How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a House? Costs by Room, Size and Scope

Labour is 30 to 50 percent of the bill. The tile everyone argues about for three weekends is not the number that decides your budget

A whole house remodel runs $20,000 to $100,000, or roughly $15 to $60 per square foot. Go down to the studs and it is a different job entirely at $60 to $150 per square foot, which puts most homes at $100,000 to $200,000 and up.

So, this covers houses you already own and are staying in. Not flips, not new builds, and not additions, because adding square footage is a separate calculation with its own permit path.

Now the useful part. There are four things that decide where you land in those ranges, and only one of them is the finishes you have been pinning.

What Each Tier of Remodel Costs

Three tiers, and a gut renovation that sits in a category of its own.

Remodel tier	Average cost	What is typically included
Low end, cosmetic	$15,000 to $40,000	Paint, flooring, trim, stock cabinets, basic appliances
Mid range	$40,000 to $75,000	Full kitchen or bath remodel, better materials, new fixtures
High end	$75,000 to $200,000	Custom cabinetry, layout changes, HVAC and roof, structural work
Full gut to studs	$100,000 to $200,000+	Demolition, new plumbing and electrical, framing, all new finishes

Notice the jump between high end and a gut. That is not better taste, it is the walls coming off.

Kitchens and Bathrooms Cost the Most Per Square Foot

A bathroom costs more per square foot than any other room in the house, which surprises people who assume the kitchen wins on price.

The kitchen wins on total. The bathroom wins per foot, because you are cramming plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, tile and fixtures into 40 square feet with nowhere to hide any of it.

Room	Average cost	Cost per sq ft
Kitchen	$10,000 to $50,000	$100 to $250
Bathroom	$5,000 to $25,000	$120 to $275
Basement	$20,000 to $50,000	$25 to $50
Attic conversion	$25,000 to $75,000	$50 to $100
Bedroom	$1,500 to $10,000	$15 to $40
Living room	$2,500 to $10,000	$10 to $25
Roof replacement	$5,000 to $16,000	$3 to $16

Bedrooms and living rooms are cheap for the same reason in reverse. Paint, flooring, maybe some trim, and nothing behind the walls gets touched.

Bigger Houses Cost Less Per Square Foot

Total cost climbs with size, obviously. What is less obvious is that the rate drops.

Permits, design, mobilisation and the contractor turning up all cost roughly the same whether the job is 1,000 square feet or 3,000, so fixed costs spread thinner across a bigger house.

Home size	Typical range	Average
1,000 sq ft	$15,000 to $60,000	$20,000
1,500 sq ft	$20,000 to $85,000	$30,000
2,000 sq ft	$28,000 to $115,000	$50,000
2,500 sq ft	$35,000 to $135,000	$62,000
3,000 sq ft	$40,000 to $160,000	$75,000

One caveat on that table, because it matters. Those are standard remodels. A gut renovation on any of these homes lands above the top of its range, since gut work starts at $60 per square foot before a single finish goes in.

Cosmetic or Gut, and How to Tell Which You Need

The honest test is whether the systems behind the walls are sound. If the wiring, plumbing and layout work, a cosmetic remodel is not a compromise, it is the correct answer.

Factor	Cosmetic remodel	Full gut renovation
Average cost	$15,000 to $40,000	$100,000 to $200,000+
Cost per sq ft	$10 to $25	$60 to $150
Timeline	1 to 8 weeks	3 to 8 months
Permits	Rarely	Almost always
Best for	Sound systems and a workable layout	Outdated wiring, plumbing or foundation issues

Look at the timeline row rather than the cost row. One to eight weeks against three to eight months is the difference between an inconvenience and moving out.

What Is Actually Pushing Prices Up

Four things, and the order might not be what you expect.

Labour, which is the biggest line on the invoice

Electricians, plumbers and framers are still in short supply, and trade labour runs $50 to $150 an hour depending on region.

Labour is 30 to 50 percent of the total. So a small hourly increase compounds hard on a big job, and it is why two identical kitchens price differently in two states.

Demand is not helping. NAHB expects remodeling activity to grow 3 percent in 2026 and another 2 percent in 2027 in inflation adjusted terms, and booked crews quote higher.

Material tier, where the easiest savings are

Countertops run $40 to $200 plus per square foot depending on laminate, quartz or natural stone.

That single choice can swing a kitchen budget by several thousand dollars without changing the scope of work at all. It is the first place to look when a quote comes back high.

Structural changes, which pull in an engineer

Moving a wall or relocating plumbing costs far more than working inside the existing footprint, because it usually needs an engineer or architect to sign off before the permit is issued.

Drawings and permits, which people skip and regret

Most jurisdictions want stamped plans before a contractor breaks ground on anything structural, and that is where drafting services come in, turning the idea into permit ready blueprints.

Budget $0.50 to $2.00 per square foot, or a flat fee from a few hundred to a few thousand depending on complexity.

Skipping it is one of the most common reasons permits get rejected, and a rejected permit does not delay the paperwork, it delays the whole build while a crew sits idle.

One more thing worth knowing. Aging in place work has stopped being niche, with 73 percent of remodelers reporting more requests for walk in showers, wider doorways and single level living over the past five years, so if you are staying in the house long term, that is worth folding into the plan now rather than paying twice.

Five Things That Keep a Remodel on Budget

• Hold back 15 to 20 percent as contingency. Every remodel finds something once the walls are open, and this is the money that stops you cutting the bathroom to pay for it.
• Use the percentage of home value rule. Five to 15 percent of the home’s value on a kitchen or basement, one to 7 percent on a bathroom, bedroom or living room.
• Read what the cheap bid left out. Permits, disposal and finish work are the usual omissions, and they reappear later at full price.
• Get the drawings done before demolition. Locking the layout early is what stops the expensive mid project redesign.
• Ask the contractor’s fee out loud. Most general contractors take 10 to 20 percent to manage subs, scheduling and permits, and it should be on the quote rather than inside it.

Where That Leaves You

Most remodels land between $20,000 and $100,000. Kitchens, bathrooms and anything structural are what move the number.

The bit that decides whether you stay inside your budget happens before demolition day. Contingency held back, quotes compared line by line rather than by the total, and the plans finished and stamped before anyone picks up a hammer.

Get those three right and the finishes argument becomes what it should be, which is the fun part rather than the expensive one.