Flat renovation in Prague: what it really costs

Three levels of scope, three completely different prices

When someone mentions "flat renovation", they could mean anything from replacing the flooring to completely demolishing the core. Prices can vary up to fourfold depending on the scope, so it makes sense to clarify the extent of the work first: not the size of the flat.

Rozsah	What is included	Kč/m²
Cosmetic	painting, flooring, doors, minor repairs	3-6 tis.
Partial	bathroom and kitchen, without demolishing load-bearing structures	8-14 tis.
Complete turnkey solution	demolition, new installations, core structure, flooring, kitchen	15-25 tis.

The figures are indicative for a standard Prague apartment. Prices in Prague 1, Prague 2 and heritage zones tend to be 20-40 % higher due to coordination and logistics, while outlying districts are lower - a more detailed breakdown by locality can be found in price map on the homepage.

The price per square metre decreases slightly as the apartment size increases. The kitchen and bathroom incur similar fixed costs regardless of whether the apartment is 45 or 90 m², so this item spreads across a larger area when calculated per square metre. Therefore, a smaller apartment often works out more expensive per m², even if it is cheaper in absolute terms. This is most commonly overlooked when comparing offers for apartments of different sizes.

What is typically included in the price and what is usually not

The price per m² usually includes: demolition of non-load-bearing partitions, new water, waste and electrical installations, plastering, flooring, bathroom core, kitchen unit in standard finish, doors and painting.

Excluded from the price are: Project design and notification or permit where required depending on the scope: the exact scope and cost estimate will be determined by the designer, typically amounting to tens of thousands of Kč. Additionally, premium appliances, non-standard materials such as natural stone or veneers, and any extra work arising after exposing old installations.

Before comparing three offers side by side, verify that they all cover the same scope; otherwise, you are not comparing prices but two different specifications.

What drives the price up the most

• Type of house. A panel building usually has cheaper demolition work but an expensive bathroom core. A brick house without umakart is often cheaper elsewhere but frequently hides old electrical wiring. A listed building adds approval procedures and non-standard materials.
• Intervention in load-bearing structures. Demolishing a load-bearing wall or relocating the core generally requires a project and, depending on the scope, either notification or permission: the exact procedure should be advised by the designer, not estimated visually by the construction company.
• Rozvody. Replacing water, waste and electrical installations behind old plaster is the biggest unknown in the budget, until it is exposed, no one knows exactly what is there.
• Materials and appliances. Premium tiling, built-in appliances and veneered doors are not included in the base price per m².

What most commonly inflates the budget

From the briefs we receive, budgets most often overrun for four reasons:

• Additional work after uncovering: old electrical wiring with aluminium conductors, cracked risers, mould beneath tiles.
• Changes during work, different tiling or moving a partition halfway through the project will cost more than if stated right at the start.
• Missing contingency: the standard reserve for unforeseen items is 10-15% of the budget. Without it, the first unexpected invoice becomes an argument.
• Incomparable quotes, when three companies respond to differently worded specifications, you are comparing apples with pears, and the cheapest quote is often just incomplete.

A cheap offer that does not include waste removal or a new bathroom core is not cheap. It is incomplete.

How to obtain comparable quotes

The simplest way to avoid comparing the incomparable is to get a line-by-line budget straight away, demolition, distribution systems, materials, labour, each item separately. That's exactly how we do it: you fill in a structured brief (type of renovation, layout, location, budget), we arrange a site visit, and within 48 hours you receive a budget where every Kč is accounted for.

Do you live in a panelák? Read this too. What to watch out for in a flat in a prefabricated building and how long a complete renovation takes in weeks.