CompDesk › Rehab Cost Estimator
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Rehab Cost Estimator
Get a fast renovation budget from the size of the house and the scope of work, or build it line by line with typical installed costs for flooring, kitchens, baths, systems and curb appeal. Every number is a starting point you can change to match local bids.
Enter the address and CompDesk fills in the house details, pulls the comps and ARV, and carries your rehab budget straight into the offer math.
Your first lookup is free, with no account needed. A free account gets you 3 more.Estimate rehab costs
Pick the scope of work
Check what you're doing and set the quantities
| Item | Qty | Unit | Installed cost | Total |
|---|
Adjust for your project
Local cost factor: 100% is a national-average market. Try 115–130% in high-cost metros and 85–95% in lower-cost areas. O&P: leave at 0% if you hire the trades yourself; general contractors typically add 10–20%.
Installed costs (labor plus materials) at typical investor and contractor pricing, as national averages. Get written bids before you commit to a purchase.
How much does a house rehab cost?
Scope matters far more than square footage. A cosmetic refresh of a 1,500 sq ft house might run $25,000–$30,000, while a full gut of the same house can pass $100,000. A quick way to frame it is cost per square foot by rehab level:
| Rehab level | What it usually includes | Starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic | Paint, flooring, lighting and fixtures, minor repairs. | $18 / sq ft |
| Moderate | Cosmetic, plus a new kitchen and bathrooms. | $32 / sq ft |
| Heavy | Moderate, plus roof, HVAC, water heater and some systems. | $50 / sq ft |
| Full gut | Down to the studs: new systems, drywall and finishes throughout. | $70 / sq ft |
These are national-average starting points at investor pricing, the same defaults CompDesk uses. Labor costs swing widely by market, and older houses, permits and structural surprises push numbers up.
Worked example
A 1,500 sq ft, 3-bed, 2-bath house that needs a moderate rehab: paint and LVP throughout, a new kitchen and two refreshed bathrooms. The quick estimate is 1,500 sq ft × $32 = $48,000, or $52,800 with a 10% contingency. Building it line by line with the items already checked in the calculator comes to $35,305 before contingency and about $38,836 after. The gap is normal: a per-square-foot rate quietly covers things a short list leaves out, like lighting, doors and trim, permits and the small repairs every house needs. Use the quick number to screen deals, then switch to line items once you've walked the house and know the scope.
How to estimate a rehab, step by step
- Walk the house room by room. Write down everything that has to change, from the roof and HVAC down to outlet covers and closet doors. Photos help.
- Decide the finish level from the comps. Renovate to match the best recent sales nearby, not past them. Over-improving rarely pays back.
- Price the big systems first. Roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and foundation problems are the costs that sink deals. Get these inspected before you close.
- Add the finishes. Flooring, paint, kitchen, baths, doors, trim, lighting and landscaping.
- Add the soft costs. Permits, dumpsters, a porta-potty, utilities and, if you use a general contractor, their overhead and profit.
- Add a contingency. 10% is a common minimum, and 15–20% on older homes or when you can't see behind the walls.
- Get bids. Use your estimate to check contractor bids line by line, not to replace them.
Rehab budget mistakes that kill flips
- Skipping the inspection. A $500 inspection can save you from a $15,000 sewer line or foundation repair.
- Forgetting O&P. If a general contractor runs the job, their overhead and profit sits on top of every trade's price.
- No contingency. Old wiring, rotten subfloor and hidden water damage only show up after demolition.
- Pricing at retail. Big-box retail prices and homeowner quotes rarely match what investors pay with repeat contractors, in either direction.
- Scope creep. Every "while we're at it" upgrade comes out of profit. Decide the scope before you buy and stick to it.
Turn the budget into a full deal
CompDesk's rehab estimate has 26 trade groups and more than 100 installed line items, can draft the line items from your walkthrough photos, and feeds the budget straight into ARV, the 70% rule and flip and BRRRR numbers.
Rehab Cost Estimator questions
How much does it cost to rehab a house per square foot?
As rough national-average starting points at investor pricing: about $18 per sq ft for cosmetic work, $32 for a moderate rehab with a new kitchen and baths, $50 for a heavy rehab that adds roof and systems, and $70 or more for a full gut. Local labor costs and the age of the house move these numbers a lot.
How much contingency should I add to a rehab budget?
Ten percent is a common minimum. Many investors use 15–20% on older houses, homes with deferred maintenance, or any project where you can't see the condition of the wiring, plumbing or framing before you buy.
What is contractor O&P?
O&P stands for overhead and profit: what a general contractor adds on top of the trades' prices to run the job and earn a profit, often 10–20%. If you hire and schedule the trades yourself, you don't pay it, but you take on the management.
What are the most expensive parts of a rehab?
Usually the roof, HVAC, kitchen, bathrooms, foundation or structural repairs, and full rewiring or replumbing. Get these inspected and priced before you make an offer, because they decide whether the deal works.
Should I trust online rehab cost estimates?
Use them to frame the budget and to sanity-check bids, not as a final number. Prices vary by market, contractor, materials and the condition of the house, so get written bids for the major work before you buy.