Renovation budget for an 860 sq ft detached home in Seattle

[garden.careful]

$262,000 is the working budget for renovating an 860 sq ft detached house in Seattle, and I’m trying to decide how much of that must remain uncommitted. The plan covers the kitchen and bathrooms, new floors and paint, electrical inspection and some energy-efficiency work, but no addition.

If permits, exploratory openings and contractor exclusions can clarify the concealed work before signing, I would rather build the budget around that firmer scope. If plumbing access, moisture or wiring still cannot be assessed, I need a larger reserve. What would you ask contractors to price separately, and when in the permit process would you expect those uncertainties to become clearer?

 

[teaAndCairn]

For that mix of work, I’d be uncomfortable with less than a 15% contingency and would lean toward 20% until the walls and floors are better understood. Ask each contractor to list exclusions explicitly: panel or service changes, rewiring beyond visible defects, plumbing behind cabinets, subfloor repairs, moisture remediation, permit costs and return visits. Also ask which assumptions could change after demolition and who pays for delays caused by long-lead materials.

 

[miro_titles]

I wouldn’t choose the percentage yet. Is the house occupied, and has anyone done limited exploratory openings around the bathrooms, kitchen plumbing and any visible moisture areas? A larger reserve does not fix a vague scope. I’d first separate known work, allowances and genuinely unknown conditions, then set contingency against the last category.

 

[solid_canvas]

Emma’s distinction is useful, though I’d still keep a general reserve because discoveries can affect several trades at once. Before pricing is finalized, have bidders provide a proposed sequence and identify the decisions needed before demolition. Confirm plumbing access, electrical assumptions, moisture-related repairs, permit timing and material lead times in writing. Then compare bids by exclusions and sequencing—not only the total—and avoid ordering finish items until concealed-work requirements are clearer.