Whole House Renovation Cost Calculator 2026 — Remodel Estimate
Estimate a whole house remodel by square footage, scope and finish level. Uses 2026 national per-square-foot data, with regional adjustments, phasing and contingency built in.
Whole House Remodel Cost Calculator
500–5,000 sq ft
Estimated Total Cost
$189,000
National average — actual costs vary significantly by location
Cost per sq ft
$105
* Whole-house remodel costs depend heavily on structural work, permit requirements, and regional labor rates. Add 20% contingency minimum.
How to Use This Whole House Remodel Calculator
- Enter your home's total finished square footage
- Choose the remodel scope: cosmetic, partial or full gut
- Pick a finish level: budget, mid-range or premium
- Read the estimate, then apply your regional factor and contingency from the tables below
The calculator returns a national figure. It is a starting point for budgeting and for judging contractor bids, not a quote.
Average Whole House Remodel Costs in 2026
Angi's national data puts a typical house renovation between $19,500 and $88,400, with an average of $52,275 for a 1,250–1,600 sq ft home. That average covers a broad mix of projects, from repainting and new floors to kitchen-and-bath renovations, so treat it as a sense of the middle, not a target.
Per square foot, the useful bands are:
| Scope | What it usually includes | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic | Paint, flooring, lighting, fixtures, hardware, minor repairs | $15 – $60 |
| Partial / mid-range | Kitchen and bathrooms, some windows, targeted systems work | $60 – $150 |
| Full gut | Down to studs, new plumbing, electrical and HVAC, new layout | $150 – $300 |
Cost by Home Size
National figures at the low, middle and high end, based on the same Angi data:
| Home size | Low-end | Mid-range | High-end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,200 sq ft | $18,000 | $72,000 | $180,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $22,500 | $90,000 | $225,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $30,000 | $120,000 | $300,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $37,500 | $150,000 | $375,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $45,000 | $180,000 | $450,000 |
Source: This Old House home renovation cost guide, updated 31 March 2026, citing Angi data.
Square footage is only the first input. A 2,000 sq ft house with one bathroom and a 2,000 sq ft house with three and a half bathrooms are different projects. Kitchens and bathrooms concentrate plumbing, electrical, tile and cabinetry into small rooms, and they carry most of the budget in any mid-range remodel.
Why Two Similar Houses Get Very Different Quotes
Age of the house. In a home built before about 1980, opening walls often means bringing wiring and plumbing up to current code, even if you only planned to replace finishes. That can move a job from the partial band into the gut band.
Systems replaced versus systems kept. Keeping the existing electrical panel, plumbing runs and HVAC equipment is the largest single difference between a $60 and a $150 per square foot project.
Layout changes. Moving a kitchen, adding a bathroom, or removing a load-bearing wall adds engineering, permits, new drain and supply runs, and inspections.
Finish level. The same scope with stock cabinets and laminate counters costs far less than with custom cabinetry and stone. The calculator's finish setting multiplies the base rate to reflect this.
Local labour. Labour is the largest share of most remodels, and it varies far more by region than materials do.
Regional Cost Adjustment
Apply a rough factor to the national estimate from the calculator:
| Market | Typical factor |
|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | 1.50 – 1.65× |
| New York City metro | 1.45 – 1.60× |
| Seattle, Boston | 1.35 – 1.50× |
| Los Angeles / Orange County | 1.25 – 1.40× |
| Denver / Boulder | 1.15 – 1.30× |
| Chicago, Minneapolis | 1.10 – 1.20× |
| Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Charlotte | 1.00 – 1.10× |
| Rural Midwest and rural South | 0.70 – 0.85× |
These are planning factors, not quotes. For more detail by metro, see the renovation cost by region guide.
Worked Example
A 1,800 sq ft house built in 1978 in suburban Denver. The owners want a new kitchen, both bathrooms redone, new flooring throughout, and the original electrical panel replaced.
| Step | Figure |
|---|---|
| Scope: partial, mid-range finishes | $60 – $150 per sq ft |
| National estimate, 1,800 sq ft | $108,000 – $270,000 |
| Realistic point for this scope | about $150,000 |
| Denver factor, 1.20× | about $180,000 |
| Contingency for a 1970s house, 25% | about $45,000 |
| Budget to plan around | about $225,000 |
The panel replacement pushes this project toward the upper part of the partial band. Keeping the existing kitchen layout would bring it back down.
Budget Allocation: Where the Money Goes
For a mid-range whole house remodel, spending typically concentrates like this:
| Area | Typical share of budget |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | 25 – 35% |
| Bathrooms | 15 – 25% |
| Mechanical systems (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) | 15 – 25% |
| Flooring, paint, trim, doors | 10 – 20% |
| Windows, exterior, roofing | 10 – 20% |
| Permits, design, dumpsters, cleanup | 5 – 10% |
If your plan skips a category, move its share to contingency rather than spending it elsewhere. For costs of individual rooms, use the kitchen remodel calculator and the bathroom renovation calculator.
Phasing: Doing It in Stages
Many owners phase a whole house remodel over two or three years to spread the cost. Phasing works when the order is right:
- Envelope and safety first. Roof, drainage, foundation, electrical panel and any failing plumbing.
- Rough-in work next. Anything that opens walls: rewiring, replumbing, HVAC ductwork, insulation.
- Kitchen and bathrooms. Expensive rooms that depend on the rough-in being done.
- Finishes last. Flooring, paint and trim, once no other trade needs to cut into them.
Doing finishes first and systems later is the most common and most expensive phasing mistake. New drywall and flooring get torn out when the electrician or plumber arrives.
Timeline
| Scope | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Cosmetic | 2 – 4 months |
| Partial / mid-range | 4 – 8 months |
| Full gut | 8 – 18 months |
Add four to eight weeks before work starts for design, bids and permits. On a gut remodel, permit review alone can take longer than that in large cities.
Costs Most Estimates Leave Out
- Temporary housing. Required for most gut remodels and many mid-range projects. Two months of rent can equal the entire contingency.
- Storage. A storage unit or portable container for the contents of the house.
- Hazardous materials. Testing and abatement for asbestos or lead paint in older homes, which must happen before demolition.
- Code upgrades. Once walls are open, inspectors may require smoke detectors, GFCI and AFCI protection, egress windows or other upgrades.
- Utility increases. A larger electrical service or new gas line can involve the utility company and its own fees and schedule.
How to Use the Estimate With Contractors
Write a scope document before you ask for bids: which rooms, which systems, what finish level, and what stays. Send the same scope to at least three contractors. Bids on a written scope can be compared line by line; bids on a verbal description cannot.
If a bid comes in far below the calculator's range for your scope, ask what it leaves out. The usual gaps are permits, electrical and plumbing upgrades, and allowances for fixtures and finishes that are set unrealistically low.
Related Articles
- Whole House Remodel Cost Guide — room-by-room cost breakdown and scope planning
- How to Plan a Home Renovation — the complete planning framework for large projects
- Home Renovation Timeline Guide — realistic schedules for whole-house projects
- Renovation Cost by Home Size — how costs scale from small homes to large ones
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a whole house remodel cost in 2026?
Angi's national data puts a typical house renovation between about $19,500 and $88,400, averaging $52,275 for a 1,250-1,600 sq ft home. Per square foot, that works out to roughly $15-$60 for cosmetic updates, $60-$150 for a mid-range renovation, and $150 or more for a gut remodel that replaces systems. For a 2,000 sq ft home, that is about $30,000, $120,000 and $300,000 at the low, middle and high end.
How much does it cost to remodel a 1,500 sq ft house?
Roughly $22,500-$90,000 for cosmetic work, $90,000-$225,000 for a mid-range renovation, and $225,000 or more for a full gut remodel. Where your number lands inside those bands depends mostly on how many kitchens and bathrooms are included and whether plumbing, electrical or HVAC is being replaced.
Is it cheaper to remodel or build new?
Usually cheaper to remodel. A cosmetic or mid-range renovation costs a fraction of new construction. The comparison only tightens on a full gut, where you pay for demolition and for working around existing structure. If a house needs foundation repair, a new roof and complete rewiring at the same time, get a new-build quote alongside the remodel bids.
How long does a whole house remodel take?
Cosmetic work takes two to four months. A mid-range renovation that includes the kitchen, bathrooms and some systems takes four to eight months. A full gut typically runs eight to eighteen months once design, permits and inspections are counted.
How much contingency should I add?
Twenty percent for most whole house projects, and closer to 25-30% for homes built before about 1980, where demolition is more likely to uncover outdated wiring, galvanized plumbing, asbestos-containing materials or structural repairs.
Can I live in the house during a whole house remodel?
During cosmetic work, usually yes. During a mid-range renovation, only if the work is phased so one bathroom and a basic kitchen stay usable. During a gut remodel, almost never: budget for two to twelve months of temporary housing, which many homeowners leave out of the estimate entirely.
What should I prioritize in a whole house remodel?
Anything that keeps water out and the house safe comes first: roof, foundation, drainage, electrical and plumbing. Then the rooms that are expensive to redo later, the kitchen and bathrooms. Paint, flooring and trim come last, because earlier trades would damage them.