2026 price guide
What a renovation costs in Belgium depends on the home, the scope and the finishes — but there is an honest range to give per category. Below you’ll find indicative prices per m², three fully worked examples, an overview of the regional grants and the VAT rules. For a budget tailored to your own home, run the free wizard.
Figures last verified in May 2026. Sources: Livios, Bobex, Homedeal, Bouwkroniek, Embuild, ABEX index — see methodology.
Independent · no leads · no commissionIf you search online for renovation costs, you usually get one of two things: a non-binding price calculator that shows a total in 30 seconds without explaining what it’s made of, or a generic article saying “budget €1,000 to €2,000 per m²” without context. Neither leaves you much wiser than when you started.
We believe a renovation budget only becomes useful when you understand, category by category, what you’re paying for, why the price sits there, and which choices drive the total. That’s what this page tries to do: ranges grounded in public Belgian sources (Livios, Bobex, Homedeal, Bouwkroniek, Embuild), context for every range, and three fully worked examples so you can place your own project somewhere on the scale.
If you then want your own figures — tailored to the home, the year of construction, the scope and the region — the wizard takes around five minutes. It’s free, requires no account, and ends on a total with a precision range plus an honest per-category breakdown.
No two renovations are identical: the same home can vary by €30,000 depending on finishes, contractor choice and the season the work is done. An honest price estimate is therefore always a range of roughly ±15 to 25%. Construction prices also shift with the ABEX index — since 2022 they have risen by more than 15% due to materials and labour. We update our indicative prices at least twice a year against fresh market data.
Ten major categories together make up the vast bulk of a renovation budget. For each category, you’ll find an indicative price (€/m² or fixed) plus the main choice levers that steer the final cost.
€10 – €45 / m²
Removing interior walls runs about €30/m², exterior walls about €45/m². Floor removal depends on age: older floors (>30 years) cost more than recent ones. Asbestos present? Add €45-75/m² for removal by a certified company, and factor in the mandatory asbestos inventory on sale in Flanders.
€85 – €220 / m²
New interior walls cost around €85/m². Exterior walls vary by material: plaster around €180/m², facing brick around €220/m². Adding internal or external façade insulation costs €150-€180/m² on top. Damp-proofing (injection against rising damp) runs about €80 per running metre.
€170 – €310 / m²
Renewing a pitched roof (structure + roof covering) sits around €205/m², a flat roof around €175/m². Insulation adds €50-€60/m² and is almost always the first investment that pays back — both through comfort and through your energy label. A dormer or large roof windows? Add €8,000 to €11,000 per element.
€600 – €1,300 / m² of glazing
Belgian market rates for HR++ double glazing with full fitting: PVC from €600/m², wood around €900/m², aluminium around €1,080/m² and wood-aluminium (premium) around €1,320/m². A large sliding patio door adds a fixed €1,500-€2,000. Triple glazing costs about 10-15% more than HR++ — relevant for a high-energy target.
€30 – €85 / m²
Three tiers: a basic upgrade (fuse box + inspection + minor work) around €30/m², full rewiring around €55/m², and a complete renewal including chasing and refinishing around €85/m². A standalone AREI/RGIE inspection alone is €125-€175. Solar PV (5 kWp) around €6,500 all-in; a 10 kWh home battery around €7,000.
€5,000 – €8,500 unit + €35-€65 / m² emission
A new condensing gas boiler costs around €5,000 installed. An air-to-water heat pump averages €8,500 — more for a ground-source system, less for a simple installation. Underfloor heating adds €65/m², classic radiators €35/m². A System D ventilation unit (heat recovery) runs about €6,000.
€7,500 – €20,000 per bathroom
Budget level: new fixtures (shower, basin, toilet, simple vanity) including fitting around €7,500. Standard level (quality taps and tiles) around €10,500. Luxury level (walk-in shower, designer taps, premium tiles) sits at €15,000-€20,000. Tiling and plastering are already included; the price excludes any extension or structural changes.
€8,000 – €30,000
A budget kitchen (IKEA-level with basic appliances) starts around €8,000 all-in. A mid-range mainstream kitchen sits at €15,000. A premium kitchen with designer appliances, made-to-measure fronts and stone worktop can climb to €30,000 or more. Fitting and connections included; relocating plumbing or walls excluded.
€30 – €130 / m²
Wall and ceiling plastering runs around €30-€35/m². Interior painting around €15-€20/m² for a basic finish. Floor tiles €55-€130/m² depending on choice; wooden parquet €50-€120/m²; poured floor around €100/m². Interior doors €350-€900 each; a new interior staircase around €4,000.
€30 – €180 / m²
A driveway runs from €38/m² (gravel) to €160/m² (cobbles). A terrace ranges from €60/m² (concrete tiles) to €170/m² (hardwood). Garden walls €70-€320/running metre depending on material. A simple garden shed around €200/m²; a carport €240-€600/m². Note: outdoor works always fall under 21% VAT, even if the home qualifies for the 6% renovation rate.
Amounts are indicative prices in EUR excluding VAT, for execution by a general contractor in 2026. They assume a home older than 10 years that qualifies for the 6% reduced VAT rate — see the VAT section below. Grants come off after that.
A per-category range is useful, but you only get a feel for the total once you add it up for a real project. Three scenarios, all VAT inclusive and with a precision range:
140 m², Leuven · general contractor
€180,000 – €230,000 VAT incl.
A typical Flemish 1960s terraced house taken on entirely: single glazing out, roof and walls insulated, oil boiler replaced with a heat pump, full new wiring with inspection, bathroom and kitchen renewed, floors and plastering done from scratch. Result: new-build comfort, energy label from F to B. Flemish grants can knock €15,000 off the gross.
180 m², Antwerp · contractor + DIY paintwork
€75,000 – €110,000 VAT incl.
A home that is structurally fine but energetically lagging. Scope: insulate the roof, replace windows, swap the gas boiler for a heat pump, System D ventilation, light finishes. No bathroom or kitchen renewal. A realistic scenario to move the label from D to B without gutting the place. Grants typically bring this total down by €8,000-€12,000.
90 m², Brussels · general contractor
€40,000 – €65,000 VAT incl.
For someone buying an apartment who wants to tackle the three main categories without structural changes. New kitchen (mid-range), new bathroom (basic), windows replaced where possible (subject to the co-ownership). No full electrics, no floors across the whole surface. Brussels Renolution grants can add €3,000-€6,000.
Example amounts are indicative and assume execution by a general contractor, VAT at 6% where applicable, excluding architect and EPB-reporter fees. Grants are estimated on the basis of the average income bracket.
Belgium has three separate grant systems. The relevant counter depends on where the home is located, not where you live. For most energy upgrades, the roof, windows, heat pump and ventilation are the main categories that qualify. The exact amount varies with the income bracket and with the combination of works in a single application.
Mijn VerbouwPremie of the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency (VEKA) bundles the energy grants under a single application. Amounts scale with the income bracket and with the number of categories applied for at once. For a full renovation, a middle-income total grant easily reaches €10,000-€15,000.
Mijn VerbouwPremieRenolution has been the bundled grant application for the Brussels region since 2022. Three income brackets, grants for insulation, windows, heat pumps, ventilation and solar PV. For energy upgrades, the Brussels per-intervention amounts are typically higher than in Flanders, but less cumulative.
RenolutionPrimes Habitation of the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW Énergie) — administratively simplified since 2024, with a mandatory audit pathway for full renovations. Grants are income-dependent and vary strongly per intervention. For a semi-detached with roof insulation + heat pump, the total grant reaches €8,000-€12,000.
Primes HabitationFor homes older than ten years, Belgium applies a reduced VAT rate of 6% on renovation works — a significant advantage versus the standard 21% rate. The conditions: the home must be primarily privately occupied, the work must be done by a registered contractor, and the contractor invoices the end user directly (no subcontracting routing through another company).
Outdoor works, garden landscaping and standalone deliveries always fall under 21% VAT, even when the rest of the renovation invoices at 6%. Worth knowing when comparing quotes: a 21% invoice on a garden job is correct, not a mistake. The DomiReno wizard splits both VAT rates on the result screen so you see it correctly.
Construction prices vary across Belgium: urban clusters (Antwerp-Ghent-Leuven-Mechelen) and the Brussels region typically run 2-5% above the rest of Flanders because of labour costs, traffic and parking logistics. Wallonia often sits slightly lower, except in urban areas around Liège and Charleroi. The DomiReno wizard applies this regional factor automatically based on the postcode.
An honest renovation price names not only what’s in, but also what falls outside. Plan for the following items separately in your total project budget:
Our indicative prices come from a mixed set of public Belgian sources: Livios price guides, Bobex market reports, Homedeal project examples, Bouwkroniek analyses, Embuild benchmarks, and the ABEX index for annual reindexing. Every change in our internal price database is dated and traceable; the figures were last verified in May 2026. We’re not a contractor, broker or commission-based comparison platform — our only goal is for the price we show to sit closer to your real quote than a rough estimate.
Want to dive deeper into one topic? Our guides walk you through it step by step — from setting your budget to applying for grants.
Five steps to move from scattered wishes to a budget that doesn't derail along the way.
How Belgian grants work, by region, and how to avoid missing one.
The structurally logical order of a renovation — and why the wrong order makes you pay twice.
The items that fall outside the construction cost — and together easily add thousands to your budget.
The questions we get most often by email and in conversations with homeowners. A broader FAQ lives on our dedicated FAQ page.
For an average 140 m² Flemish terraced house renovated end to end — insulation, windows, heating, electrics, bathroom, kitchen, finishes — realistically budget €180,000 to €230,000 VAT 6% included. The wide range comes from finishes (basic vs luxury) and execution (everything via contractor vs partially DIY). Grants can bring €10,000 to €15,000 off the gross.
Adding insulation alone to an existing roof (from the inside, keeping the existing covering) runs around €50 to €60 per m². If you also replace the roof covering — for example because tiles are old or asbestos is present — budget €170 to €310 per m² all-in. A roof insulation investment pays back on average over 8 to 12 years through energy savings, plus any regional grants.
A budget bathroom (shower, toilet, basin, simple vanity, basic tiles, installation included) sits around €7,500. A solid mid-range bathroom is around €10,500. A premium bathroom with walk-in shower, designer taps, premium tiles and stone surface lands at €15,000-€20,000. These amounts include plastering and tiling but not extensions or relocating plumbing.
It depends on the region, your income bracket and which works you combine. In Flanders, Mijn VerbouwPremie for a full middle-income renovation reaches €10,000-€15,000. In Brussels, Renolution grants sit at comparable levels. In Wallonia, Primes Habitation requires an audit pathway for full renovations and grants are income-dependent. The DomiReno wizard gives its own estimate per intervention, with a separate indication per region.
For works on homes older than ten years, the reduced 6% rate applies — only when the contractor invoices the end user directly and the home is primarily private. For new builds and homes under ten years, the rate is 21%. Outdoor works (garden, driveway, terrace separate from the home) always fall under 21%, even within a 6% renovation regime.
An architect is mandatory for structural interventions, façade changes, volume extensions, or any planning permission application. For purely interior renovations without structural change, they are not mandatory. Ask your municipality what falls under planning permission — it varies by city. Architect fees typically lie between 8 and 15% of the construction cost.
A light renovation (painting, windows, soft finishes) can come in at €400-€700 per m². A heavy renovation without structural changes typically sits between €1,000 and €1,500 per m². A full renovation with insulation, energy upgrade and complete interior overhaul runs €1,500-€2,000 per m². A full renovation to near-new-build standard can climb to €2,500 per m² or more. Bulk per-m² rules of thumb are of limited use — only when you calculate per category do you get realistic figures.
An honest upfront estimate sits within a ±15 to 25% margin. The variables: contractor choice, seasonal effects, material price swings, and surprises behind walls or in the ground. We recommend setting aside 10% as a buffer. Our own figures are calibrated against public sources and feedback from homeowners — no indicative estimate replaces a final contractor quote, but a good estimate does prevent surprises.
Per-category ranges are useful, but you only get a real budget once you fill them in for your home. Run the free wizard — five minutes, no account needed — and get a total with precision range plus a per-category breakdown.