Renovation Budget Calculator
Two habits save renovations: hold a contingency, and don't over-capitalise.
Plan a renovation budget in Australia — estimate room-by-room from verified 2026 GST-inclusive costs, or split a set budget across the rooms. Add a 10–20% contingency reserve, and check the total against your home's value so you don't over-capitalise. Kitchen, bathroom, ensuite, laundry, living and bedroom, plus a whole-house-by-m² mode.
Estimates from typical 2026 AU renovation costs — prices vary by finish, trade, season and region, so confirm with quotes.
How your renovation budget is worked out
Two modes: build it up, or split it down
In Estimate by room, the calculator adds up a cost for each room you tick — either the typical 2026 figure for the finish tier you choose (budget, mid-range or high-end) or your own quote if you enter one. In Split a set budget, you enter a total and the tool divides it across the rooms by their allocation weights, so you can see what each room can afford. Either way it then adds your contingency reserve on top and checks the result against your home's value.
Worked example
A mid-range kitchen (~$35,000) and a full bathroom (~$25,000) come to $60,000 of works. Add a 15% contingency and the budget is about $69,000. On an $850,000 home that's roughly 8.1% of value — inside the usual 5–10% resale-safe band, though the kitchen alone at ~4% is close to the ~5%-per-room guide. Every figure is an editable estimate, not a quote.
What each room costs to renovate
Typical 2026 GST-inclusive ranges for a mid-range finish (they move a lot with budget vs high-end choices):
- Kitchen — ~$35,000 (national average closer to $42,000). Cabinetry alone is 30–40% of the bill; a budget refresh can come in near $20,000, a high-end kitchen well past $60,000.
- Bathroom — ~$25,000 for a full renovation (HIA data puts the average near $26,000). Waterproofing, tiling and trades dominate, which is why bathrooms cost so much for the floor area.
- Ensuite / powder room — ~$15,000. Smaller footprint, but the same waterproofing and plumbing, so it never scales down as much as you'd hope.
- Laundry — from ~$7,500. The cheapest wet area to redo, though joinery, benchtops and a new sink push it up quickly.
- Whole house — $2,500/m² cosmetic to $6,000/m²+ structural. A full 3–4 bedroom renovation commonly lands between $250,000 and $450,000+.
Across most rooms, labour is 40–50% of the budget, so the trades you need (not just the fittings you pick) drive the cost. And location matters: Sydney typically runs 15–25% above the national average, with Melbourne and Brisbane not far behind on major work.
Contingency and not over-capitalising
Always hold a contingency
Renovations uncover surprises — rot, old wiring, hidden plumbing, asbestos, or a floor that isn't level. Hold back 10–20% of the budget as a contingency reserve (this tool defaults to 15%) and push it toward 20% or more for an older or heritage home, where what's behind the walls is least predictable. The contingency sits on top of quoted works — it's not money you plan to spend, it's money you plan to have.
Watch the resale ceiling
Spend too much and you over-capitalise — you can't recover it when you sell. A common guide is to keep total renovation spend to about 5–10% of the home's value, and to keep a single room, especially a kitchen, under about 5%. The calculator flags spend that runs past these guides. Beyond your suburb's ceiling price, you're renovating for how you'll live, not for return — which is a fine choice, as long as it's a deliberate one.
Don't forget the hidden lines
Design or architect fees (roughly 8–15% for full service), temporary accommodation if you move out, and a structural or services surprise allowance are easy to leave out and real. Add them at the Detailed level for a true all-in figure.
❓ Frequently asked Frequently asked questions
How much does a renovation cost in Australia?
It depends heavily on scope. As a rough 2026 guide (all GST-inclusive): a mid-range kitchen is around $35,000 (the national average sits closer to $42,000), a full bathroom about $25,000, a small ensuite about $15,000, and a laundry from around $7,500. A whole-house renovation runs from about $2,500/m² for a cosmetic refresh to $6,000/m² or more for premium or structural work, so a full 3–4 bedroom renovation commonly lands between $250,000 and $450,000+. Sydney typically runs 15–25% above the national average. Every figure here is an editable estimate, not a quote.
How much contingency should I budget for a renovation?
Hold back 10–20% of your renovation budget as a contingency reserve for the surprises that almost always turn up — rot, old wiring, plumbing, asbestos or a floor that isn't level. This calculator defaults to 15%. Push it toward 20% or higher for an older or heritage home, where what's behind the walls is least predictable. The contingency sits on top of your quoted works, not inside them.
How much should I spend on a renovation before over-capitalising?
A common rule of thumb is to keep your total renovation spend to around 5–10% of your home's value, so you don't sink in more than you can recover at resale. Individual rooms have tighter limits — a kitchen is usually best kept under about 5% of the home's value. Spend beyond what your suburb's ceiling price supports and you're renovating for lifestyle, not return. This tool flags spend that runs past those resale guides.
What does a whole-house renovation cost per square metre?
As a 2026 guide, a cosmetic refresh (paint, flooring, fittings) runs about $2,500/m²; a standard renovation about $4,000/m²; and premium or structural work — moving walls, new services, high-end finishes — about $6,000/m² or more. Multiply by the floor area you're renovating: a 150 m² cosmetic job is roughly $375,000, while the same area done to a premium structural standard is closer to $900,000. Labour is typically 40–50% of the total.
How much does a kitchen or bathroom renovation cost?
A mid-range kitchen is around $35,000 in 2026 (the national average is closer to $42,000), with cabinetry alone about 30–40% of that. A full bathroom is about $25,000 (HIA data puts the average near $26,000), a small ensuite or powder room about $15,000, and a laundry from around $7,500. Labour is roughly 40–50% of most room budgets. Budget, mid-range and high-end finishes can move these figures substantially, so treat them as starting points and get quotes.
Where these figures come from
There's no single official price for a renovation — it depends on the rooms, the finish, your trades, the season and your region. The figures here are 2026 GST-inclusive ranges drawn from typical Australian builder, kitchen/bathroom specialist and industry pricing (including Housing Industry Association renovation data); they are approximate and vary from one quote to the next, so treat them as a planning guide and use your own quotes.
- Room costs (mid-range) — kitchen ~$35,000 (average nearer $42,000), full bathroom ~$25,000 (HIA average ~$26,000), ensuite ~$15,000, laundry from ~$7,500.
- Whole-house — $2,500/m² cosmetic, $4,000/m² standard, $6,000/m²+ premium or structural; a full 3–4 bedroom reno is commonly $250k–$450k+.
- Cost make-up — labour is roughly 40–50% of most room budgets, and cabinetry is 30–40% of a kitchen.
- Rules of thumb — hold a 10–20% contingency (15% default); keep total spend to ~5–10% of home value and a kitchen under ~5%. Sydney runs ~15–25% above the national average.
Last checked: July 2026. All prices are indicative GST-inclusive ranges and vary by finish, trade, season and region. This is a planning estimate — get current quotes from your builder and trades before you commit.
Select the question that matches where you are right now.
The headline number is your all-in renovation budget: the works for the rooms you're doing, plus the contingency reserve held back for surprises. The breakdown shows where each dollar goes, and the resale note tells you whether the spend is safe against your home's value.
Use it to set a realistic budget before you brief trades, and to sanity-check quotes. If a builder's quote lands well outside the room ranges, ask what finish and scope it assumes.
It's not a fixed quote. It doesn't price your specific access, structural surprises, council approvals or bespoke joinery — those come from your builder — and finish choices swing every figure.
The reserve isn't padding — it's the money that stops a nasty surprise from stalling the job. Renovations that skip it are the ones that run out of cash mid-build.
Four things move a renovation budget the most: which rooms, the finish level, the hidden lines, and where you live.
Kitchens and bathrooms cost the most per square metre because of cabinetry, waterproofing, tiling and trades. Two wet areas can be most of a whole renovation on their own.
Budget, mid-range and high-end can differ by two or three times for the same room. The tier you pick — not just the room — sets the number.
A 10–20% reserve, design fees, temporary accommodation and a structural allowance are easy to leave out and real. And Sydney runs 15–25% above the national average, so a national figure understates a big-city job.
A few habits keep a renovation on budget and out of over-capitalising territory.
Set aside 10–20% and don't touch it for scope creep. Older home? Start at 20%. It's the single habit that most keeps a reno from stalling.
Keep total spend to ~5–10% of the home's value and a kitchen under ~5%. Past your suburb's ceiling price, you won't get the money back at resale.
Use this as a starting figure, then get itemised quotes. Enter your own numbers as overrides so the budget reflects real prices, not averages.
A renovation is usually one line in a bigger home project. Price the individual trades and see how it fits your finances.