Renovation costs in Australia are all over the map, but as a rough guide, most quality projects fall somewhere between $4,500 and $6,500 per square metre. Where you land depends on how much you're changing, the bones you're working with, and the kind of finishes you're dreaming of.
Unlike building fresh on a blank site, renovating means dealing with what's already there, including the surprises hiding behind walls and under floors. That's where the real budget challenges kick in.
Below you'll find the quick answer, the typical cost tiers, a room-by-room breakdown, and the hidden costs most budgets forget. Every figure here is indicative and should be confirmed with detailed quotes for your specific home and site.
How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House in Australia?
As of 2026, most quality house renovations in Australia cost between $4,500 and $6,500 per square metre. Cosmetic updates such as painting, flooring and new fixtures run from $500 to $1,500 per square metre, while high-end structural work involving extensions and architectural design can reach $7,000 per square metre or more. On top of the construction quote, professional fees, council approvals and a contingency fund can add another 25% or more.
Here is a summary of typical renovation costs as of 2026:
Item | Typical Cost (as of 2026) |
|---|---|
Cosmetic renovation (painting, flooring, fixtures) | $500 to $1,500 per m² |
Mid-range renovation (full kitchen or bathroom remodel, no major structural work) | $4,500 to $6,500 per m² |
High-end or structural renovation (extensions, removing walls, architectural design) | $4,500 to $7,000+ per m² |
Basic kitchen | From $30,000 |
High-end custom kitchen | $80,000 to $150,000+ |
Bathroom | $25,000 to $40,000+ |
Architect fees | 3.5% to 12% of construction cost |
Contingency fund | 10 to 20% of construction budget |
These figures are a guide only. Final costs always come down to the specifics of your home, the site conditions, and the team you choose to work with.
Why Are Renovation Costs So Hard to Pin Down?
Renovation costs change depending on where you live, what you're changing, and how high you want to go on the quality ladder. Building costs have jumped more than 30% since 2019, so any quote or estimate more than a year old is probably already out of date. The condition of your home and the surprises hiding in its walls move the final number too.
Even with those increases, Australians are still renovating in droves. Approved renovation projects total around $1 billion every month, nearly 40% of all residential construction. Why? Because for many homeowners, updating the place they're in feels like a smarter play than diving back into the property market, especially with the time needed to save a house deposit now sitting at around 10.6 years.
Most projects fall into one of three tiers. At one end, you've got surface-level cosmetic updates like painting and replacing fixtures. In the middle sit full kitchen and bathroom remodels without major structural change. At the top is major structural work with architects, engineers, and council approvals in the mix. Knowing your tier early is the fastest way to set a realistic budget.
What Does It Cost to Renovate Room by Room?
Wet areas dominate the budget. A basic kitchen typically starts at $30,000, a high-end custom kitchen starts around $80,000 and can easily exceed $150,000, and bathrooms run from about $25,000 to $40,000 or more. Dry areas such as bedrooms and living rooms are far more flexible, with flooring, painting and electrical work the main investment drivers.
Kitchens and Bathrooms: Where Most of Your Budget Goes
Kitchens and bathrooms consistently claim the largest share of renovation budgets. This is because they require a complex coordination of high-cost elements: tiling, plumbing, electrical, bespoke joinery, and premium materials. While they are the most investment-heavy zones, they also deliver the most significant lifestyle boost and property value lift.
In the current market, a basic kitchen typically starts at $30,000 or more. For a high-end, custom-designed kitchen, the total investment often starts at $80,000 and can easily exceed $150,000+. This figure reflects a premium level of finish where the appliances alone, often featuring top-tier brands, can account for $45,000 to $90,000 of the total.
Bathrooms follow a similar trajectory, starting around $25,000 for a modest upgrade and climbing to $40,000+ with custom finishes and luxury fixtures.
The primary cost drivers remain premium materials like engineered stone or marble benchtops and bespoke cabinetry. In a renovation, though, labour and logistics matter just as much. Costs are often driven by the "double handling" required for wet areas: meticulous demolition, stripping the space back to the frame, waste removal fees, and the subsequent coordination of specialised trades to begin the new fit-out from scratch.
Living Rooms, Bedrooms, and Laundries: Balancing the Budget
Dry areas like bedrooms and living rooms generally offer more flexibility than wet areas, but they still require a realistic budget for a high-quality finish. The primary investment drivers here are flooring, painting, and electrical work.
- Flooring: Options range from carpet or vinyl planks ($40 to $80 per m²) to premium engineered timber, which can exceed $200+ per m².
- Painting: Professional painting for a single room typically ranges from $1,000 to $2,500, with a full house often reaching $80,000 for a high-standard finish.
- Electrical: Simple electrical work usually begins at $1,000 to $2,500. In the current market, this range often represents the baseline cost just to have a licensed electrician on site to begin installations or upgrades.
A note on market volatility: material and labour costs can change rapidly. Use these figures as a broad guide for initial planning; the most accurate way to secure your budget is through a detailed feasibility study and up-to-date quotes from the project team.
The good news? These are the spaces where you can still make smart, strategic savings without sacrificing the overall aesthetic or comfort of your home.
What Are the Hidden Costs of a Renovation?
The builder's quote only covers the actual construction work. To build a realistic budget, you also need to account for professional fees, council approvals, and a contingency fund, all of which can add 25% or more to your total spend. These costs often get overlooked, and ignoring them is one of the most common reasons renovation budgets spiral beyond expectations.
What You'll Pay Before Building Starts
Before any building starts, you'll need a team of professionals to get your plans ready, approved, and compliant.
- Architect: Fees typically range from 3.5% to 12% of your total construction cost. This investment covers the entire lifecycle of the project, from initial concept design through detailed construction drawings and the approvals process. Engaging an architect ensures your renovation is not only beautiful but also functional, compliant, and tailored to your site's constraints.
- Structural Engineer: Essential for any major structural changes, such as removing internal walls or raising the home. In the current market, engineering fees typically range from $10,000 to $18,000+, depending on the complexity of the site.
- Council and Certification Fees: These cover building applications, plumbing permits, mandatory inspections, and final sign-offs. In Brisbane, budget between $5,000 to $10,000 or more, depending on your location and project size.
Please note: all figures in this guide are indicative only. Construction and consultancy costs are subject to individual project quotes, site-specific challenges, and ever-changing market conditions. We recommend a formal feasibility study before finalising any renovation budget.
Why You Need a Contingency Fund
This is the most important part of your budget that isn't in the builder's quote. A contingency fund is your safety net, set aside to cover the surprises that inevitably crop up during a renovation: old wiring, hidden termite damage, or plans that don't match what's behind the walls.
A healthy contingency fund is not extra money; it's an essential part of the total project cost. We strongly advise clients to set aside 10 to 20% of their total construction budget for this purpose. For a $300,000 build, that's a $30,000 to $60,000 buffer. With it, you can solve problems without derailing the project. Without it, you're often left cutting corners or scrapping parts of the plan altogether.
What Can Different Renovation Budgets Achieve?
In a competitive market like Brisbane, a budget under A$500,000 typically covers a comprehensive cosmetic refresh of an entire home, provided you don't alter its existing footprint. In stark contrast, a full knockdown and architecturally designed custom rebuild for a small four-bedroom home starts around A$1.8 million, while larger, high-end custom homes often require budgets beginning at A$2.5 million.
If those numbers have you weighing up a new build instead, it's worth understanding the cost of building a house in Brisbane before you commit either way. Our knock down rebuild cost calculator guide shows how to run the numbers on starting fresh, and if you're stuck at the fork in the road, our guide to renovating versus rebuilding your home walks through the decision in detail.
Ultimately, matching your scope to your budget is about making informed decisions. It might mean phasing your project, prioritising a spectacular kitchen now and refreshing the bedrooms later. For complex projects, professional oversight is invaluable: learn how dedicated project management for your home renovation keeps your vision, timeline, and budget aligned from concept to completion.
How to Create Your Personalised Renovation Budget
Now that you have a clearer picture of the costs, it's time to turn that information into a detailed, personalised budget. Think of it less as guesswork and more as following a recipe: you wouldn't start cooking without knowing your ingredients and measurements, and you shouldn't start renovating without a clear financial blueprint.
Start with Your Project Scope
The first step is to get brutally honest about what you want to achieve. Create two distinct lists:
- Must-haves: Your non-negotiables. Think fixing a leaking roof, creating a functional kitchen layout, or adding a much-needed bedroom for a growing family. These items form the core of your renovation.
- Nice-to-haves: Your wish list if the budget allows. Heated bathroom floors, a high-end stone benchtop, or that designer tapware you've been eyeing off. These are the first things to go if costs need trimming.
Research Local Costs and Get Quotes
With your scope defined, it's time to hunt for real-world numbers. Generic online calculators can give you a rough idea, but costs for materials and labour vary significantly. Visit local suppliers for flooring, tiles, and fixtures to get quotes. For the build itself, get multiple detailed quotes from reputable builders; three gives you a solid average and helps you spot outliers that are either too high or suspiciously low.
When the quotes arrive, don't just skip to the final number. A low bid might look tempting, but it could be missing crucial details that reappear as costly variations down the track. For a deeper dive, learn more about how to manage your budget in residential home design in our detailed blog.
Compare Your Builder Quotes Effectively
Comparing quotes is about understanding what's included and, just as importantly, what's been left out. Here's a practical checklist:
- Check for a detailed scope of works: Does the quote clearly list every task and material? Vague lines like "install new bathroom" are a red flag. It should specify the exact model of taps, the type of tiles, and the full scope of plumbing work.
- Verify inclusions versus exclusions: Is demolition and rubbish removal covered? What about professional fees, council permits, or the final coat of paint? These exclusions can add thousands to your final bill.
- Watch provisional sums and prime costs: A provisional sum is an educated guess for an item whose final cost is unknown; a prime cost is an allowance for a specific item you'll choose later. Lots of allowances introduce serious budget uncertainty.
- Confirm timelines and payment schedules: A professional quote includes an estimated project timeline and a clear schedule of progress payments. Make sure this aligns with your financial planning.
This diligence is your best defence against unexpected costs and ensures your budget is built on solid ground.
How Can You Save Money Without Cutting Corners?
Saving money on your renovation is about being strategic, not just cheap. The goal is to reduce costs without compromising the structural and functional elements that truly matter.
- Strategic DIY: If you have the skills and time, tackling tasks like interior painting, demolition, or landscaping can save you thousands in labour. But be honest about your abilities; a botched job can cost far more to fix than hiring a professional in the first place.
- Source materials wisely: Keep an eye out for sales on tiles, flooring, and fixtures at major suppliers. Many mid-range products offer excellent durability and style for a fraction of the cost of premium brands.
- Prioritise your spending: Put your money into the bones of the house: structural work, insulation, waterproofing, and plumbing. For cosmetic finishes like tapware and light fittings, choose budget-friendly options that are easy to upgrade in a few years.
Should You Hire an Architect or a Draftsman?
Both professionals can design your renovation, but their qualifications, scope, and fees differ. An architect holds a university degree and is a state-registered professional, often brought on to manage the entire project from the first sketch and council approvals through to overseeing the contract during construction. A draftsman typically has a diploma-level qualification and focuses on producing the technical drawings needed for council approval and construction.
For complex, high-end architectural homes or challenging heritage renovations, an architect's deep expertise is often the best fit. For more straightforward extensions where design originality isn't the primary goal, an experienced building designer can be an effective and more budget-friendly choice.
At Invilla Architecture, we guide clients through every stage of the design and renovation process. If you're ready to transform your home with clarity and confidence, we invite you to learn more about our architectural services and get in touch to discuss your project.
