foot. Restoring a historic home requires a lot of planning and care, and it can come at a much higher cost than remodeling a modern home. For example, homes built in the 1930s or earlier may have outdated electrical wiring or plumbing that you’ll need to update to meet today’s safety codes. However, if you remodel a home in the National Register of Historic Places, you may qualify for state or federal grants to help offset the construction costs.
Rehabbing a Home
Rehabbing a home, often considered “flipping” a house into an upgraded investment property for profit, costs about $10 to $60 per square foot. Prices can increase to over $60 per square foot if the project involves replacing builder-grade materials for high-end materials, like luxury hardwood floors or customized paint, tile, and wallpaper.
Home Additions
Home additions cost about $22,400 to $81,000. Some popular examples are adding a detached garage or a second bathroom near your family den. Home additions create more living space in your home, but they can be costly as you’ll need to add foundation, frame the walls, add new siding, install drywall and insulation, and then finish the interiors. The least expensive home addition is adding a new bathroom, which costs $6,200 to $15,500.
Additional Costs to Consider
Renovating an entire home is a major project, providing more opportunities for unexpected costs to arise. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to budget an extra 20% of the estimated project cost for any unforeseen problems that happen along the way.
Home Age
Older home renovations start around $100,000. These renovations are usually more expensive than renovating a newer home, since you’ll likely need to update plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. Plus, older homes may reveal hidden problems during the renovation process, such as termite damage or water damage in the basement.
Floor Plan Changes
Changing the floor plan of a room or area may cost about $350 to $500 for minor changes or over $2,000 for major changes. These changes may involve knocking down or building new walls or rewiring the electrical work, so you’ll need to hire a structural engineer to ensure the changes are safe to implement.
Updating Appliances
While you’re installing new kitchen cabinets or a custom laundry storage system, you may be considering upgrades to the fridge or washer and dryer. New appliances may cost $200 to $10,000 each, depending on the appliance type and quality. For example, Energy Star-rated appliances typically cost $200 to $3,500, and custom, built-in appliances will likely cost $1,000 to $10,000.
Mold or Asbestos Remediation
Mold remediation costs $2,225 on average, and asbestos removal costs $1,200 to $3,100, depending on the extent of the damage. Mold and asbestos remediation need professional attention, or these problems can put your family’s health at risk. If you discover either of these issues during renovation, stop the process and address it immediately.
Foundation Repairs
Foundation repairs cost $2,200 to $7,700 and are essential to keeping the home structurally sound and safe. Again, you will likely need to work with a structural engineer to ensure the foundation is repaired and maintained properly. You’ll likely need to repair the foundation before you can get started on any other renovations.
Cost Complete a Home Renovation Yourself
A home renovation is a massive undertaking that may involve handling electrical wires, plumbing pipes, and structural systems. You risk damaging your home if you aren’t an expert, not to mention the risk of injury or even death from electrocution or other accidents. It’s best to turn to the expertise of architects, structural engineers, demolition crews, electricians, and plumbers for home renovations.
DIY House Renovation Costs vs. Hiring a Pro
With that in mind, you may be able to save money by completing some easier projects yourself. For example, you could save $10 to $20 per square foot by painting interior rooms on your own or by ripping up old carpets and installing click-lock flooring.
5 Ways You Can Save Money on Your Home Renovation
Renovating a house costs a lot of money upfront, but there are ways to save money while still achieving the house of your dreams.
Choose Budget-Friendly Materials
Instead of spending most of your budget on custom finishes and premium materials, consider mid-range options as much as possible to save money. Mid-range options will be more durable and last longer than the least expensive materials on the market, while offering a similar look at a lower cost than high-end alternatives.
Complete Some Work Yourself
You can’t complete an entire home renovation on your own, but you can take on some smaller, easier tasks to save money on labor costs. Many homeowners can handle painting rooms, tearing out old carpets, or installing shelves themselves to save on individual project costs.
Consider Short- and Long-Term Savings
While you may be tempted to buy the least expensive flooring option or windows on the market, keep in mind that you often get what you pay for. While you could save upfront on low-cost materials, you may spend more on maintaining, repairing, or replacing these materials down the road. Look for options that fit your renovation budget but won’t cause issues weeks or months after the project is complete.
Maximize Space
House renovation costs heavily depend on the size of the house or each room, so you can save by sticking to smaller square footage while making the most of the existing space. You may not need a home addition for your home office if you can maximize the space in an existing guest bedroom to have it double as a bedroom and office.
Get Multiple Quotes
You’ll need to work with several experts in various fields to complete a home renovation, but before signing any contracts, get at least three quotes for each professional service you plan to hire. Compare what each price includes to get the best value for each part of the renovation process.
