A general or whole-home renovation is less a single project than a bundle of them. That makes the published range wide by construction, and it makes the label on the permit a poor guide to what was actually built.
What the permit filings show
Based on 12,953 residential building-permit filings. The median whole-home renovation valuation runs from $30,000 in San Francisco to $125,000 in Chicago, about 4.2× the cheapest city. Within a city the spread matters too: the middle half of San Francisco filings spans 467% of its median, versus 170% in Los Angeles.
CityTypical range (P25–P75)MedianFilings
San Francisco$10,000 – $150,000$30,000305
Austin$15,000 – $100,000$35,000519
Los Angeles$12,000 – $80,000$40,000656
Seattle$28,872 – $165,000$75,0004,465
New York$40,000 – $221,625$99,9974,471
Chicago$50,000 – $315,000$125,0002,537
Filings are declared valuations from each city's open permit dataset, limited to residential records classified as whole-home renovation work and valued between $1,000 and $2,000,000. A city is listed only when at least 30 filings qualify. Full methodology. Data refreshed September 2026.
Why whole-home ranges are so wide
One filing might cover repainting and flooring across a small apartment; another might cover structural changes, new services and multiple rooms. Both may be classified as a general remodel, which is why the interquartile spread here is among the widest on the site.
Because scope varies so much, this range is most useful as a sanity check on the order of magnitude, not as a benchmark for a specific budget. Break your project into rooms and trades and compare those against the narrower guides for kitchens, bathrooms and building systems.
Phasing and permits
Large renovations are often permitted in phases, so a valuation may reflect only part of the eventual spend. If you plan to stage work over time, ask your contractor which phase each permit covers and how inspections will be sequenced.
Controlling a large budget
Insist on a room-by-room schedule of works with separate allowances for structure, services and finishes. Tie payments to completed milestones, and agree in writing how change orders are priced. On large jobs, the change-order process usually determines the final cost more than the original quote does.
Use your quote to test the range
What this project can cover
A whole-home renovation can combine several trades, rooms, finishes, structural changes, and building-system upgrades under one project.
What may sit outside it
Large projects vary especially widely because declared scope may include only one phase, while temporary housing and furnishings are usually outside the permit valuation.
Checks before you accept a quote
Request a room-by-room schedule of works.
Identify structural, electrical, plumbing, and finish allowances separately.
Tie payments to completed milestones rather than calendar dates.