Renovating a home: stages, budget and sequence
Design IRL Editorial · Figures checked 7 November 2026 · For owners updating a flat or house they already live in or own · How we make our guides
Renovation costs more per sq ft than people expect, because you pay to take things out before you put new things in. Getting the scope and the order right does most of the work.
Decide how deep you are going
Most renovations fall into one of five levels. The rates below are rough ranges per sq ft of carpet area for a metro home, before GST, and without loose furniture.
| Level | What it covers | Approx. ₹ per sq ft | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh | Paint, polish, small repairs | ₹150–350 | 2–3 weeks |
| Partial | Kitchen, 1–2 bathrooms, wardrobes, paint | ₹800–1,400 | 2–3 months |
| Full interior | Everything visible, wiring and plumbing layout kept | ₹1,800–2,800 | 4–5 months |
| Deep | Full interior plus structural and services redone | ₹2,500–4,000 | 5–7 months |
| Gut | Stripped back to the structure | ₹3,500–5,500 | 7–9 months |
City matters. Reported full-renovation rates run about ₹1,800–4,500 per sq ft in Mumbai and ₹1,500–4,000 in Delhi, with tier-2 cities nearer ₹800–1,200 for lighter work. Older buildings cost more: allow roughly 10% extra at 10–20 years, and 20% beyond that.
Work in this order
- Design, survey and permissions. Get a structural check if any wall is coming out, and your society's NOC.
- Demolition and debris removal.
- Civil work: wall changes, chasing, bathroom and kitchen civil, waterproofing.
- Plumbing rework.
- Electrical rework.
- Bathrooms: tiles, sanitaryware and fittings.
- Flooring.
- Joinery: kitchen and wardrobes.
- False ceiling and lighting.
- Painting: scrape, putty, primer and finish coats.
Demolition comes first for anything beyond a refresh. That is also when you find rotten pipes and seepage, so don't fix the budget until it is done.
How the budget splits
| Stage | Approx. share of budget |
|---|---|
| Design, survey, permissions | 6% |
| Demolition and debris | 5% |
| Civil rework and waterproofing | 10% |
| Plumbing | 6% |
| Electrical | 7% |
| Bathrooms | 10% |
| Flooring | 8% |
| Kitchen and wardrobes | 25% |
| False ceiling and lighting | 6% |
| Painting | 5% |
| Contingency | 12% |
For a sense of line items in a 3BHK, Livspace lists demolition at ₹40,000–50,000, floor tiling at ₹1.8–2.5 lakh, electrical at ₹2–2.5 lakh, each bathroom at ₹1.8–3 lakh, false ceiling at ₹0.8–1.4 lakh, painting at ₹1.07–1.37 lakh and windows at ₹1.18–2.24 lakh. Waterproofing and re-plumbing are each reported at about ₹50–100 per sq ft, and rewiring at ₹40–80 per sq ft.
Plan for the surprises
Keep 15% aside
Old homes hide problems behind walls and under floors. Keep a contingency of about 15% for renovation, over and above the quoted price, plus GST of 18% on most works contracts.
- Civil surprises can add roughly ₹2–4 lakh on a full job.
- An electrical load upgrade can cost roughly ₹30,000–1.2 lakh.
- Debris removal can run roughly ₹30,000–1.5 lakh.
- If you move out, rent for the work period sits outside the budget. Deeper jobs can take 2–9 months.
Which rooms first
If money or time is limited, do the work that is hardest to redo later. The usual order is the kitchen and main bathroom first, then painting, then the main bedroom, then the rest.
Check your society's rules early. Working hours, noise limits, lift use and debris disposal can all affect the timeline and cost.
Paying and signing off
- Get 2–3 quotes against the same written scope, so they can be compared line by line.
- Pay against completed stages, not dates.
- Walk the home with a snag list before the final payment.
- Hold back the final 10% until 30 days after handover, so leaks and faults have time to show.
Figures are approximate
Every rate here varies by city, building age and spec. Use them to plan, then confirm with real quotes.
Find the people
Sources
Most published cost figures come from firms that sell the work. We give ranges and you should get 2–3 quotes.