How Much Does a Full Home Remodel Cost?

What does a full home remodel cost in 2026?

Scope sets the price more than anything else. Our Cost of a Full Home Remodel in the Greater Seattle Area page splits the work into four scopes, each with four finish levels. The table shows the Basic and Mid-Range starting prices and the time on site for each.

A starting price includes a standard material allowance for cabinets, counters, tile, flooring and fixtures. Upgrades beyond the allowance are priced from your selections. The Luxury and Super-Luxury levels start at $250,000+ and $350,000+ for a condo, $400,000+ and $550,000+ for a whole home refresh, $550,000+ and $750,000+ with layout changes, and $850,000+ and $1,200,000+ for a gut renovation.

Source: our full home remodel pricing guide, updated October 2026. Time on site starts after design and permits.

What is the average cost of a full home remodel?

There is no single average, because scope sets the price. Our own finished whole home jobs cost about $150,000 to $220,000 between 2022 and 2024. Today's starting prices run from $125,000+ for a condo to $500,000+ for a gut renovation. These are finished jobs from our portfolio, at the approximate price shown on each project page:

• Whole Condo Remodel in Renton, WA, 2024: about $150,000. One plank floor and fresh paint in every room, both bathrooms refitted with new vanities, glass, mirrors and fixtures, and the electrical and plumbing updated. The kitchen kept its cabinets and granite.
• Split-Level Whole Home Remodel with a Marble Fireplace, 2022: about $200,000. Walls opened on the main floor, a white kitchen with an island, two new bathrooms, a gray plank floor, paint, a cable stair railing and a marble slab fireplace wall.
• Whole House Remodel with Wood Beam Ceilings, 2022: about $220,000. New wood floors through the main rooms and stairs, the oak galley kitchen replaced with white shaker cabinets and two bathrooms rebuilt. The wood ceilings, beams and stone fireplace were kept.

Smaller multi-room jobs show how scope moves the number. A Condo Kitchen and Wood Floor Remodel in Seattle, WA, where a wall came out for a large island and the living room got a new wood floor, was about $90,000 (2023). A White Shaker Kitchen and Laundry Remodel in Burien, WA was about $50,000 (2022).

Past prices are from the year each home was finished. Material and labor costs have risen since. The split-level, a layout change job, cost about $200,000 in 2022. Today that scope starts at $300,000+.

What does a whole house remodel cost per square foot?

We price each room and trade on its own line, so square footage alone does not set the price. Two houses of the same size can need very different work. One needs paint, floors and fixtures. The other needs a new kitchen, two bathrooms, new wiring and a wall moved. Kitchens and bathrooms carry cabinets, tile and plumbing, so they cost far more per foot than a bedroom.

Size still sets the scale. For a 2,000 sq ft house, keeping the layout starts at $200,000+, opening walls and moving the kitchen or baths starts at $300,000+, and taking the house to the studs with new systems starts at $500,000+. A 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft house with a new kitchen, two baths, floors and paint is the typical whole home refresh.

Weighing a rebuild instead? How Much Does It Cost to Build a House in Seattle? compares the two.

What does it cost to remodel a 2 bedroom condo or a typical house?

Bedrooms move the price less than kitchens and baths do. A typical 2 bedroom condo with the kitchen and 2 baths rebuilt, floors and paint throughout starts at $125,000+. A typical 1,800 sq ft house with the kitchen and 2 baths rebuilt, floors and paint throughout starts at $200,000+ when the layout stays. Each added bathroom brings its own cabinets, tile and plumbing, so it raises the price more than an added bedroom.

What raises the cost of a full home remodel?

Three choices set most of the price: how many kitchens and baths are in scope, whether walls and plumbing move, and the finish level. From Basic to Luxury, the cabinetry, counters, tile, flooring and lighting all step up. Beyond those, these items raise the cost:

• Older home systems. Galvanized pipe, knob and tube wiring and small electrical panels often need replacing once the walls are open.
• Structural work. Removing a load bearing wall needs a beam, temporary shoring and engineering. The split-level above needed temporary posts while its main floor was opened.
• Hidden conditions. Rot, mold, asbestos or lead show up in older homes. We price repairs in writing before we fix them.
• Custom cabinets and slab stone. They add cost and 8 to 12 weeks of lead time.
• Condo building rules. HOA approvals, work hours, elevator booking and parking add time and cost.
• Living in the house. Phasing the work around a family adds time. Moving out for the main phase is faster.

What is not included in a starting price?

Drawings, structural engineering and permit fees are priced separately in the design phase. The starting prices also leave out moving, storage or temporary housing, HOA fees and deposits, material upgrades beyond the allowance, and anything found at demolition such as rot, mold, asbestos, lead or old wiring. Depending on the scope, structural changes, HVAC replacement, exterior work, foundation repair and new square footage are priced on their own lines. We price each of these in writing if your project needs it.

How long does a full home remodel take?

Time on site follows scope: 3 to 5 months for a condo, 4 to 7 months for a whole home refresh, 6 to 10 months with layout changes and 9 to 14 months for a gut renovation. Design and permits come before that. Our split-level took about seven months, from November 2021 to June 2022, and the Burien kitchen and laundry took about 10 weeks, from April 11 to June 22, 2022. How long does a remodel take in Seattle? covers each phase.

Does a whole home remodel need a permit?

Yes, when walls, plumbing, electrical or structure change, which is almost every whole home job. In Seattle, building and electrical permits come from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), and plumbing and gas permits from Public Health, Seattle and King County. In Bellevue they come from the City of Bellevue. We file the permits, book every inspection and keep the approved drawings on site. The permit fees and drawings are priced in the design phase. For which work needs a permit, read Do you need a permit to remodel in Seattle?

How do you keep a whole home budget under control?

• Decide the full scope before demolition. Changes after the walls close cost the most.
• Choose finishes for every room up front. Orders then arrive in sequence and the crews do not wait.
• Keep walls and plumbing where they are if the layout works. Moving them takes a house from the refresh tier to the layout change tier.
• Keep a contingency line. What the walls reveal is normal in older homes.
• Do it once. One permit, one demolition and one crew schedule cost less than separate projects over several years, and new floors run under new cabinets instead of stopping at old ones.

If the total is more than you want to spend at once, we can split the work into phases on one plan, so the first phase never has to be torn out for the second.

How do we price your home?

We walk every room with you, note what stays and what goes, and check the panel, plumbing and structure. Our designer then draws the house in 3D, and you approve an itemized, written price before demolition starts. One project manager runs the crews in sequence, books the inspections and walks the finished house with you at the end.

See Whole Home Remodeling Across the Greater Seattle Area for what a whole home remodel covers. Remodeling south of Seattle? See Home Remodeling Contractors in Renton, WA.