House renovation cost 2026: where to start and what each repair costs

Renovating a family house in the Czech Republic costs CZK 3,000 – 24,000 per m² of floor area excluding VAT in 2026, depending on scope — from a cosmetic refresh to a complete renovation. A reliable figure, however, comes not from an average price per m² but from adding up the specific repairs the house needs: a new roof covering costs from CZK 1,900/m², facade insulation CZK 1,500 – 2,800/m², a uPVC window CZK 11,000 – 23,000 each and new wiring CZK 700 – 1,800/m². So start with an inspection, list the defects you find, price them from the price list and rank them by urgency. Only then do you know what the renovation will cost and whether the house is worth buying at the asking price.

This article is for the stage before you buy a house or decide on the scope of work: what to check, how to turn defects into money and in what order to deal with them. A complete itemised budget and process for fully renovating a 1970s house is in renovating an old house: budget and process.

What individual repairs cost

Prices for individual parts of a house from our 2026 construction price list, excluding VAT, for Prague and the surrounding area. Unless stated otherwise, these are market ranges including materials.

Part of the house	Item	Price
Roof	new roof covering — metal / tiles	from CZK 1,900 / from CZK 2,300 per m²
Roof	new timber roof frame (gable roof)	CZK 900 – 2,000/m²
Roof	gutters, downpipes and flashing	CZK 450 – 900 per running metre
Roof	insulation between rafters	CZK 600 – 1,200/m²
Facade	EPS / mineral wool insulation incl. render	CZK 1,500 – 2,200 / 2,200 – 2,800 per m²
Facade	facade painting (primer + 2 coats)	CZK 250 – 450/m²
Facade	scaffolding	CZK 100 – 200/m²
Windows	uPVC window incl. fitting	CZK 11,000 – 23,000 each
Services	new electrical wiring	CZK 700 – 1,800 per m² of floor
Services	complete wiring, 120 m² house	CZK 85,000 – 200,000
Services	water and drainage pipework, 120 m² house	CZK 95,000 – 240,000
Heating	gas condensing boiler incl. installation	CZK 80,000 – 150,000
Heating	10 kW heat pump incl. installation	CZK 180,000 – 420,000
Interior	bathroom renovation	CZK 140,000 – 280,000
Interior	new floors incl. laying	CZK 1,100 – 2,500/m²
Interior	painting (per m² of painted surface)	CZK 90 – 200/m²
Rubble	3 m³ skip incl. transport and landfill fee	CZK 4,500 – 7,000

For a rough orientation, use the rates per m² of floor area: cosmetic refresh CZK 3,000 – 7,000/m², medium renovation CZK 8,000 – 14,000/m² and complete renovation of an older house CZK 15,000 – 24,000/m². For houses older than 50 years, the price list recommends adding a 15 – 20% reserve for hidden defects.

Where to start: inspecting the house

The most expensive defects are the ones you do not see on the first visit. Take an expert along and go through the house in this order:

What to check	Warning signs	Who assesses it
Structure	diagonal cracks in walls, cracks above windows, sagging floors or ceilings	structural engineer
Damp	plaster falling off near the floor, salt efflorescence, a musty cellar	building surveyor, moisture measurement
Roof and roof frame	stains on attic ceilings, infested timber, asbestos-cement roofing	carpenter, roofer, structural engineer
Electrical wiring	aluminium conductors, old fuses, no residual-current device and no inspection report	electrical inspector
Water and drainage	galvanised pipes, cast-iron drains, low pressure, rusty water	plumber
Heating and chimney	age of the boiler, no flue inspection	heating engineer, chimney sweep
Windows and doors	draughts, condensation, rotten frames	window fitter or building surveyor

Besides the inspection, ask for the documents: the design documentation, the occupancy approval (kolaudace) or consent to use, inspection reports for wiring, gas and chimneys, and the building's energy performance certificate (PENB). Missing reports are not a defect in themselves, but they signal that nobody has checked the services recently.

Example: pricing a house's defects before purchase

An illustrative 1960s house with 120 m² of floor area, 190 m² of facade, 10 windows and a 140 m² roof. The inspection found asbestos-cement roofing that leaks in places, aluminium wiring, galvanised pipes, a boiler at the end of its life, original windows and an uninsulated facade. The structure and roof frame are sound. Rates come from the price list, excluding VAT.

Finding	Repair and calculation	Price
Leaking roof covering	new tiles 140 m² × from CZK 2,300	from CZK 322k
Gutters and flashing	45 m × CZK 450 – 900	CZK 20 – 41k
Aluminium wiring	complete wiring, 120 m²	CZK 85 – 200k
Galvanised pipes	water and drainage pipework, 120 m²	CZK 95 – 240k
Worn-out boiler	gas condensing boiler	CZK 80 – 150k
Painting after replacing services	470 m² × CZK 90 – 200	CZK 42 – 94k
Rubble removal	3 skips × CZK 4,500 – 7,000	CZK 14 – 21k
Original windows	10 × CZK 11,000 – 23,000	CZK 110 – 230k
Uninsulated facade	EPS 190 m² × CZK 1,500 – 2,200	CZK 285 – 418k
Scaffolding	190 m² × CZK 100 – 200	CZK 19 – 38k
Total		CZK 1.07 – 1.75 million
With a 15 – 20% reserve		CZK 1.23 – 2.10 million

For roof covering the price list gives only a lower limit, so the roof is calculated at CZK 2,300/m² in both totals. Asbestos-cement roofing may only be removed by a licensed specialist company and the price list has no rate for it — have it priced separately. The example leaves out the bathroom, floors and kitchen.

As a cross-check: at the medium-renovation rate of CZK 8,000 – 14,000/m² the same house would come to CZK 0.96 – 1.68 million. The itemised total is of a similar order, but it also shows exactly where the money goes. The sum of necessary repairs is also your strongest argument when negotiating the purchase price.

In what order to tackle the repairs

If the budget does not cover everything at once, split the work into stages so that nothing finished has to be broken open later:

1. Anything that threatens the structure or safety — leaks, structural defects, damp and dangerous wiring. In our example the roof, services, boiler, painting and rubble removal: CZK 0.66 – 1.07 million.
2. The building envelope — windows first, then facade insulation, so that the windows sit in the plane of the insulation. In the example CZK 0.41 – 0.69 million.
3. The interior — bathroom, floors, kitchen. These can safely wait if the services are already new.

Staging has its own cost: according to the price list, one larger job works out cheaper per metre than several small ones, because transport, scaffolding and site setup are paid for each time. When a roof repair is enough and when you need a new roof is covered in roof renovation.

Step-by-step process

1. Documents — design, occupancy approval, inspection reports and the energy certificate.
2. Inspection with an expert — always with a structural engineer if there are cracks or sagging floors.
3. Moisture measurement and probes — with the owner's consent, before you sign the contract.
4. List of defects and pricing — turn each defect into a price-list item and a quantity.
5. Reserve — 15 – 20% for houses older than 50 years.
6. Decision and price negotiation — compare the cost of repairs with the price difference against similar houses in good condition.
7. Building authority — check what you need to notify, especially for changes to load-bearing structures and the appearance of the house.
8. Itemised budget and stage schedule — from a contractor who has seen the house.

Common mistakes

• Buying without a professional inspection — hidden defects are then paid for out of the renovation budget.
• Budgeting from an average price per m² — it ignores that one house needs a roof and another only windows.
• Finishes before services — a new floor or tiling that has to come out a year later because of the pipes.
• Insulating before replacing windows — the windows are then harder and more expensive to connect to the finished facade.
• Forgetting the asbestos — removal by a specialist company changes both the budget and the schedule.
• No reserve — an old house almost always turns out worse once walls and floors are opened.

Checklist before buying

• Has a structural engineer or building surveyor seen the house?
• Do you know what the wiring, water and drainage pipes are made of and how old the heating is?
• Is the roofing asbestos-free and the roof free of leaks?
• Do you have the documentation, inspection reports and energy certificate?
• Have the defects been priced item by item from the price list, with a reserve?
• Do the purchase price and the necessary repairs fit within your budget?

Replacing the wiring is covered in detail in rewiring a flat or house.

Frequently asked questions

How much does renovating a house cost per m²? Depending on scope, excluding VAT: cosmetic refresh CZK 3,000 – 7,000/m², medium renovation CZK 8,000 – 14,000/m² and complete renovation of an older house CZK 15,000 – 24,000 per m² of floor area.

How much does renovating a 120 m² family house cost? In our example of a 1960s house with a new roof covering, services, boiler, windows and insulation it comes to CZK 1.07 – 1.75 million excluding VAT, or CZK 1.23 – 2.10 million with a reserve. A complete renovation costs roughly CZK 1.8 – 2.9 million on the market.

Where should a house renovation start? With an expert inspection and the documents, then a list of defects priced from the price list. Leaks, structure, damp and dangerous services come first; finishes come last.

How much does a new roof on an old house cost? A new roof covering costs from CZK 1,900/m² for metal and from CZK 2,300/m² for tiles, a new roof frame CZK 900 – 2,000/m² and gutters and flashing CZK 450 – 900 per running metre. A 140 m² tiled roof starts at CZK 322,000.

Does renovating in stages pay off? Yes, if you keep the order: structure and services, building envelope, interior. But bear in mind that one large job works out cheaper per metre than several smaller ones.

We inspect and renovate older houses in Prague and Central Bohemia. Get a guide price in the Renovation section of our online calculator; we inspect the house and prepare an itemised budget free of charge.