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

There are a lot of reasons we renovate, and one of them is that we want to bring our homes to new life. Thanks to the popularity of home renovation shows like HGTV, it seems as though more of us are interested in spending our time and money on remodeling projects.

Currently due to the Covid 19l pandemic, it seems that Kiwis have been spending more time at home because of self-isolation measures and experts believe now is the time to undertake property improvements to get the house in the condition you’ve always wanted.
This comes as research from Stuff show that the Covid lockdowns spur home improvement bonanza for builders and retailers

While a whole home renovation seems quick and easy when it’s edited for a half housr TV show, like ‘The Block ‘the reality is a bit more intimidating– and so can the cost.
A Westpac NZ survey of more than 800 homeowners in 2019 showed that seven in ten home owners are in renovation mode – either recovering from, doing it now, or planning to in the next year. And nearly one in three of people currently carrying out a renovation are investing to making their home more energy efficient.
The estimated starting cost of areas that are popular to make over –

Entire House Renovation cost; $85,000
Bathroom Renovation cost; $15000 – $35,000+
Kitchen Renovation cost; $18,000 – $80,000+
House Extension cost; $65,000 – $250,000+

 
[How much does it cost to renovate in auckland]
 
The Westpac survey found that 47 percent of renovators wanted to increase the value of their home and 37 percent wanted to change their home’s aesthetics.
Twenty-seven percent of homeowners say they’ve purchased a property that needs work and 24 percent simply enjoying DIY.
Westpac NZ chief experience officer Shane Howell says the survey results show how big Kiwis were on renovations.
“Giving high house prices we are seeing a big shift towards renovations. How long will this trend last for is a question mark.”
 

When you meet with new renovation clients, what’s the first thing you do to work out the renovation cost?

When planning a renovation, Auckland Builders & Renovations Ltd believe the best thing to do is work costs backwards – starting at the current value of the property.
It’s important to start with the valuation of your property. Odds are, if you were considering selling the property, you already knew what it’s worth. So, I would start by trying to get a rough estimate of what you can expect the property will be worth once renovations are complete. This is an important question to ask before embarking on a renovation project.
We would speak to the clients about what they’d like to do their home — is it a kitchen renovation, or a bathroom renovation, or do they want to do both? We could come up with something for each room, then. Depending on the scope of the project and the amount of time we have, we might even shift from one project into another. Every time we talk about what they want to do and how long it will take us, we can adjust the cost of the quote. 

How are Aucklanders managing renovations and DIY during COVID-19?

While spending was down in Auckland at the start of 2020 due to covid, data shows that Kiwis are spending more on DIY projects and home improvements as we adapt to isolation and social distancing measures.
Statistics NZ’s Building Activity Survey, shows that the value of residential alteration work commenced in the second, third and fourth quarters of last year was lower than it was in each of the corresponding quarters of 2018, with the combined value of alteration work in all of the last three quarters of last year down 2.1% compared to the same period of 2018.
However, last quarter 2020, the construction industry bounced back. For the first time, the monthly value of building consents issued in Auckland exceeded $1 billion, Stats NZ states.
The September 2020 monthly value of building consents issued in Auckland accounted for about 44 percent of the national total of $2.4 billion. Auckland makes up about one-third of New Zealand’s population.
“This is the first time a region has issued more than $1 billion worth of building consents in a single month, with more than $700 million coming from residential projects,” acting construction statistics manager Bryan Downes said.
“This reflects both the rising volumes of building consents and higher construction costs.”
Aucklanders have been spending a lot at home. It’s a fact that, at the moment, Aucklanders love their new houses and furniture. This is all well and good for furniture companies like Bunnings, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi, who have seen an increase in sales in recent times. 

What are the challenges during COVID-19?

Architecture firms and Auckland builders & renovations Ltd have long adapted to the challenges of COVID-19, using online video software to communicate with our clients. This shows there is no hindrance to approach us to start building on your ideas and develop your dream design.
Kiwis have stretched themselves to make improvements and improvements on their homes. In fact, the DIY life led many New Zealanders to research home improvement ideas and start projects of their own.
Mitre 10 has been busy too with sales through the roof compared to this time last year.

Green goods are up 470 percent
Gardening supplies up 370 percent
Paint is up by 340 percent
Power tools are up 270 percent 

Does it really make a difference if someone wants to live in their house forever or are planning to sell?

Some clients might say they have $100,000 to spend, which is their forever home. Re-designing the space based on your client’s desires means paying more attention to details and the little things.
For example, if they were going to sell, I’d suggest prioritising exterior areas – front of the house – or even the kitchen. We know kitchens sell houses. If a prospective buyer looks at a house and it has an amazing living area or kitchen and then they get to the bathrooms but they’re not amazing, it doesn’t matter as much because these people already like the house.
If it is a ‘forever’ home, I make sure the focus is really on what clients want and what’s good for themselves. 

Is it more about how you spend, not how much you have to spend?

When a client wants to re-do their kitchen they have a lot of decisions to make. They have to budget, save money, and move pieces around so the entire renovation is done as seamlessly as possible. The same goes for renovating. You may have $100,000 to spend, but only want to spend very little on the things that make the kitchen work. Buying new appliances alone can cost over to $5000 which is 5% of the overall budget.
We see many people easily spending $20,000 on a kitchen, not including appliances which takes them into the next phase of their budget. They eat through money very quickly, even though they haven’t renovated all the areas they want to. 

What’s the biggest misconception about renovating?

A lot of people really underestimate the cost of renovating. That’s partly due to a lot of TV shows that give them unrealistic ideas on how fast and how cheaply things get done. Let’s not forget, TV shows are manufactured and costs may be subsidised or covered by advertisers.
Sometimes decisions like relocating plumbing can have a negative impact on the rest of your project. If you’re renovating a bathroom, remember to think carefully about how moving things around might change the project as a whole. It’s important to pay attention to how your decisions will affect the way people use the space and reduce wastage from needless spending. 

At what point is it best to spend a bit on a professional instead of trying to do it yourself?

Let’s say you’re looking at different colour schemes for your bathroom. You need a certain number of square metres of tiles, shower screens, bath seats, vanities, etc . There’s a big benefit to having someone who has already sourced all those materials for you.
This could be a designer, builder or project manager – someone who can anticipate extra costs so you can do your best to not go over budget. Do you want to try to save some costs by doing it yourself but risk going over budget? Or do you pay a designer or a project manager to deliver the project for you? 

What’s the best advice you can give prospective renovators?

You don’t have to spend a lot to make the job look good, but you do have to spend money on the right things. There are areas to save and areas to spend.
We always suggest buying better quality equipment and using a reputable plumber. If the product is manufactured to a basic budget, it may leak or break, then you’ve got an issue with repairing walls, or possibly cutting through tiles to make a repair (if the parts are available). What starts out as a desicion to save a few dollars on lower quality tapware can cost 10x the amout to make a repair. 

How much does it cost to renovate a kitchen?

Kitchen Renovations could cost anywhere between $18,000 and $80,000.
The price varies depending on the extent of the work you’re carrying out, the appliances, products and materials you use and the size of your kitchen.
 

How much does it cost to renovate a bathroom?

Auckland Builders & Renovations Ltd believe that renovating a bathroom generally costs between $15,000 and $45,000. Replacing tiles often pushes up the cost of bathroom makeovers – on average $30,000.
For luxury bathroom renovations, sky really is the limit. Its not uncommon for a luxury bathroom makeover to cost $45,000 and even $100,000 or above is not unheard of. 

How much does it cost to renovate a living room?

One of the more affordable room renovations, simply painting the interior can make huge changes and cost anywhere between $10,000 and $15,000, depending on the size of home and condition of the walls.
 

What is the cost for your renovation? How much does it cost to renovate a house in Auckland?

 
So you are thining about renovating? Why not get in touch and find out how much your renovation may cost?
Auckland Builders & Renovations Ltd
0800 BUILTNZ