Trying to figure out what your apartment reno’s going to cost is like asking how long a piece of string is. Your neighbor did theirs last year for one amount, but that tells you absolutely nothing about yours. Gold coast apartment renovation costs are all over the shop, and there’s no calculator that’ll spit out your exact number. What you can do is understand what makes things expensive versus cheap, then work backwards from there.

The Size of the Place

Look, a studio costs less than a three-bedroom. Shocking revelation, I know. But people genuinely forget this – every extra room means more flooring, more walls to paint, more light fittings, more everything. Double the space doesn’t double the cost exactly, but it’s not far off.

What You’re Actually Doing

Slapping on fresh paint and changing taps? That’s pocket money compared to knocking down walls and moving the kitchen. Some people say “renovation” when they mean a bit of decorating. Others mean gutting the place back to concrete. These are not the same thing, not even close.

The Stuff You Pick

Bunnings special or designer showroom? This is where costs go properly mental. You can tile a bathroom for a reasonable amount or you can import handmade tiles from Italy. Both are tiles, both go on walls, but one costs about ten times more. Same goes for literally everything – taps, benchtops, flooring, the lot.

Your Building’s a Nightmare

Houses are easy – tradies rock up whenever. Apartments? Body corporate wants forms filled out in triplicate, you can only work between certain hours, the lift’s tiny so getting materials up takes forever, and Mrs. Chen from 12B complains about every noise. All this faff costs time, and time costs money.

How High Up Are You?

Ground floor? Brilliant, walk everything straight in. Twenty-third floor? Every delivery’s an expedition. Tradies spend half their morning waiting for lifts and lugging stuff down corridors. Some buildings even charge you for using the service lift. It’s ridiculous but it’s reality.

Moving Water and Electricity

Want your kitchen where your bedroom is? Sounds simple until you realize plumbing doesn’t just teleport across apartments. Moving wet areas in apartments is horrendous because you’re tied into the building’s systems. Sometimes body corporate just says no anyway, which solves that problem by creating a different one.

How Old and Dodgy Is It?

Brand new apartment? Usually straightforward. Built in the 70s? Open up walls and it’s like archaeology – asbestos, sketchy wiring, mystery pipes going nowhere. Apartment renovation in older buildings needs a bigger “oh crap” fund because you’ll definitely find something horrifying behind those walls.

Are You Living There?

Moving out during renos means tradies can crack on from early morning and make proper progress. Living there whilst it’s happening? Everything takes twice as long because they can’t make noise before eight, and they’re tiptoeing around your furniture. Slower work means more labor costs.

How Many People Need Paying?

Simple job might just be a painter and maybe a chippy. bathroom renovation? You’re coordinating builders, sparkies, plumbers, tilers, plasterers, cabinetmakers. That’s a lot of hourly rates adding up. Plus someone’s got to manage them all so they’re not standing around waiting for each other.

The Boring Paperwork Stuff

Council permits aren’t free. Body corporate approval might need engineer reports. Complex jobs need certified drawings. None of this is fun, none of it’s cheap, but all of it’s mandatory. Budget for bureaucracy because it adds up faster than you’d think.

Estimating Gold Coast apartment renovation costs means being honest about what you actually want versus what you can afford. Get quotes from multiple people, tell them exactly what you’re planning, and whatever number they give you, mentally add another chunk on top. Something always costs more – materials go up, you find problems, you change your mind about tapware. It’s basically guaranteed.