Renovating a house costs $40,000 up to as much as $900,000 in Australia. The wide range of published renovation prices on the market is unfortunately not due to the quality of work but due to their different units of measure. Based on what KPMG read from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ report, Australians will spend $56.2billion on alterations and additions in 2025-26.
This guide explores these costs using one example, a 150sqm three-bedroom home. Data is drawn from cost guides published by What’s The Damage, Three Birds Renovations, Your Property Guide and Architecture & Design along with financial information from Canstar. All these sources are commercial publishers and none offers data which is reproducible. The following tables are demonstration calculations based on the published costs of these publishers, the information provided here is general and is not intended as financial advice.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House? Five Answers for One House
This one house has five published different estimates. The final column shows what it means for a 150 square meter house.
Source (date) | Published figure | Unit | Result for 150 m² |
What’s The Damage (Oct 2026) | Mid-range $150,000 to $350,000 | Whole project | $150,000 to $350,000 |
Three Birds (Dec 2025) | Full house refresh, no structure: $120,000 to $300,000+ | Whole project | $120,000 to $300,000+ |
Three Birds, same page | Brisbane mid-range $4,500 to $6,000 | Per m², area undefined | $675,000 to $900,000 |
Your Property Guide (Oct 2026) | Mid-range $2,800 to $4,500 | Per m² of area renovated | $420,000 to $675,000 if all 150 m² |
Architecture & Design (Mar 2022) | Half of full renovations cost $40,000 to $300,000 | Whole project | $40,000 to $300,000 |
If we look at the 3rd row, it’s apparent that 3-bird’s per-m2 table intimates prices for that range of about 2.25-3× its whole house range. The original page has no area mentioned, so maybe treat per-m2 number as a separate product for now. The number from Architecture & Design is from a search snippet as a page body not available, and it is from 2022. Before you compare prices to renovate, compare their units.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House: Decoding the Units
Your Property Guide even has some information about this very trap. That was is it’ whole-of-house rates relates to what is being overhauled, not to your total house size. So a mid-range group of this new leav` of $200,000 to $400,000 suggests for every 200,000 to 400,000 the band of a need of 71-89 sqm (by my calculations).
In addition, there are four factors for units that could affect the numbers:
Trap | What it does to the figure |
GST basis | What’s The Damage and Your Property Guide include GST. CKA figures cited by Your Property Guide exclude GST, fees, and contingency. Three Birds does not say. |
Shell versus fit-out | Extension and second-storey rates cover the shell. Kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries cost extra. |
Fees | Your Property Guide puts design, engineering, council, and certifier costs at 8% to 15% of project cost. |
Scope names | What’s The Damage calls $50,000 to $150,000 “cosmetic.” Three Birds starts its “refresh” at $120,000. |
The time of estimates is another consideration. What’s The Damage’s standalone annual-report section features a tier called “luxury or whole-home” that begins at only $100,000, while the company’s full-home page says it would run $350,000 to $550,000+ to fully renovate a home. So one publisher may give two different estimates.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House From the Bottom Up
What gets counted might be hidden in the top down estimates. So, a sheet was made based on the list of rooms as imported from What’s The Damage full-home page. Seven lines were chosen for a mid-range scope taking one range from each published range:
Line | Low | High |
Kitchen (average band) | $25,000 | $45,000 |
Bathroom (average band) | $15,000 | $30,000 |
Interior paint | $4,000 | $12,000 |
Flooring | $8,000 | $25,000 |
Full rewire | $8,000 | $20,000 |
Replumbing | $10,000 | $30,000 |
Insulation | $3,000 | $10,000 |
Component total | $73,000 | $172,000 |
The next step is to consider the other costs. What’s The Damage recommends a margin of 15-25% for a builder. The room list alone doesn’t specify whether this figure is inclusive or not, so best to assume it is a worst case scenario. Add Your Property Guide’s 8-15% for pre-construction fees and then another 15-20% contingency (both recommended by the guides).
Step | Low | High |
Component total | $73,000 | $172,000 |
Plus builder’s margin (15% / 25%) | $83,950 | $215,000 |
Plus pre-construction (8% / 15%) | $90,666 | $247,250 |
Plus contingency (15% / 20%) | $104,266 | $296,700 |
This 43% to 73% is over and above the room prices. And that’s before the roof is added and the ducted air conditioning, layout modifications, and external work are factored in. That’s why the published mid-range band begins at a higher level.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House: Which Lines Move the Total
Some choices affect the overall cost much more than others. This chart orders the lines in What’s The Damage’s list in order of the range between the item’s low and high published prices, with each block indicating $5,000.
Line | Published range | Swing | |
Kitchen | $15,000 to $80,000+ | $65,000 | █████████████ |
Landscaping | $5,000 to $50,000+ | $45,000 | █████████ |
New roof | $10,000 to $40,000 | $30,000 | ██████ |
Bathroom | $10,000 to $35,000 | $25,000 | █████ |
Replumbing | $10,000 to $30,000 | $20,000 | ████ |
Decking | $5,000 to $25,000 | $20,000 | ████ |
Flooring | $8,000 to $25,000 | $17,000 | ███ |
Full rewire | $8,000 to $20,000 | $12,000 | ██ |
The two decisions are also placed outside the scope of immediate concern. Wet work, such as moving kitchens and bathrooms, can cost up to $50,000 to carry out the work as it is expensive to move areas that need water supply. Moving kitchens and bathrooms according to the source What’s The Damage could save between $20,000 to $50,000. The source also claims that carrying out work from April to August can save between 5% to 15%, though it is not referenced and should be checked with a builder.
Basically, it all boils down to the finish and layout. Paint and insulation will not have a big impact on the total cost.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House in Your City
Here the location makes a difference to all of these costs. “What’s The Damage” estimates that the average cost of renovating in Sydney is 15% higher than the national average. The average cost to renovate in Canberra is 10% higher, 5% higher in Melbourne and Perth and equal to the national average in Brisbane and Darwin. 8% lower in Adelaide and 10% lower in Hobart.
Another source, ‘Your Property Guide’ has a different point of reference. ‘Relative to Sydney’, its CKA indicator has Melbourne 1% lower, Brisbane 4% higher, Perth 5% higher, and Adelaide and Hobart same. The two viewpoints differ for Adelaide: one says it is 23 points below Sydney and the other same as Sydney.
Thus, it’s sensible to regard each city-specific cost correction as a guide. I recommend getting no less than three written quotations from local tradespeople. Regional items 2% to 3% should be added for regional areas. “Your Property Guide” suggests you should add 5% to 15%. Timing also becomes a factor. “What The Damage” suggests a cosmetic renovation takes 4 to 8 weeks on-site, mid-range takes 3 to 6 months, and full-scale takes 6 to 12 months plus 2 to 4 weeks for council approval.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House Once Fees and Finance Land
Don’t confuse the quote as your final budget “Your Property Guide” shows how a quote of $300,000 can blow out to a justifiable budget of around $370,000 to $410,000 when you add in council fees, contingencies and scope creep. They suggest a contingency of 10% to 15%, or 15% to 20% for an older house or work that involves structural considerations.
Interest rates buy time. Canstar explains that a construction loan is a loan that is repaid in instalments as construction progresses. You only pay interest on what you’ve already spent, not the full amount. However, be aware that interest rates could be more expensive and you might not be able to get a loan for work you’re doing yourself. In addition, a top-up loan backed by the house could accrue interest over a number of years if the repayments stay the same. Because Canstar is a comparison site, it’s better to talk to a broker to find out the current rates.
For investors, this is an extra consideration. Each extra week on site adds costs for rates, insurance, and interest, which raise the total costs even if the initial quote stays the same.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House? Tracking It in FlipSync IQ
Timeline of renovation expense is critical. Flip Sync IQ’s deal analyzer provides an ARV simulation with minimum suggested maximum purchase costs that is a part of it, with a leader to shift the max purchase price to strike a new limit of profitability instantly. Margin protection is kept, which means that more repairs lower the maximum purchase price prior to drawing up the contract.
At Construction time, budget against actual‘s indicators show, line by line, $’s in red, $’s in green, and receipts, invoices and staged payments to the budget. Prepopulated task lists used as a checklist of trades enables a logical sequence, while bespoke tasks include approvals and lead times. Site check-in check-out books and dated photo reports monitor on-site person power and activity, while holding costs are based on the calendar, and the ROI dashboard displays anticipated ROI against actual ROI. The trend of construction costs in Australia suggests that comparing the actual to the estimated can flag early divergence.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House? Know the Unit Before the Number
To estimate the cost of a renovation, you need to consider scope, unit and margin of error. According to published figures, renovations cost anywhere from $40,000 to more than $500,000. A breakdown for seven categories, using mid-range figures, hits a final cost of $104,266 to $296,700 with margin, fees and contingency factors added.
Before you trust any figure, ask four questions. Does it cover the whole project or one area? Does it include GST and fees? What date is on the price? And what does the scope leave out? Renovation costs Australia wide also vary by city, so confirm the number with local quotes. Start a free FlipSync IQ trial and check how much it costs to renovate a house against actual invoices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to renovate a house in Australia in 2026?
The price varies according to the work involved. “What’s The Damage” offers a cosmetic renovation at a cost of between $50,000 and $150,000, mid-level at $150,000 to $350,000 and extensive renovation, at $350,000 to $550,000 and more. “Three Birds” gives a budget of $120,000 to $300,000 and more for a refresh without any structural changes.
Is renovation cost quoted per square metre or per project?
Both have used the two to three times variance. “Your Property Guide” considers a rate to an area. It is recommended to ask what the rate is for any quoted rate.
How much contingency should a whole-house renovation carry?
“Your Property Guide” recommends a contingency of 10% to 15%, or 15% to 20% for older or structural renovations. “What’s The Damage” suggests 15% to 20%. The lower total cost of renovations in Australia is a clear indication of the higher range.
Does keeping the kitchen and bathroom layout save money?
Yes, it can cost from $20,000 to $50,000 to keep wet areas in their current places, per ‘What’s The Damage.’ Moving plumbing is where most of the money is spent.
Do renovation prices include GST?
Depending on the source. “What’s The Damage” and “Your Property Guide” figures include GST within their metro figures. CKA figures do not have GST included and “Three Birds” is not specified. Be clear as to the basis of each quote.
Is a renovation loan cheaper than a personal loan?
A home equity top-up is usually cheaper than a personal loan but secured against your home. Interest on a construction loan only applies on what has been drawn down from the loan. Ask your broker for current rates.
How long does a whole-house renovation take?
Our “What’s The Damage” suggests 4 to 8 weeks for a cosmetic renovation, 3 to 6 months for a mid-range and 6 to 12 months for a full renovation plus an extra 2 to 4 weeks to complete council approval. Longer projects will incur higher holding costs so it is essential to include the project time frame in your budget.
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