Renovation budget for a 240 m² detached home in Lisbon — am I overthinking this?

[cyclesAndStone]

I’m torn between adding a broad contingency now and paying for more investigation before setting it. The first approach protects the headline budget; the second might identify the real risks, but only where the existing house allows access.

The working figure is €193,700 for a 240 m² detached home in Lisbon. It covers renovation of the kitchen and bathrooms, new flooring and paint, electrical checks and moderate energy improvements, without an extension. Finish choices are not my main worry.

How would you use the survey and contractor visits to narrow the allowance for moisture, concealed pipework and electrical work? I also need to understand who handles permits, what must be ordered early, how the trades should be sequenced and which exclusions could move work outside the quoted scope. Would you size the contingency against the whole project or only the parts that remain inaccessible?

 

[writeTheCedar]

I’d keep the contingency separate from allowances for finishes and unselected items. Before deciding its size, ask for explicit exclusions and assumptions: whether walls or floors will be opened, who makes good after electrical and plumbing work, waste removal, temporary protection, testing, and what happens if moisture is found.

For the survey, prioritise moisture sources, the electrical board and accessible circuits, plumbing routes, and whether any planned openings could become structural work.

 

[nico_linden]

I agree on separating allowances, but I wouldn’t expect surveys to remove most of the risk in an existing house. Access is the key missing fact: can pipework and wiring be inspected now, or only after demolition?

I’d have the likely contractor walk through with the survey findings, then produce a room-by-room sequence and list every item that must be ordered early. Also confirm permit responsibility and timing before fixing the programme. Base the contingency on what remains inaccessible after that exercise, rather than applying one percentage to the entire €193,700.