Whole-Home Remodels
Whole-home projects are priced per square foot, but the rate hides most of the story: the biggest 2026 cost driver is scope depth - refreshing surfaces, gutting back to the framing, or opening walls to re-run systems, each a different budget class. Finish tier compounds that, because kitchen and bath cabinetry, counters, and tile are the largest single share of a whole-home spend. Regional labor and material multipliers then swing the same plan widely between states, and hidden conditions behind the walls - outdated wiring, undersized framing, past leaks - are why whole-home quotes spread wider than single-trade jobs. Each calculator below isolates those drivers so you can price the version of the project you are actually planning.
Cost data reviewed September 2026 · Maintained by the FixTally Editorial Team
Every whole-home calculator, compared at default inputs
Ranges below are computed from each calculator's own default inputs at national-average labor and materials. Across this hub the default scenarios run from $18,376 to $228,825; open any tool, set your state and project details, and the range adjusts instantly.
| Calculator | Typical range | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| ADU Cost Calculator | $135,600–$228,825 | You are weighing a detached ADU, garage conversion, or basement unit for family or rental income and want the full build, site work, and design priced. |
| Basement Finishing Cost Calculator | $18,376–$31,010 | You have an unfinished basement and want framing, egress, an added bathroom, and flooring priced before you commit. |
| Home Addition Cost Calculator | $32,480–$54,810 | You are adding square footage - bump-out, sunroom, or second story - and want shell, foundation, and plumbing/HVAC extensions priced. |
| Whole House Remodel Cost Calculator | $100,946–$206,040 | You are planning a multi-room overhaul - light refresh, gut renovation, or down-to-studs - and want scope depth, finish tier, and system replacements priced together. |
Estimates for planning only, not quotes. “Typical range” is each tool's low-to-high spread for its default scenario at national-average labor and material costs; your state and the inputs you choose move it.
Whole-home remodel cost questions
Why are whole-home remodel ranges so much wider than single-trade estimates?
Three drivers stack on top of each other. Scope depth changes what the job even is: new finishes over sound surfaces costs far less than a gut that re-runs plumbing, HVAC, and electrical inside the walls. Finish tier multiplies that, since kitchens and baths carry most of the material spend. And hidden conditions - wiring that fails inspection, framing that is out of spec, slow leaks inside wall cavities - only reveal themselves once drywall comes down. That is why each calculator here models a low-to-high band instead of one figure.
Is it cheaper to remodel the whole house at once or in phases?
One combined project usually prices lower per room because the crew, dumpster, site protection, and permit process are mobilized once instead of three or four times, and systems work is sequenced before finishes anyway. Phasing wins when you need to spread spending across years or keep part of the house livable. If you are budgeting in phases, the remodel budget planner allocates a total budget across rooms so you can see which phases fit.
Do these ranges include permits, design fees, and somewhere to live during construction?
Permits and typical design fees are itemized as their own lines inside each calculator, so you can see them rather than guess whether they are buried in the rate. What the tools deliberately exclude is temporary housing: for a gut or down-to-studs project you may need a rental or to stay with family for part of the schedule, and that cost never shows up in a contractor bid. Each tool's assumptions list its exclusions explicitly.
These ranges look national - how do I get a number for my state?
Open any calculator below and pick your state. Whole-home pricing is unusually regional because both of its big inputs - skilled trade labor and bulky materials - carry state-level cost differences, so the low, typical, and high figures recompute the moment the state changes. The table on this page is the national-average baseline every state adjustment starts from.
Related cost calculators
- Kitchen & bath calculators
Kitchens and bathrooms are the largest line items inside any whole-home budget - price them on their own here.
- Interior finishes calculators
Flooring, drywall, paint, and tile - the finish surfaces a gut remodel re-covers room by room.
- HVAC & climate calculators
Gut renovations and additions often trigger furnace, heat pump, or ductwork replacement at the same time.
- Electrical calculators
Down-to-studs scopes usually require panel upgrades or rewires - price the electrical scope separately.
Or browse all 82 FixTally cost calculators.