Turnkey renovation

Turnkey renovation in South Africa: what it costs

Updated 4 November 2026

A turnkey renovation in South Africa usually costs about R 7,000 to R 20,000 per m² for a complete remodel, and a full bathroom renovation in Johannesburg can run from R 20,000 to R 250,000. The price depends on the finishes and the size of the project. For a quote for your own house, send a request on BlaBlaPrice and local builders will answer with their offer.

Permits and registration

Planning approval is a legal requirement before building, renovation or extension work in South Africa, and the National Building Regulations require approval for structural changes. Some quick home updates do not need council approval, so ask the builder which group your job falls into. If the job includes building work on a home, check that the builder is registered with the NHBRC, because all builders of homes must be registered.

Season and timing

November is late spring, and summer runs from December to February. Many firms slow down over the December holidays, so a job started in November may wait longer for materials and inspections than one planned for February. Winter, June to August, is often quieter for builders, which can make it easier to fix a start date. Set your deadline with these months in mind and allow a buffer for the holiday slowdown.

How renovation is priced here

Builders in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Gqeberha quote per m² of floor area, per room or as a fixed sum for the whole project. Ask what is included: materials, design work, demolition and waste removal, because a low per-m² figure can leave these out. Use metric units in your request, floor area in m² and wall lengths in metres, so the quotes can be compared directly. Ask also whether the price includes VAT.

What to write in your request

List the site address, the floor area in m², the type of renovation (kitchen, bathroom, whole house or office), the materials you want and whether you need a design project first. Add your deadline and budget. Photos of the current state help builders quote accurately. These details let each builder answer the same job, so you can compare the offers fairly.

On BlaBlaPrice you describe the renovation in your own words in a chat, and a photo of the rooms helps. The AI asks for missing details, then looks through sellers' websites and price lists in South Africa and shows the prices and businesses it found. Builders registered on BlaBlaPrice receive your request and reply in the chat with their price, terms and timing. Your contacts stay hidden until you decide to share them. Start with the request field, or see construction and renovation and turnkey construction.