How much does it cost to renovate a house in Queensland?

In 2026, cosmetic work runs about $900-$1,800 per square metre, mid-range $1,800-$3,200 and structural or high-end $3,200-$5,500. A full 180 sqm renovation typically lands between $160,000 and $450,000.

Is it cheaper to renovate or rebuild?

Rebuilding usually costs more per square metre but delivers a fully new house. Renovation wins when the existing structure, roof and slab are sound and the layout can be reworked without wholesale demolition.

What is the most expensive part of a renovation?

Moving wet areas. Relocating plumbing and drainage cascades into slab work, waterproofing, tiling and rework of adjoining rooms.

How much should I budget for unexpected costs?

Ten to fifteen per cent on modern homes and fifteen to twenty per cent on pre-1990 homes.

Do renovation costs differ between the Gold Coast and Brisbane?

Only marginally on labour. The bigger differences are access, coastal material specification and, in Brisbane, character-overlay requirements that add design and approval cost.

Can I renovate a bathroom for $15,000?

Rarely as a full strip-out with compliant waterproofing. $15,000 realistically buys a cosmetic refresh - new vanity, tapware, screen, paint and floor covering - with existing tiling retained.

Why are renovation quotes so different from each other?

Because scopes differ. Allowances for tiles, tapware, joinery, waterproofing and rubbish removal vary enormously between builders, and exclusions are where the gap usually sits.

Does a renovation increase property value by more than it costs?

Kitchens, bathrooms and usable outdoor living frequently return more than they cost in South East Queensland. Highly personalised or over-capitalised work often does not.

Do I pay GST on a home renovation?

Yes, residential renovation work by a registered builder includes GST, and quoted prices to homeowners should be GST inclusive.

How do I get an accurate renovation price?

A site inspection. Anyone quoting a structural renovation from photos alone is estimating, not quoting. We provide fixed-price quotes after inspecting the property.

Renovation Costs Queensland 2026

Quick answer: in 2026, a cosmetic renovation in Queensland typically runs $900-$1,800 per square metre, a mid-range renovation $1,800-$3,200 per square metre, and a high-end or structural renovation $3,200-$5,500 per square metre. A full renovation of a 180 sqm home therefore commonly lands between $160,000 and $450,000 depending on scope and specification.

What the square-metre rates actually mean

Rate per square metre is a planning tool, not a quote. It is useful for testing whether a project is roughly viable before you spend money on drawings. The rate covers the finished floor area being renovated, including labour, materials, waste, site costs and margin, but excluding professional fees and furniture.

Cosmetic - $900 to $1,800/sqm: paint, flooring, joinery refresh, lighting, doors, skirting and architraves, no structural change
Mid-range - $1,800 to $3,200/sqm: new kitchen and bathrooms, some wall removal, reworked services, new outdoor living
High-end / structural - $3,200 to $5,500/sqm: reconfiguration, steel, new openings, premium finishes, custom joinery
Second-storey additions and complex extensions - $3,800 to $6,500/sqm of new floor area

Room-by-room budgets for 2026

Kitchen - $22,000 budget refit, $35,000-$60,000 mid-range, $70,000+ premium with custom joinery and stone
Main bathroom - $22,000-$32,000 typical full strip-out and rebuild; $40,000+ for larger or high-spec
Ensuite - $16,000-$26,000
Laundry - $8,000-$18,000 depending on joinery and whether plumbing moves
Internal wall removal with steel beam - $6,000-$18,000 including engineering and make-good
Flooring throughout 120 sqm - $9,000-$22,000 depending on material
Timber deck, 30 sqm - $18,000-$32,000; composite $24,000-$42,000
Garage conversion to habitable room - $30,000-$70,000
Ground-floor extension - $320,000+ for a substantial addition; small bump-outs considerably less

These are Gold Coast and Brisbane figures for 2026 and assume licensed trades, compliant waterproofing and proper certification. Anything meaningfully below these ranges usually has an exclusion list doing the heavy lifting.

The seven things that actually move the price

Whether you move plumbing and drainage - relocating a wet area is the single biggest cost multiplier in any renovation
Whether walls are load-bearing - a beam brings engineering, propping, and ceiling and cornice make-good
Access - narrow lots, high-set homes, canal frontage and upper-level apartments all add labour hours
Age of the home - pre-1990 means asbestos testing and potentially licensed removal
Specification - the same kitchen layout can vary by $40,000 on finishes alone
Approvals - certification, engineering and any development application
Decision timing - late changes cost far more than early ones, because they unwind completed work

Planning work on the Gold Coast or in Brisbane? Talk to a QBCC-licensed team (Licence No. 15620733) and get a fixed-price quote after a proper site inspection.

Get an initial estimate

Where the money goes on a typical $250,000 renovation

Structure, framing and carpentry - roughly 22%
Kitchen and joinery - roughly 16%
Bathrooms, waterproofing and tiling - roughly 15%
Services (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) - roughly 13%
Finishes (plaster, paint, flooring) - roughly 12%
Windows, doors and external works - roughly 9%
Preliminaries, waste, access and site costs - roughly 7%
Professional fees and certification - roughly 6%

How to reduce cost without wrecking the result

Cost control in renovation is almost entirely about decisions made before demolition. Keep wet areas where they are. Keep the roof line where it is. Lock in every selection before the contract is signed rather than choosing tiles in week three. Spend on the things you touch daily - benchtops, tapware, door hardware, flooring - and save on the things nobody notices, like the carcass material inside a cabinet or the brand of a concealed fixing.

Staging works well when it is planned as a sequence rather than used as an excuse. Doing the structural work and services in one stage and the finishes later is sensible. Doing the kitchen now and the wall removal next year usually means paying twice.

Comparing quotes properly

Three quotes with a $70,000 spread almost always means three different scopes. Line the exclusions up side by side. Ask each builder what allowance they carried for tiles, tapware, benchtops, waterproofing, electrical points and rubbish removal. Ask what is a provisional sum. The cheapest number on the page is regularly the most expensive project by the end.

Not sure what your budget stretches to? Upload a photo of the space and our AI Renovator returns a concept and an indicative cost in about a minute.

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