Tools - Budget Builder

Renovation Budget Builder

Pick the property size, its condition, the finish level you are targeting, and the areas you plan to improve - and get an organized line-item budget range plus a plain-language scope of work.

Illustrative planning ranges only - not quotes. Actual costs vary by market and contractor, and none of these figures are 1st Private Capital pricing or lending criteria.

01 - The Builder

Describe the project. Watch the budget assemble.

Step 1 - The Property

Rental-grade trims the ranges, premium stretches them.

Step 2 - Planned Improvements
10%

A reserve for what demo uncovers. 10% is a common planning floor.

Step 3 - Your Budget Range
-

Enter the square footage to build the budget.

Line-item renovation budget with low and high illustrative planning ranges
Scope
No line items yet.
Subtotal - -
Contingency (10%) - -
Total budget range - -
Cost per sq ft - -

Enter the square footage and select at least one improvement area to build the budget.

Scope of Work (Generated)
  • The scope of work appears here as you build the budget.

Every figure above is an illustrative planning range from national-average costs - not a quote. Actual costs vary by market, contractor, and what demo uncovers, and none of these figures are 1st Private Capital pricing.

Send to 1st Private Capital
Saved Snapshots

    Snapshots are stored only in this browser, on this device.

    Educational estimate only. Nothing on this page is an offer, quote, rate indication, or underwriting decision. To send results to 1st Private Capital, copy or download them and paste the summary into the Exit strategy / notes field on the Request a Term Sheet form - the form does not import them automatically yet.

    02 - How the Math Works

    No black box. Here is every multiplier.

    The whole calculation runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

    01
    Base ranges per area

    flat range, $/sq ft, per bathroom, or per window

    Each improvement area carries an illustrative national-average cost range: kitchens and HVAC are flat ranges, flooring and paint run per square foot, bathrooms per bathroom, and windows per window (about one window per 150 sq ft, minimum 8).

    02
    Condition multiplier

    light x0.85 | moderate x1.00 | heavy x1.20 | gut x1.45

    Applied to condition-sensitive items - kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, interior paint, electrical, plumbing, and the structural allowance. Worse condition means more demo, more repair, more prep.

    03
    Finish-level multiplier

    rental-grade x0.80 | standard x1.00 | premium x1.45

    Applied to finish-facing items - kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, interior paint, windows, and landscaping. A rental-grade flip and a premium retail flip are different projects with different budgets.

    04
    Size factor on flat items

    under 1,200 sq ft x0.85 | 1,200-2,400 x1.00 | over 2,400 x1.20

    Flat-range items (kitchen, HVAC, landscaping, structural allowance) scale with the size band of the property, since per-square-foot items already scale on their own.

    05
    Contingency and totals

    total = subtotal x (1 + contingency); cost per sq ft = total / sq ft

    The low and high ends are totaled separately, contingency is added to both, and the result is a planning range - not a single false-precision number.

    03 - Why Build the Budget First

    The budget is the deal.

    Before the Offer
    Price the work before you price the property

    The renovation number drives the maximum purchase price, not the other way around. A budget range built before the offer keeps the offer honest.

    Contingency
    Plan the surprise, not just the scope

    Demo always finds something. Building contingency in from the start - instead of discovering it at the end - is the difference between a plan and a hope.

    Scope of Work
    A scope everyone can read

    A plain-language scope of work keeps contractors bidding on the same project and gives a lender a clear picture of where the money goes.

    The renovation budget and scope are part of what 1st Private Capital asks for on every deal. See the Hard Money page - and when the budget is built, the Draw Schedule Builder turns it into construction phases and draws.

    Budget Built?

    Paste your results into the request form and get real terms on the real project.

    Request a Term Sheet