Flip analysis
Rehab Cost Estimator
The repair budget every other flip number depends on, built the honest way — a line-item takeoff of the scope of work, category by category, plus a contingency for what no scope catches. The total is the repair-costs figure the 70% rule and flip profit tools ask for.
Scope of work — enter your cost for each category, zero out what doesn't apply
$27/ft² across 1,500 ft² — compare to local rehab rules of thumb as a sanity check
This total is the repair-costs figure to carry into the 70% rule and flip profit tools.
Informational only, not professional advice. This estimates a repair budget from your own line-item costs — it isn't a contractor bid and doesn't know your market's labor and material prices. Get written quotes before you close.
Methodology
A rehab estimate is a takeoff, not a guess: you itemize the work by category — roof, kitchen, baths, systems, and the rest of a standard flip scope — enter a cost for each, and sum to a subtotal. Then you add a contingency, because the scope you can see before demolition is never the whole job (Rocket Mortgage: How much does it cost to renovate a house?). The calculation:
- Scope subtotal = sum of every category cost you enter
- Contingency = subtotal × contingency %
- Estimated rehab budget = subtotal + contingency
- Cost per square foot = budget ÷ square footage (a sanity check, if you enter square footage)
The contingency is the part most first-time estimators skip and most experienced ones insist on — a 10–20% cushion for overruns, failed inspections, and material price moves is standard, set higher for older or structurally uncertain homes. The cost-per-square-foot figure is an output to check against local norms, never a shortcut to replace the line items.
Assumptions and limitations
- Every category cost is your estimate. This is a planning and screening tool — it doesn't price your local labor or materials and is no substitute for written contractor bids before closing.
- The default category amounts are illustrative starting points, not quoted prices. Real costs vary widely by market, home age, and finish level.
- Repair budget only — holding costs, financing, and selling costs are excluded by design. They belong in the flip profit calculator, so nothing is double-counted.
- The $/ft² figure is a rough sanity check against local rules of thumb, which themselves vary widely; a total far outside them is a prompt to re-examine the scope, not proof it's wrong.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much contingency should I add to a rehab budget?
A 10–20% contingency on top of your itemized scope is standard practice, and the deeper the project the higher you should set it. Cosmetic flips with a known scope can sit near 10%; older homes, structural work, or anything where you can't see behind the walls until demolition warrant 15–20% or more. The contingency isn't padding — it's the line that absorbs the failed inspection, the rotted subfloor, and the price of materials moving between bid and purchase. Estimators who skip it don't spend less; they just discover the overrun after they've already committed to the deal.
What's a realistic cost per square foot for a flip rehab?
It varies enormously by market, age of home, and depth of work — a light cosmetic refresh might run $15–40/ft² while a full gut with new systems can exceed $100/ft². That's exactly why this tool builds the number from a line-item scope rather than a single per-foot rate: the $/ft² figure it shows is an output to sanity-check against what contractors quote in your area, not an input to trust blindly. If your itemized total implies a cost per foot far outside local norms, that's a signal to re-examine the scope, not to override it.
Should I get contractor bids before trusting this estimate?
Yes — this estimator is a planning and screening tool, not a substitute for real quotes. Use it to decide whether a deal is worth pursuing and to structure your offer, then get written bids from licensed contractors before you close. Line-item estimates from photos or a walkthrough routinely miss what only shows up once walls are open, and bids from the people who'll actually do the work are the only figures you should hand to a lender or build a final budget on.
Does the estimate include holding and financing costs?
No — this is the repair budget only: the hard cost of the construction and materials. Holding costs (loan interest, taxes, insurance, utilities while you own the property) and selling costs are separate, and they belong in the flip profit calculator, not here. Keeping rehab cost isolated is deliberate: it's the number that feeds the 70% rule's maximum-offer formula and the repair-costs line of a full flip projection, and mixing carrying costs into it would double-count them downstream.
Related tools
The flipper's maximum offer — after-repair value × 70% minus repair costs — with the rule percentage yours to adjust for your market.
Open tool →Flip Profit CalculatorThe full accounting of a flip — purchase, rehab, holding, and selling costs against the expected sale price, with projected profit and return on cost.
Open tool →ARV CalculatorAfter-repair value from comparable sales — each comp's price per square foot, averaged and applied to your square footage, with every step shown.
Open tool →BRRRR CalculatorBuy, rehab, rent, refinance — how much of your capital the cash-out refinance pulls back out, the rental cash flow after the new loan, equity, and cash-on-cash.
Open tool →