It is common to compare home renovation costs to similar projects in condo. We already have an article that explains why contractors charge more for work in condo apartments and all difficulties with the project. Due to high volume of request from subscribers our team conducted a research and broke down cost to renovate 1000 sq ft condo for average place.

Average quality remodeling project of 1000 sq ft condo costs $72 650 or $70 – $75 per square foot. It includes top to bottom renovation with materials and labor. Typically less stages are needed to complete condo and make it look fabulous.

Unless you have a complete open concept loft, the chances are your 1000 sq ft condo has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a living area with kitchen. Below Remodel On Point team writes about not only about costs, but also calculated material and area of what we believe is accurate for average condo size and budget.

 

	Cheap/Easy	Average	Expensive/Difficult
Demolition	$6 000	$9 500	$13 200
Framing	$2 100	$3 500	$5 600
Drywall/Tape	$5 800	$7 200	$10 500
Flooring	$4 000	$6 000	$10 000
Tiling	$2 500	$3 500	$5 900
Plumbing	$3 000	$5 000	$7 000
Electrical	$3 000	$5 000	$7 000
Trims/Doors	$3 200	$4 650	$8 500
Painting	$2 700	$3 800	$5 400
Cabinetry	$7 800	$14 500	$24 100
Appliances	$6 900	$10 000	$14 500
Additional Features	$0	$0	$10 000

Steps by Step Condo Remodeling Cost Breakdown

Demolition – assuming renovation company is quoting condo apartment owner to completely gun the place to structural and separation walls between units.

Because this step of construction includes carrying all waste down stairs in bins or bags as well as disposing it, the costs are a lot higher than in home project. This size projects demolition costs in range of $8000 – $11000.

Framing – no structural framing should ever be involved in condo renovation project. In complete remodeling contractors would strap or metal frame exterior walls, partition walls as well as several bulkheads.

On average with materials and labor it comes up to $3000-$4000. Keep in mind that it could be much less, but hardly ever more expensive than our suggested cost.

Drywall/Tape – hopefully your condo unit is located on the corner and has windows on 30-50% or exterior walls. Height in newer builder is 9 feet and by calculating several drywall on few layouts we get 80-100 sheets on average. This goes on ceiling, all interior and exterior walls.

For drywall and tape contractors charge $2.5 per board square foot, which comes to $7200 altogether. Most projects will not require full gut and change of entire drywall and framing in the unit.

Flooring – two bathrooms and laundry are subtracted from our overall 1000 sq ft space because they will be tiled. We are left with approximately 850 square feet of space that has to be covered with new floor.

Here is where preference takes charge and you can select any type and floor pattern for your budget. While cheap laminate installation can cost $3 per square foot with materials, unique luxury tiles can be purchased for $20 per square foot. Our sweet middle in flooring is $7 per square foot with total of $6000.

Tiling – going back to tiles in bathroom floor and shower walls. Standing shower has 100 sq ft of wall tiles while tub is only 80 sq ft. Floor coverage in bathroom is 40 sq ft each and we add small laundry with 10 sq ft. Adding another 15 sq ft of tiles for backsplash the sum is 285 sq ft of tiles for 1000 sq ft condo renovation. 

You will see this phrase very often in our articles but all materials range in price. Going with standard price tiles and hiring inexpensive sub trade for tile work would be $12 per square foot and your bill would be $3500.

Plumbing – upgrading every single plumbing feature in condo may seem scary and extremely hard to do, but it really is not. Condo corporation has restriction on items that can change location. For example toilet drain goes directly into concrete and is never moved.

Two bathrooms, kitchen and laundry give us 9 plumbing points. Renovation involves capping previous pipes and installing new plumbing fixtures such as shower regulator, tub, sink and faucets. Plumbing contractors normally charge $500-$600 per spot on simple projects.

Electrical – this step is relatively simple as well. Building provides main source of power and electrician needs to spread it between all rooms wiring for lights, switches and outlets. Complete renovation makes it easier for contractors to wire in open framing instead of fishing through.

Some limitations can be seen in buildings with concrete ceilings. Pot lights are hard to install without seeing extra wires, therefore fixture light may be the only option. Sometimes similar cost calculation can be applied to estimate laser epilation office renovation projects and retail spaces. Remodel On Point team suggest budgeting $5000 for electrical work in complete renovation of 1000 sq ft condo apartment.

Trims/doors – newer condo buildings have drywall return towards the windows without casings or trims. This is the work of drywall installation team that we have already included above. Baseboards with material cost $3-$4 per linear foot and in this condo we assume to have close to 300 linear feet.

Installation of doors and casings around is a bit trickier but we can suggest easy calculation strategy. Solid door $160, hinges and door stop $20, door handle $40, casings for both sides of the door $60, installation of door with attributes and casings $170. Multiply our magic number $450 by average 8 doors. Total for trims and doors work and materials costs $4650.

Painting – the easiest stage of construction to calculate is painting. Some companies go extra mile and charge per square foot of wall and ceiling. We recommend calculating labor by square footage of the space and adding cost of materials on top.

Experienced painter charges at least $3 per square foot for his work. Materials are always extra because you may select something from home depot or Benjamin Moore. Do not forget to ask painter for discounts they may have for purchasing paint.

Cabinets – kitchens are not that large in condo units. Popular styles of cabinets installed during renovation are shaker or glossy. To save on cost to renovate 1000 sq ft condo these cabinets are normally made with MDF.

Besides kitchen, there could be walk in closet cabinets, tv unit cabinets and other drawers. Using local manufacturer and installer costs $12 000 – $17 000 for condo upgrade with quartz countertop. We provide service of complete design for kitchen of any size and budget.

Appliances –do you absolutely have to have top line appliances in renovated 1000 sq ft condo or average quality and cost would be just enough? Replacing all appliances would mean purchasing and installing fridge, stove, dishwashers, microwave or exhaust hood, washer and dryer.

Sky is the limit in terms of costs for purchasing new appliances. Some try to cheap out and purchase open box or slightly damaged good that are hard to spot. On average these costs should not go over $10 000 even with top brands.

Additional features – tons of extra features can be added during remodeling process. Fireplaces, heated floors, custom carpentry, smart home system and many more things that are seen in more luxurious condos and lofts.

For the purpose of calculating average project we will put these cost only in luxury feature column and other types of project have 0$ assigned to this step.

Conclusion for Cost to Renovate 1000 sq ft Condo Apartment

As we always say the estimate depends on location and quality of work you want to receive. In this post we discussed average costs for condo remodeling in large city with population of around million people and high competition for similar projects. Smaller cities with less competition and lower prices for real estate might cost lower to renovate as expectations for quality are less.

Partial project obviously have smaller price tags and using our chart you can see what each service costs. Project management fees may be applied on top of all bills.

In comparison of costs with house renovation labor is slightly more expensive due to restrictions from building and limited space. But overall amount is probably lower because there are certain things you do not renovate in condo.

Materials take 60% – 70% of all cost to renovate 1000 sq ft condo, therefore doing this project DIY will not save much money. On top of that we recommend using professionals to save time and achieve desired quality of work. For information on discounted materials and quality contractors in your area please contact Remodel on Point team by email.