Renovation cost calculator
Three sliders: floor area, scope and contingency. Output: a defensible budget figure for your feasibility, before you ring the first tradie.
Inputs
10–20% recommended
AU rates updated for 2026. Sydney/Melbourne metro can run 10–25% above these.
Estimate
Base build ($1,200/m² × 120m²)
$144,000
Contingency (10%)
$14,400
Total renovation budget
$158,400
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How renovation cost is estimated
The fastest way to budget a renovation in Australia is the $/m² method. Multiply the internal floor area by a per-m² rate that reflects the scope you're planning. Cosmetic refreshes (paint, kitchen, bathroom, floors) sit around $1,200/m². Full renovations involving wall moves, plumbing and electrical run closer to $2,400/m². Structural work and extensions push past $3,500/m².
Sydney and Melbourne premium
Metro labour rates in Sydney and Melbourne are 10-25% above the national base, and access constraints (parking, narrow streets, no skip-bin staging) can add another 5-10%. Adjust up if you're flipping in inner-metro suburbs.
Contingency
Every flipper underestimates. 10% contingency is the floor; 15-20% is sensible on anything older than 1980 where you're opening up walls. You don't have to spend it — you should still budget it.