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Home Renovation Cost Calculator

Last Updated: Aug 27, 2025

ft²

Created by
Saqib Hanif
Saqib Hanif

Saqib Hanif is the CEO and founder of Calculator Value. He builds calculators and educational content across sports, math, and science, and supports a limited set of construction-related calculators. Read full profile

The Home Renovation Cost Calculator estimates typical installed costs for cosmetic refresh, partial remodel, and full gut projects across Basic, Midrange, and Upscale quality levels.

Formulas

FinishesBase = Area × BaseFinishesRate(quality) × ScopeMaterialsFactor(scope)
Systems = Area × SystemsUpgradeFactor(level) × SystemsUpgradeRate(quality)
FixturesLighting = Area × FixtureLightingRate(quality)
Materials = (FinishesBase + Systems + FixturesLighting) × Region
Labor = (Area × 60 × ScopeLaborFactor(scope) × QualityLaborFactor(quality) × Location) + (Area × DemolitionRate(scope))
Permit = (Materials + Labor) × 0.02
Total = (Materials + Labor + Permit) × 1.10

Key settings

  • Base finishes per ft²: Basic $70, Midrange $110, Upscale $170
  • Systems per ft²: Basic $12, Midrange $18, Upscale $28
  • Systems upgrade factors: None 0.0, Some 0.5, Extensive 1.0
  • Fixtures & lighting per ft²: Basic $5, Midrange $8, Upscale $12
  • Labor baseline: $60/ft² × scope × quality × location + demolition
  • Location factors: Rural 0.90, Suburban 1.00 (default), Urban 1.15
  • Region factors applied to materials and labor: Northeast 1.10, Southeast 1.08, Midwest 1.07, West 1.11
  • Soft costs: Permit 2%; Contingency 10%

Example

Area 1,500 ft², Midrange, Partial remodel, Systems Some, Region None: FinishesBase $165,000, Systems $13,500, Fixtures $12,000, Materials $190,500; Labor core $90,000 + Demo $9,000 = $99,000; Permit $5,790; Total ≈ $324,819 (≈ $216.55/ft²).

Sources

  • Angi
  • HomeAdvisor
  • HomeGuide
  • Remodeling Magazine Cost vs. Value
  • Industry-Standard Formulas: The formulas and methods used in this calculator follow widely accepted standards in Financial.
  • Careful Verification: The calculator is tested to ensure it behaves correctly across a range of inputs.
  • Continuous Updates: The calculator is updated as needed to reflect better accuracy and usability.

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Renovating your home can be costly and stressful—but also exciting. No matter whether you’re planning a small cosmetic refresh or a major remodel, one big question always comes to mind: "How much will it cost?".

That’s where our Home Renovation Cost Calculator comes in. Instead of guessing, the calculator estimates your cost using real factors like home area, finish quality, project scope (cosmetic refresh or full gut), systems upgrades, and region.

In this guide, we cover:

  • What is the Home Renovation Cost Calculator?
  • How is home renovation cost calculated?
  • A real-world example
A worker is renovating home

Let’s walk through it step by step with logic, formulas, and an example.

What Is Home Renovation Cost Calculator?

Using paper and pencil to estimate home renovation cost can be stressful and time-consuming. To make things easier, we built the Home Renovation Cost Calculator for homeowners and contractors to accurately estimate how much a renovation might cost.

The calculator uses up-to-date market pricing and real-world factors to provide an accurate estimate based on the inputs you provide. It uses:

  • Home area (square feet)
  • Finish level: Basic, Midrange or Upscale
  • Project scope: Cosmetic refresh, Partial remodel or Full gut
  • Systems upgrade level: None, Some updates or Extensive upgrades
  • Region

How Is Home Renovation Cost Calculated?

The calculator uses per-square-foot formulas and real-world factors to estimate the total renovation cost. Let’s walk through a real-world example:

Imagine you want to renovate a 1,500 ft² home with midrange finishes and a partial remodel.

Here is the step-by-step calculation:

  1. Materials:
    • 1,500 × $110 (midrange) = $165,000
    • Fixtures & lighting = 1,500 × $8 = $12,000
    • Subtotal = $177,000
  2. Labor:
    • 1,500 × $60 × 1.0 (partial remodel) × 1.0 (midrange) = $90,000
  3. Region factor (West +11%):
    • Materials + labor = $267,000 × 1.11 ≈ $296,370
  4. Permits (2%): ≈ $5,927
  5. Contingency (10%): ≈ $30,229

Finally, we get:

  • Total Renovation Cost = $332,526
  • Cost per ft² = ~$222

We estimate that renovating a 1,500 ft² home at a midrange level will cost about $360,549, with a unit cost ≈ $240/ft².

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average cost to renovate a whole house?

In the United States, a full-home renovation typically costs $100,000 to $400,000, depending mostly on home size, finish quality, project scope, and region.

How much does it cost you to renovate per square foot?

Renovating home typically cost you from $100 to $250 per square foot, while on the other hand luxury and high-end renovation could exceed $300/ft².