Guide · August 23, 2026
What affects the cost of a home renovation in Auckland?
No one-size-fits-all price
There is no responsible one-size-fits-all price for a substantial renovation. Two homes with a similar floor area can require very different budgets once existing condition, structural changes, access, services, specification, consent requirements and hidden work are understood. The useful question is not “what does a renovation cost?” but “what is changing in this house, and what information do we have?”
The biggest cost drivers
The cost drivers we talk through with every client are set out below.
01
Existing condition
Age-related issues behind walls, floors and ceilings.
02
Structural changes
Load-bearing walls, re-piling and bracing.
03
Access
How easily people, materials and machines reach the work.
04
Services
Plumbing, drainage and electrical runs that have to move.
05
Specification
The level of finish, fixtures and materials chosen.
06
Consent and hidden work
Consent requirements, and what is found once the house is opened up.
Why we do not publish a broad price per square metre
A floor-area number can be useful for some new-build comparisons, but it can be particularly misleading for renovations because much of the cost sits in what is being changed, retained, opened up, repaired or worked around. We would rather be transparent about that limitation than publish a range that anchors expectations to a project that may be fundamentally different.
How to get a more useful budget conversation
Before contacting a builder, gather what you already know: address or suburb, photos, rough scope, any plans or reports, known consent history, desired timing and an honest approximate budget band. You do not need every detail, but the more clearly the intended change is defined, the more useful the first conversation becomes.
What happens when you contact Selective
Tell us the project type, suburb, approximate budget band and current stage. We will review the information and reply within one business day, Monday–Friday. If the project is likely to fit our capability and scale, we will explain what information is needed next before a reliable construction figure can be developed.