A standard full bathroom renovation in Australia runs $18,000 to $35,000 in 2026. A partial renovation (new shower, vanity and paint) costs $8,000 to $18,000, and a cosmetic refresh — paint, tapware, regrouting, a new mirror — can be done for $3,000 to $8,000. Larger master bathrooms and ensuites with freestanding baths, custom joinery and premium tiling can reach $28,000 to $55,000. Location, layout changes and finish tier are the three biggest cost drivers.
Australian kitchen renovation costs in 2026 range from around $15,000 for a flat-pack cabinet replacement with new benchtops, through to $60,000 or more for a full custom joinery kitchen with stone benchtops, premium appliances and a moved layout. Most mid-range kitchen renovations land between $22,000 and $38,000. Stone benchtops, appliance brand tier and island benches with waterfall ends are the major cost variables.
New home build costs in Australia in 2026 sit at roughly $2,800 to $4,500 per m² for a standard project home, $4,500 to $7,500 per m² for a semi-custom build, and $7,500+ per m² for fully custom architectural homes. A 200 m² home therefore ranges from around $560,000 up to $1.5 million depending on state, site conditions, specification and builder tier. Sydney and inner Melbourne sit at the top of this range; regional locations are 10–20% cheaper.
Fencing costs vary by material. Treated pine paling runs $80–$140 per linear metre installed, Colorbond $90–$160, hardwood paling $120–$200, pool-compliant glass $280–$500, and pool-compliant aluminium $150–$280. A standard 20-metre front boundary fence therefore costs roughly $1,800 to $3,200 for paling or Colorbond, including a gate.
Typical timelines: a bathroom renovation takes 3–6 weeks on site, a kitchen renovation 4–8 weeks, a full internal strip and refit 3–6 months, and a knockdown rebuild 9–15 months from demolition to handover. Add 4–10 weeks upfront for trade scheduling in metro Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and 6–16 weeks for council approvals on structural work or extensions.
Each state has its own regulator — VBA in Victoria, NSW Fair Trading in NSW, QBCC in Queensland, Building and Energy in WA, CBS in SA, CBOS in Tasmania, Access Canberra in the ACT, and the NT Building Practitioners Board in the Northern Territory. You can search each regulator's public register directly, or Properly will pull licence status, tribunal orders and compliance history from all of them into a single plain-language report for $50 per tradie.
The report consolidates publicly available information from state licensing regulators, tribunals and company registers. It verifies licence status and class, flags any current or historic tribunal orders, lists compliance notices and disciplinary actions, confirms ABN and company status, checks insurance declarations where public, and highlights anything you should ask the contractor about before signing. Reports are delivered within 2–3 business days for $50 per tradie.
Most structural work, wet-area waterproofing, plumbing connections, electrical installations, demolition and retaining walls over one metre require permits or certified installers. Cosmetic work (paint, flooring, tapware swaps, minor repairs) generally doesn't. Pool fencing always requires a compliance certificate. Rules vary by state and council — always check with your local council before starting structural work.
Federal schemes include Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) for solar PV and solar hot water, plus the Cheaper Home Batteries rebate. State programs include Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU), the NSW Energy Savings Scheme, Queensland Battery Booster, WA Residential Battery Rebate, and various state-based first home owner grants and stamp duty concessions for new builds. The calculator surfaces applicable rebates in the recommendations panel based on your state and selected trades.
Prices are sourced from current 2026 trade rates across Australian states and adjusted for region (metro, inner, outer, regional), site access, property age and finish tier. Estimates are indicative and should always be validated with formal written quotes before you commit. Most users find two or three genuine quotes fall inside the Properly range when the scope is captured accurately.
Yes — the renovation cost calculator is completely free, with no account, no email gate, and no upsells to lead aggregators. Tradie background check reports are the only paid service on the site, at $50 per tradie.
Use the calculator first. It gives you a defensible budget range and a scope checklist before you speak to any contractor. That means when the quotes come in you can compare them against a realistic baseline, ask the right questions about line items that look unusually high or low, and avoid being anchored by the first quote you receive. Always get at least two to three formal quotes before committing to any renovation over $5,000.
Still have questions?
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