is the kitchen price for cabinets only or cabinets plus splashback, counters (stone or?) sink, taps, stove, rangehood, dishwasher and lighting... does the bathroom include tiles and towel rails etc and you haven't mentioned a laundry or other new plumbing or an extra bathroom...old pipes may need replacing: drainage rules had changed and we had to add all new stormwater and sewerage connections drainage as well as new gutters and downpipes ....we spent about $400,000 renovating a single storey 1950s home five years ago and there were lots of blowouts including about $5000 just for asbestos removal (on top of rubbish removal and tip costs) ... painting, flooring, light fittings, heating and cooling, door handles, locks, security screens, screen doors and PC items and taps etc etc can easily exceed $50,000 so keep in mind that you could probably build a whole new home for a similar price without all the compromises of a reno...and, after all the work and costs, will the renovated home have all the light and comfort that might be better achieved with a knock down rebuild company who could take over all the arrangements ...some comparison prices would be worth considering

Thanks for the replies.

The quote for the kitchen includes cabinets, stone, splashback, install - it doesn’t include appliances like rangehood, ovan, dishwasher taps etc. The bathroom quote doesn’t include tiles, taps, showerhead, bath, racks. We’d likely end up spending 40 000 for the kitchen and 35 000 for the bathroom all up.

If I thought we could get a good house built in Sydney for $500 000, including knockdown of current structure, we’d seriously consider that option given where the Reno costs are now at - my understanding though is that you’re looking at about 1 million $ for a decent knockdown rebuild project in Sydney?

From the gist of both your replies - what we’re being quoted sounds pretty standard.

Hi Tom,

To if you'd like to check out costs to renovate, you might like to try this freeHome Renovations/Extensions Calculator

Richard@themakeovergroup

I think the costs sound over the top, but Im not in Sydney. Id be interested to see a separate costing for structural work (ie removing and replacing walls etc) and a separate cost for finishes. The fittings and fixtures are things where you have more control and can economise if necessary, the structural and remodelling work is pretty well fixed.

something to consider in your equations is the quality of the existing house you're remodelling. Is it a well-built double-brick home with high ceilings and good foundations? If so, this will most likely have great thermal mass and performance in hot and cold weather - ie costs of heating and cooling will be reduced. Does it have good cross-ventilation - ie you won't need air conditioning? Does it have hardwood timber floors? What are the existing assets. If it's of high value, then probably worth throwing money at it to remodel and make it even better.

The cost of replacing a really well built older home will be much higher, or else you'll get a rough and ready cardboard replacement where an air-conditioner is pretty much compulsory. Or you could replace with something built to passivhaus standards, with really great insulation throughout, but this may be more costly

We live in Sydney just recently did our living and kitchens areas in our house. We removed some non structural walls and did flooring/painting/skirts for around 100sqm. Including appliances and an upgrade to our ducted air conditioning system we got away with around $60,000. We are looking to do our bathrooms and bedrooms next and dont expect it to cost as much. I would suggest your figures are on the high end. However i guess it all depends on the finishes you are looking for.

Those numbers definitely sound like they’re in the upper range, but for a larger reno in an older place, especially with wall removals and structural work, I’ve seen budgets creep up like this before. The bits that really pushed mine higher were always the unexpected things, like discovering dodgy wiring, or needing extra waste removal trips once demolition started. I did a similar kitchen and living area upgrade a few years back and found that things like cladding and big beams are not cheap at all, and the little stuff adds up fast too.

One thing that really helped us keep waste costs and demo cleanup way less stressful was hiring a crew to handle the removal instead of trying it ourselves. If you’re in Ontario or ever doing something like this here, it’s worth looking into 1day junk because they handle all the heavy lifting and make the cleanup way easier. That let us focus on the actual building stuff, not hauling piles to the curb.