Homeowners tend to arrive with a figure in mind and a set of images that do not match it. That is not naivety, it is that the visible parts of a renovation are a smaller share of the cost than they appear.
What drives the number
Three things move a renovation budget more than any finish selection:
- Whether you are moving water. Relocating plumbing, particularly a soil stack, is one of the most expensive decisions in any remodel.
- Whether you are moving structure. Taking out a load-bearing wall means engineering, a beam, and often work to the foundations below it.
- The age and condition of what is already there. Older houses conceal more, and what they conceal is rarely good news.
Against those, the difference between a mid-range and a high-end tile is usually a rounding error.
Contingency is not optional
A renovation budget without a contingency is a wish. On an older home we would rather plan for what might be behind the wall than present a lower number and return with a change order once it is open. The proposal should reflect the building, not the best case.
Questions to ask before you sign anything
- Is design included, or billed separately once construction starts?
- What happens, in writing, when something unexpected is found?
- Is there a labour warranty, and how long does it run?
- Will you be given documentation of what was installed, and the warranties attached to it?
That last one matters more than people expect. Two years on, when a component fails, knowing exactly what was fitted is the difference between a phone call and an investigation.
