Renovation Cost
Estimate a renovation budget by room type and quality.
About Renovation Cost
Renovation costs are estimated per square foot, with kitchen and bath running higher than unfinished space. A contingency reserve covers the surprises that always appear. Every remodel runs over its first estimate, so building in a 10-20 percent contingency keeps a project from stalling mid-way.
Formula
Renovation Cost
Budget = area x per-sq-ft rate x quality x (1 + contingency)
- quality
- Multiplier for fixture and finish choices
Worked example
With the default values below, Renovation Cost returns Per-Sq-ft Budget of $250.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Project areaminimum 0 sq ft
- 150 sq ft
- Room typeone of Kitchen, Bathroom, Basement, Other
- Kitchen
- Quality levelone of Basic, Mid, Premium
- Mid
- Contingencyaccepts 0–50 %
- 15 %
Results
- Per-Sq-ft Budget
- $250.00
- Base Cost
- $37,500.00
- Contingency Reserve
- $5,625.00
- Total Budget
- $43,125.00
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Renovation Cost
- 3Per-Sq-ft Budget= 250.00
- 4Base Cost= 37,500.00
- 5Contingency Reserve= 5,625.00
- 6Total Budget= 43,125.00
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- Per-square-foot budgets are rough norms; actual quotes depend heavily on local labor and material prices.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Per-square-foot budgets are rough norms; actual quotes depend heavily on local labor and material prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Renovation Cost calculated?
Budget = area x per-sq-ft rate x quality x (1 + contingency) Renovation costs are estimated per square foot, with kitchen and bath running higher than unfinished space. A contingency reserve covers the surprises that always appear.
Why does Renovation Cost matter?
Every remodel runs over its first estimate, so building in a 10-20 percent contingency keeps a project from stalling mid-way.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Project area, Room type, Quality level, Contingency. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.