The listing says cosmetic. The builder says otherwise.
Estate agents have a gift for language. A property that needs rewiring, a new roof and a kitchen becomes one that needs a little love. This tool turns the vague promise of cosmetic work into a real number: renovation cost, contingency, and total project budget, country by country across Spain, Italy, France and Portugal.
A light refresh on an older property still runs €61,525, about a quarter of the €250,000 asking price. Use that as a negotiating anchor, and get three quotes before you commit.
The real cost of the work, before you fall for the photos.
Not a feature tour. Here is what you take from it, whether the property is a project or a straight choice between two listings.
Property price, renovation, project management and a contingency buffer, added into one number you can actually plan around.
The renovation figure shown as a share of the asking price, so you know whether to offer, to push back, or to walk.
- Costs broken down by area: kitchen, bathroom, roof, wiring, windows and more, each priced separately
- Country-specific rates, because a renovation in rural Portugal does not cost the same as one in central France
- A contingency buffer baked in, the line every optimist forgets and every veteran insists on
- A plain read on your number, from a light refresh to the point where building new makes more sense
Budget for the renovation you can see. Then budget again for the one you cannot.
The Property Drop · Buyer Intelligence
Buying a project
You already know it needs work. What you need is the number before you fall in love. This turns some updating into a budget you can hold an agent to.
Weighing two properties
One is cheaper but rough. One is dearer but done. This shows the all-in cost of each, so the bargain is judged on the finished total, not the asking price.
Maintained, not left to go stale.
This is not a static calculator frozen at the day it was built. The country cost ranges behind it are reviewed and updated in line with current building and labour costs across Spain, Italy, France and Portugal, so the figures you work from reflect the market as it stands. Every change is logged in one place, so you can always see what was updated and when.
One subscription. The whole buyer toolkit.
The Renovation Budget Planner comes with Full Access, alongside the rest of the kit: curated property listings, the Buyer Playbooks, all nine buying tools, the four Vetting editions, and ongoing regulation updates.
The Property Drop does not act as an estate agent, intermediary, or advisor in any transaction and does not facilitate introductions, negotiations, or transactions. Cost estimates are illustrative averages based on the figures you enter. Always get multiple quotes from local professionals before committing to a budget.
Price the work. Before you price the offer.
Turn needs some updating into a real budget across Spain, Italy,
France and Portugal, contingency and all.