You probably want to rehab your house to make it more energy efficient, improve its value, or simply to change its appearance. Whatever your reasons might be for rehabbing your house, the whole process will begin with deciding how much you will spend for the project.
How Much Does Home Rehabbing Cost?
Your property’s size and the overall extent of the works required will directly affect the price of rehabbing your house. The best and easiest way to settle on your budget is to come up with a list of all priority items then divide the list into nice-to-have and must-haves.
For example, if you have older windows and doors that are not in their tiptop shape anymore, installation of new windows and doors must be included on your must-have list. Meanwhile, if new tiles are not urgently required for your house, this one can be added to the list of nice-to-have.
The second step you need to take is to get quotes from several builders for you to get a more realistic idea of all the involved costs. It is best to go for installers and builders that provide a free consultation and quote so you will be able to save more money as you come up with your decisions.
After you have evaluated the quotes depending on the extent of work, professionals suggest that you add another 10-20% to form some buffer for overspends that are quite common even in renovation projects with the most exact pricing. For example, if the average price is about $30,000, you might want to have a contingency of $3,000 up to $6,000.
Be sure you use your property’s market value as a good starting point to calculate the costs of rehabbing a home. The general rule of thumb here is that the amount that you spend on renovations must not be over 10% of your home’s current market value.
How to Budget for Cosmetic and Structural Home Renovations
Full structural rehabbing of your home will obviously be more expensive than cosmetic rehabbing. In cases like this, the rule of thumb of 10% for renovations might no longer be applicable. Property professionals estimate that these full structural renovations can cost you as much as 40% of your property’s current value.
This means that if your house is worth $500,000, fully-finished structural rehabbing can set you back up to $200,000. It can include changing the roof, moving walls, installing new windows and doors for improved functionality, updating the floor plan, the cost of hiring a builder or architect, and more.
On the other hand, cosmetic rehabbing like changing your bathroom or kitchen fittings and fixtures or applying a fresh coat of paint on your house will not cost you over 1-5% of your property’s value. If you want to add more value to your house before you sell or rent it, cosmetic rehabbing is often enough for the job.
It is always recommended to talk to the experts before you start any rehabbing job in your home to know how much it will cost you.