Whole House Remodel Cost Calculator

In this model about $64,960 as a light refresh, $138,040 as a gut renovation with a full kitchen, two full baths and a new electrical panel, and about $255,852 taken to the studs with every system replaced. HomeGuide's December 2025 data brackets the same house at $28,000–$115,000 for standard updates and $60–$150 per sq ft for a complete gut.

Remodeling usually wins below ~50% of the house needing structural work. HomeGuide's demolition data puts tear-down-and-rebuild at $125,000–$400,000 before you own a finished house, and Build With Inspiration prices new custom construction at $250–$450 per sq ft — a 2,000 sq ft rebuild lands around $500,000–$900,000, versus roughly $255,852 for this calculator's deepest remodel of the same house. Rebuilding starts to make sense when the foundation, framing, or floor plan are unsalvageable.

For a refresh, usually yes. For a gut, most families move out for the dusty core and return for finishes — living in through the whole project is possible but priced: this calculator adds about $9,520 (~7%) for phasing, dust protection, temporary kitchen/bath setups and daily cleanup when the home stays occupied. Vacant homes also let contractors work faster and in any sequence.

On the 2,000 sq ft gut default: the full kitchen allowance is the single biggest room line, the two bathrooms together are comparable to it, but the four systems toggles dwarf both — about $10,880 to move from a new panel to a full rewire, $11,628 for a whole-house repipe, $14,960 for HVAC replacement and $13,600 for all windows. Turning on all four adds roughly $51,068.

Plan on 4–8 weeks for a refresh of a 2,000 sq ft home; 3–5 months for a gut renovation lived-in around the work; 6–9 months for a down-to-the-studs rebuild once design and permits are included. The money moves on the same calendar: this model's $138,040 gut budget is roughly $34,510–$46,013 a month of committed spend across a 3–5-month build — the cash-flow number to build a savings plan or construction loan around. Every hidden condition found behind drywall — rotted framing, obsolete wiring, undocumented plumbing — adds time as well as money, which is why this tool's range is the widest on the site.

Yes — any whole-house project crosses permit thresholds for electrical, plumbing, mechanical and often framing. This calculator reserves a permits/design/inspections line of about $6,120 on the 2,000 sq ft gut default (4.5% of the package); load-bearing changes, egress work or an addition bring structural engineering on top. Doing the work unpermitted is the classic mistake: it surfaces at resale, voids insurance claims, and municipal stop-work orders cost far more than the permit ever did.

Because discovery risk compounds across every trade at once. A faucet swap has nowhere to hide surprises; a whole-house gut can open twenty walls and find twenty problems. Each line here carries its own spread — finish materials are the firmest, plumbing and electrical the widest — and the totals land near 74%–142% of the typical figure, versus ±20–35% on single-trade tools.

Temporary housing and furniture storage during a gut, structural engineering beyond the design allowance, hazardous-material testing and abatement (lead in pre-1978 paint, asbestos in pre-1980 textures and flooring mastic), well/septic upgrades, and exterior landscaping restoration. Budget those separately — on older homes the abatement line alone can run five figures.