How much contingency for an €174k renovation of an 85 m² coastal home near Rome?

[travelsAndGrove]

I can either apply a simple reserve to the whole budget or build allowances around the uncertain packages, and neither approach feels sufficient on its own. The working figure is €174,000 for an 85 m² coastal home in Rome, covering a new kitchen and bathrooms, replacement floors, decorating, an electrical review and some energy-efficiency work. There is no extension.

The larger risks seem to be concealed damp, awkward service routes and remedial work discovered once finishes come off. I also need to understand whether “electrical” means testing only or includes repairs and replacement runs. What investigations would you request before tender, and which access, making-good and delay costs should contractors list as inclusions or exclusions? Material ordering and permit timing could affect the sequence too.

 

[AmberPost]

I’d be uncomfortable with less than a 15% contingency until the moisture, plumbing routes and electrical scope are clearer. “Electrical checks” is especially open-ended: does the price cover inspection only, identified repairs, or replacement of runs that fail inspection?

Ask each contractor for a written exclusions list, assumptions about wall and floor openings, and who pays for making good after plumbing or electrical access.

 

[travelsAndGrove]

That distinction on electrical work is useful. The current figure appears to treat it mainly as inspection plus limited remedial work, so I need the cost plan to define the boundary. Would you hold the contingency outside the contractor’s quoted sum, or assign separate allowances for electrical, moisture and plumbing before keeping a smaller general reserve?

 

[MellowRadar]

Separate allowances will make the uncertainty visible, but they are not a substitute for a general reserve. Moisture can cross several packages at once: removing flooring may expose a problem that affects plaster, joinery, drying time and the installation sequence.

I’d ask the surveyor to map visible moisture signs and likely water-entry points, then ask how much can be investigated before work begins without causing unnecessary damage.

 

[teaAndOak]

€174,000 is only a useful basis for the reserve if the underlying scope is firm. A detailed cost plan and a quote full of provisional sums may share the same total while carrying very different risk.

Put the bids side by side and check demolition, waste removal, protection, access openings, drying, reinstatement, testing and permit-related delay. For example, if an electrician’s price excludes repairing walls after new cable runs, that cost needs a named allowance rather than being left to consume the general contingency.

 

[romy.oak]

Sequencing deserves its own contractor meeting. Get them to explain what must be opened first, when plumbing and electrical decisions become irreversible, and which materials must be ordered before hidden conditions are known. Also ask whether permit timing could prevent any package from starting as scheduled; the answer will depend on the actual works and local handling, so it should be confirmed for this property rather than assumed.

 

[AmberPost]

I’d keep the final reserve under Maria’s control rather than showing it as money available to spend. First convert the obvious unknowns into named allowances, as she suggests, then retain a separate contingency for discoveries and knock-on work.

One more contractor question: if moisture or concealed services stop progress, which trades can continue elsewhere and which will stand idle? That answer often reveals whether the programme is genuinely sequenced or just a list of optimistic dates.