What are the costs of a renovation? How much does it cost today to renovate an old house? These are the first questions anyone considering renovating a home asks themselves. Before beginning any work, it is essential to prepare a detailed and precise estimate of the costs to be incurred.
Let’s therefore look together at the indicative costs of a complete renovation of a house or apartment, the average price lists of the most requested interventions, and the more specific costs of renovating environments such as the bathroom and kitchen. It’s important to emphasize that the renovation costs reported here have a predominantly indicative value. Only the consultation of a specialized technician allows for a reliable estimate of the costs of renovating a house, evaluating in detail the specificity of each dwelling and consequently the necessary interventions.
How much Does a Complete House Renovation Cost
Let’s start by making a general estimate of the costs of renovating a house based on its size.
How much does it take to renovate a 100 square meter house? 90 square meters? And 70?… Let’s see together:
| Apartment Size | Estimated Renovation Cost |
|---|---|
| Apartment over 100 sqm | Starting from €40,000 |
| 90 sqm Apartment | €25,000 – €60,000 |
| 70 sqm Apartment | €15,000 – €35,000 |
| 50 sqm Apartment | €15,000 – €35,000 |
It’s very important to keep in mind that the costs of renovating a house vary significantly depending on the location where you intend to carry out the work. Let’s take as a reference the average cost of renovating an apartment in the city center of Rome, Milan, and Turin:
How much Does it Cost to Renovate a House in Rome
| Renovation Cost (70 sqm city center apartment) | COST €/SQM |
|---|---|
| €38,900 | 556 |
How much Does it Cost to Renovate a House in Milan
| Renovation Cost (70 sqm city center apartment) | Cost €/Sqm |
|---|---|
| €37,500 | 536 |
How much Does it Cost to Renovate a House in Turin
| Renovation Cost (70 sqm city center apartment) | Cost €/Sqm |
|---|---|
| €33,300 | 476 |
It’s also good to keep in mind that even within the same city, renovation costs in cities like Turin can register significant variations from neighborhood to neighborhood, especially when operating in the historic center.
What are the Works Included in House Renovation and What are Their Costs
Do you want to have a more precise idea of the renovation costs at each stage? Let’s analyze more specifically what are actually the renovation works to be carried out to renew your home and what are their average costs:
1. Design
Every renovation work always starts with a project. Design is an essential moment in a house renovation. This is a necessary step to preview the outcome of the work, calculate the materials that will be needed, and quantify all the necessary resources. Design fees vary considerably depending on the professionals involved. As a general guide, a renovation project for an apartment costs between €5,000-10,000. To all fees related to an architect’s services, one must also add 4% for social security contributions and VAT at 22%.
With Domidea, the renovation project for your home is free.
2. Demolitions
Demolition is an irreversible solution, which is reached only after very accurate technical evaluations. The cost of a demolition varies depending on the extent of the operation, what mainly influences the cost are the safety measures in the area where the work is carried out.
| Work | Price €/sqm |
|---|---|
| Partial Demolition (flooring) | €5-25 |
| Partial Demolition (walls) | €5-20 |
| Total Uncontrolled Demolition | €5-30 |
| Total Controlled Demolition | €10-80 |
3. Screed and flooring
The screed is a flat and regular base on which to place the flooring. This is a layer of cementitious material of varying thickness. In the past, screeds were made with sand and cement, but currently it is preferable to add other, more efficient materials, and this affects the cost of the work:
| Work | PRICE €/SQM |
|---|---|
| Traditional Screed | €10-20 |
| Self-Leveling Screed | €15-25 |
| Leveling Compound | €25-35 |
The costs are also variable for laying the flooring. This varies greatly depending on the chosen material and the technique used:
| Type of Flooring | Price €/sqm |
|---|---|
| Resin Flooring | €40-150 |
| Tile Flooring | €9-80 |
| Laminate Flooring | €15-55 |
4. Electrical system
When renovating a building, it’s important to consider redoing the electrical system to improve its energy efficiency. This requires carrying out a series of masonry operations such as opening and closing traces in the wall, floor, or ceiling for the insertion of corrugated pipes through which the wires of the system run. Redoing the electrical system can also be an opportunity to redistribute light points.
| Apartment Size | Estimated Renovation Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 sqm | €4,000 |
| 120 sqm | €5,250 |
| 150 sqm | €6,000 |
5. Bathroom plumbing system
The cost of a plumbing system in a renovation can vary greatly, depending on several factors. First of all, it will be necessary to evaluate the condition of the existing system. It will then be necessary to evaluate the extension of the house to be renovated and the number of water points needed.
| Type of Plumbing System | PRICE |
|---|---|
| Water Point | €50-120 |
| Bathroom Plumbing System | €800-1,800 |
| Entire Home Plumbing System | €2,000-4,000 |
6. Kitchen plumbing system
Generally, a kitchen plumbing system requires 2 water points, one for the sink and one for the dishwasher. Often the pipes in a kitchen are very long and the average cost of a plumbing system for the kitchen ranges between €800-1800.
7. Smoothing and painting
Wall smoothing is the operation that precedes painting. Smoothing is very important because it represents the base on which paints and wallpapers will then be applied. The costs of smoothing vary depending on the wall on which you intervene:
| Type of Skimming | PRICE €/SQM |
|---|---|
| Skimming Wall in Good Condition | €5-15 |
| Skimming Wall with Many Irregularities | €7-25 |
| Skimming with Painting or Other Finishes | €20-35 |
8. False Ceilings
The construction of a false ceiling does not have high costs. Generally, in fact, this is made with materials such as plasterboard, glass wool, or rock wool.
| Apartment Size | Estimated Renovation Cost |
|---|---|
| Fixed False Ceiling | €20-45 |
| Removable False Ceiling | €22-50 |
9. Finishes
The costs for finishing a shell house vary significantly depending on the quality of the interventions to be carried out:
| Quality of Finishing Work for Shell Home | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| Medium Quality Work | €9,500-40,000 |
| High Quality Work | €11,500-50,000 |
| Quality of Finishing Work for Advanced Shell Home | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| Medium Quality Work | €8,500-25,000 |
| High Quality Work | €12,500-40,000 |
10. Disposal
The price of disposing of construction debris is expressed in €/ton, so it is based on the weight of the material to be disposed of. The price varies greatly depending on the geographical area where the disposal is carried out, the quality and quantity of the debris to be disposed of.
| TYPE OF MATERIAL TO BE DISPOSED | PRICE €/TON |
|---|---|
| Disposal of Non-Ferrous Materials | €7.50-20 |
| Ferrous Materials | €7-25 |
| Drywall | €15,000 – €35,000 |
How much Does it Cost to Renovate Specific Areas of the House: Bathroom and Kitchen
Are you planning to carry out renovation work only on some areas of your home? Let’s consider some examples related to the complete renovation of a bathroom and kitchen. Renovating these types of spaces requires particular attention, especially regarding plumbing and electrical systems. For this reason, bathroom and kitchen renovation costs may be higher compared to other areas of the home.
How much Does Bathroom Renovation Cost?
| Bathroom Renovation Work | Estimated Renovation Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Replace Wall and Floor Coverings | €30–50/m² | |
| Modernize Electrical System | €200/m² | |
| Replace Plumbing System | €18/hour | |
| Install New Fixtures (shower, toilet, sink, etc.) | €2,000 | |
| Furnish a Bathroom | €1,500 (total) | |
| Renovate a 4 m² Bathroom | €3,500 (total) | |
| Renovating a 6 m² bathroom | €4,250 (total) |
How much Does a Kitchen Renovation Cost?
| Apartment Size | Estimated Renovation Cost |
|---|---|
| Fixtures (sinks, appliances, burners) | €1,200-20,000 |
| Flooring | €280-2,000 |
| Painting and Skimming | €40 – 400 |
| Electrical System | €150 – 1,000 |
| Plumbing System | €800-1,800 |
Which renovation works are tax deductible?
Currently, numerous bonuses are available to benefit from tax deductions on home renovation works. For example, the 50% Renovation Bonus allows for an IRPEF deduction on building renovation, extraordinary maintenance, restoration, and conservative rehabilitation works carried out on residential properties. The list of tax incentives for renovations in 2023 is extensive and includes incentives for energy efficiency works, seismic retrofitting of buildings, and much more. Furthermore, with Domidea you can request additional benefits such as Renovation Financing.
Would you like to know more? Would you like to receive an accurate and detailed estimate of your home renovation costs? Contact us now to request a home renovation quote. The service is free and without obligation.

