How Much Does It Cost to Gut a House in 2024?
Highlights
Gutting a house to the studs costs $2,500 to $16,000, or $6,150 on average.
The total price depends on the size of your home, the difficulty of the job, labor, permits, and waste removal.
Gutting a bathroom down to the studs costs $500 to $2,300, and gutting a kitchen costs $500 to $3,000.
A home with many heavy fixtures and materials will cost more to gut due to the weight and difficulty of disposal.
Gutting a house to the studs costs $2,500 to $16,000, or $6,150 on average. Expect to pay $1,000 to $4,500 more if your home contains asbestos. Labor often ranges between $40 and $80 per hour, but contractors typically charge a flat rate that includes labor, disposal fees, and permits.
Average Cost of Gutting a House
| Average Cost | High Cost | Low Cost |
|---|---|---|
| $6,150 | $16,000 | $2,500 |
Cost Factors for Gutting a House
The top factors influencing the price of gutting a house include the size, job difficulty, labor, and additional fees.
Size
The size of your house has the most significant impact on the cost of gutting, which ranges from $2 to $8 per square foot.
| House Size (Square Feet) | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | $2,000–$8,000 |
| 2,000 | $4,000–$16,000 |
| 3,000 | $6,000–$24,000 |
| 4,000 | $8,000–$32,000 |
| 5,000 | $10,000–$40,000 |
Difficulty
Older homes and houses with multiple stories cost more due to the added difficulty of removing materials and supporting the structure. Many older homes also require the removal of hazardous materials, such as asbestos, which adds $1,000 to $4,500 to the total cost.
Labor
The average cost to hire a local home remodeler ranges from $40 to $80 per hour, depending on the size of the team and the job difficulty. After gutting, it’s common to hire a general contractor to make necessary repairs and rebuild the home, which averages between $50 and $150 per hour.
Additional Cost Factors
Gutting a house includes additional costs, such as waste fees ranging from $300 to $500 for a dumpster rental and about $30 to $120 per ton for disposal.
Cost to Gut a House Per Square Foot
The rate for gutting a house equals about $2 to $8 per square foot or $2,800 to $9,800 for a 1,400-square-foot home. About $1 to $5 per square foot covers labor, while the price of a building permit for demolition costs around $200.
Cost to Gut a Bathroom
Gutting a bathroom down to the studs runs around $500 to $2,300, or $15 to $60 per square foot. The price is higher than other aspects because there are many plumbing and electrical fixtures to remove and heavier tiles and backers. The fixtures cost more to dispose of than other materials because they are usually quite heavy.
Cost to Gut a Kitchen
Gutting a kitchen costs about $500 to $3,000, or $5 to $20 per square foot. The majority of the kitchen demo involves removing the cabinets, countertops, and drywall. Waste removal costs may increase if you want to remove the appliances as well.
Budgeting for Gutting a House
To reduce the total cost of gutting a house, follow these budget-friendly tips:
Compare quotes and negotiate with local contractors to find the best deal.
Remove heavy fixtures or waste on your own to reduce labor and disposal fees.
Salvage materials in good condition to use for rebuilding.
Ensure you obtain the necessary permits to avoid fines.
How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data
No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. After a project is complete, we survey real customers about the costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gutting a house removes all the old materials down to the studs and prepares the interior for a complete remodel. The result is a blank canvas that allows you to reimagine the space any way you would like it. This process can also help remove toxic materials, like mold and asbestos, to create a much healthier living space.
A complete gut renovation is usually cheaper than building a house. Demolition of the interior down to the studs and then remodeling costs $100,000 to $200,000. Building a house from the ground up costs anywhere from $155,000 to $400,000 or more. For either project, the size of the house and the quality of the materials dramatically influence the total costs.
The cost of demoing an interior is worthwhile if you want to start your remodel from a clean slate. It is also a great idea if you need to remove materials filled with asbestos or damaged by moisture, smoke, or fire.
Expect to pay around $6,000 to $35,000 to redo a bathroom. Spa-style bathrooms with digital rain showers, jetted tubs, and bidet toilets can easily reach over $50,000. The total depends on the size of the space and the overall quality of materials you choose.
Kitchen renovations cost $4,500 to $50,000 when working in the original layout. Moving load-bearing walls can add over $1,000 each, and high-end appliances can increase the price even more. The kitchen is typically the most expensive room to redo when covering the cost of remodeling multiple rooms.
