How much does it cost to renovate a house in Australia?

There are many reasons you might choose to renovate your house. It might be that you’re looking to sell and add value to the property, it might be that your home is in need of a refresh, or it may be that you’re finally ready to tackle that ‘dream’ reno project you’ve always dreamed of. In any of these situations you may find yourself wondering, “how much does it cost to renovate?”

Depending on your needs, budget and situation, you might look at doing a full overhaul of your home in one go, or you might spread the project out, focusing on a certain room or area of the house at a time. Here’s a breakdown of the renovation costs you might expect to face, as well as a few tips on saving some money on a home reno.

How much does a home renovation cost in Australia?

The cost of renovating your house will vary considerably depending on whether you want to do a total overhaul or renovate a single room at a time. Depending on the job you plan to undertake, you might find that you are looking at costs in the following vicinity, depending on scope and materials you plan to use:

• Bathroom renovation: $15,000 – $30,000+

• Kitchen renovation: $20,000 – $50,000 +

• Bedroom renovation: $1,000 – $35,000 +

• Living room renovation: $7,000 – $15,000 +

• Landscaping and decking: $12,500 – $44,500 +

How much does it cost to renovate a bathroom?

Renovating a bathroom can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 and up. This will largely depend on the extent of the renovation and the materials you choose. A high-end bathroom fitout will likely cost a lot more than a basic one, and according to HiPages, the biggest expense you’ll probably encounter is tiles—both the product and the installation. They also suggest allowing between one to three weeks to get the job done.

Real estate agents LJ Hooker say that if you’re looking to sell, then the bathroom is the most profitable room besides the kitchen. A bathroom renovation could run the gamut from a simple makeover—involving painting and updates to the vanities and tapware—through to a major renovation and redesign of the space—which could include new tiling, flooring, and removing and relaying of pipework for a new shower or bath configuration.

How to save money on a bathroom renovation

If you’re looking to save on a bathroom renovation, one way might be to consider retaining as much of the existing layout as possible. Moving plumbing points can be expensive and add to labour costs, and keeping them where they are can be one way to help prevent a budget blowout.

Tempting as it may be to attempt DIY in a bathroom to help save some money, realestate.com.au cautions against this unless you are certain you can do the job correctly, as fixing mistakes in a bathroom can be costly.

How much does it cost to renovate a kitchen?

Renovating a kitchen can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 and up, depending on the extent of the renovation and the materials you choose. According to HiPages, the biggest expense when renovating a kitchen is likely to be labour, and it could be wise to allow between two and nine weeks to get the job done.

While the cost of a kitchen renovation may make it one of the more expensive rooms to renovate, it is worth keeping in mind that this space is often the most used space in the home.. For those who like to cook every day, it’s a place where you’ll spend a lot of time, and is likely to be a focal point of a family home. Additionally, OpenAgent notes that a great kitchen can be a major selling point if you’re planning to put your homes on the market.

How to save money on a kitchen renovation

If you are looking to save money on a kitchen renovation, you might consider which jobs you can do yourself. For example, if you feel confident enough to roll up your sleeves and paint the space on your own, this could be a helpful way to save on labour costs.

When it comes to renovating a kitchen, moving plumbing and electrical points can also prove costly, so keeping these things where they are in the new design can be another way to save money.

How much does it cost to renovate a bedroom?

The cost of renovating a bedroom can vary greatly, spending anywhere from $1,000-$2,000, all the way up to $35,000 or above, depending on the scope of the renovation and the kinds of furnishings and finishes you choose.

According to HiPages, the biggest expense when it comes to renovating a bedroom is likely to be an ensuite, should you choose to add one. Time-wise, you might expect a more simple bedroom renovation to take less than a week, but adding an ensuite could stretch the time out by several weeks.

The scope of what you could achieve with a bedroom renovation is wide, and the end budget will likely end up reflecting this. A basic bedroom renovation might simply involve putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls, skirting boards, door frames and ceilings—and if you want to do the job yourself, your main expenses might be on paint and brushes. Investing in new bed linen, curtains and other decorative items could add more to the price, but could be a simple way to freshen up your space.

A mid-range bedroom renovation might also include such things as a new bed frame, new flooring, storage units or even wallpaper, which could add to the budget. According to interior designers Refresh Renovations, a premium renovation is where the big money could come into play; you may opt to spend upwards of $30,000 installing such things as an ensuite, walk-in closet, dimmable light switches, luxurious fabrics, soft furnishings and other things to give your bedroom a more luxurious feel.

How to save money on a bedroom renovation

The bedroom is one area of the house in which a simple DIY makeover could still yield an impressive result. If you don’t want to spend the money for a full remodel, installing features like walk-ins and ensuites, you could opt for a fresh coat of paint (applied yourself), a change of sheets and cushions and a new rug, and still make the room feel bright and new.

How much does it cost to renovate a living room?

Renovating a living room can cost anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000 and up, depending on the extent of the renovation and the kinds of furnishings you choose. According to HiPages, the biggest expense when it comes to renovating a living room is likely to be a new lounge suite, although typically you might only need to allow less than a week to get the job done.

When it comes to renovating a living room, Architecture & Design Magazine says that some of the most common costs include purchasing new furniture, repainting or adding wallpaper, and changing windows and doors.

Another consideration might be whether you want to open up the space to make the floorplan larger and perhaps to make the area feel more light and airy. This could mean removing walls (including load-bearing ones), adding to the labour cost of the project.

How to save money on a living room renovation

If you don’t want to knock down walls and create an open plan space, you can still make your living room feel fresh and new with some DIY touches. A fresh coat of paint, applied yourself, could make the room feel brighter, and you’d only pay the cost of paint and brushes. Likewise, a new rug could lift the space, and if you’re in the market for new furnishings, going vintage shopping or purchasing pre-loved pieces from sites like Gumtree could potentially save you money.

How much does landscaping and decking cost?

Landscaping is another area where costs can vary, as scope of a project can encompass anything from basic yard maintenance and planting of new trees through to installing new decking and pools, comprehensive landscaping, drainage and irrigation. Online business marketplace OneFlare says that you could expect to pay a standard hourly rate of $40 to $55 for landscaping, not including the cost of materials, and that a major landscaping job could cost anywhere from $12,500 to $44,500 and up, depending on the materials, complexity of project, and labour required.

Whatever kind of gardening or landscaping job you’re planning, one thing to keep in mind is that timber is likely to be a major expense. Over the past several years, the construction industry has faced major timber shortages, delaying many housing projects, with low supply and high demand driving up prices significantly. Cost of living pressures and inflation continue to affect all aspects of the economy, including timber supply costs, if you are considering adding a deck to your property, you may need to factor materials shortages and rising costs into your budget.

How to save money on landscaping

A major yard overhaul could involve such things as installing retaining walls, softscaping (to level the ground) and installing lawns, pools or decking. If you want to take a more DIY approach, Canstar has a list of renovation jobs you can knock over in a weekend, including some jobs you can do yourself to give your yard a lift. These include projects like:

• Laying down fresh turf in your yard

• Laying down weed matting

• Mulching your garden beds

• Painting your fence

• Laying down landscaping rocks

Jobs like these can be done yourself, if you have the skills and the time, and all you’ll pay is the cost of materials.

What is the renovation cost per m2 in Australia?

The cost of a renovation per m2 can be difficult to accurately predict. Home reno blog Barefoot Renovations points out that the type of work involved can vary significantly from project to project, and that m2 costs are generally easier to apply to new builds rather than renovations of existing properties. That said, real estate site Soho estimates that a standard home renovation might be expected to cost in the range of $1,600 to $3,700 per square meter in Australia, depending on the size and scope of the project.

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