Whole-home renovation cost estimator

How to estimate the actual renovated area

A whole-home renovation and a partial renovation are different scopes. Start with finished space you will actually touch, not automatically the full home footprint. For example, a 1,600 sq. ft. house with 75% of its floor area renovated has a modelled project area of 1,200 sq. ft. The input labelled cost per renovated square foot applies to those 1,200 sq. ft., not all 1,600.

For multiple floors, count the floors you will renovate; do not confuse lot area, basement footprint, or the home's listing square footage with the affected floor area. An unfinished basement may require a separate budget with different assumptions. If you are renovating a kitchen and bathroom as part of the whole-house rate, do not add their entire separate calculator totals again.

Worked example using the editable starting values

At 1,600 sq. ft. of home area, 75% scope, C$125 per renovated sq. ft., C$12,000 in other costs, 15% contingency and a manually entered 0% tax allowance: affected area is 1,200 sq. ft., modelled construction work is C$150,000, pre-contingency cost is C$162,000, reserve is C$24,300, and total is C$186,300 before additional taxes not entered. This is arithmetic on sample inputs, not a market quotation.

Set the scope before getting contractor prices

• Cosmetic updates: list painting, flooring, trim and fixtures separately. A single per-foot rate can misstate a job dominated by one room.
• Major interior work: identify kitchen, bathroom, flooring, walls, mechanical and electrical work, and specify whether the contractor's rate already includes them.
• Structural or layout changes: obtain scope-specific engineering, drawings, demolition, permit and temporary-support estimates. The basic rate does not validate structural complexity.
• Other project costs: include only separately billable items such as design, professional fees or disposal that are not already in the per-foot quotation.
• Living costs and financing: budget accommodation, storage, financing or carrying costs separately if relevant; the calculator does not add them automatically.
• Taxes: the calculator assumes 0% until you enter a rate. This is not an exemption; request a written tax-inclusive quote and apply a manual allowance only to the applicable pre-tax cost base.

A ±15% movement in your unit-rate assumption only is displayed with the results, holding other entered amounts fixed. It is a sensitivity demonstration, not a statistical confidence interval or a credible city price range.

Next: use the contractor quote comparison guide, check the permit planning guide, and explore the renovation contingency calculator.