How much does an apartment renovation cost in Melbourne? (2026)
Quick answer: An apartment renovation in Melbourne runs the same base ranges as any renovation, kitchen $25,000 to $55,000, bathroom $18,000 to $40,000. What actually pushes the final number and the timeline is body corporate approval, lift bookings and building access rules, not the size of the apartment itself.
Why an apartment renovation isn't priced like a house renovation
A kitchen doesn't cost more to build inside an apartment than inside a house. What costs more is everything around it, getting cabinetry and appliances up in a lift instead of through a front door, removing waste through common property instead of a driveway, working inside hours the building sets rather than the ones a renovator would otherwise keep.
None of that shows up on a bathroom or kitchen price list. It shows up in labour time and approval time, and it's worth pricing properly before a number is fixed, not discovered once the job's already booked in.
Body corporate approval: what it actually involves
Most owners corporations want a written renovation notice before anything more than a cosmetic refresh starts, and plenty hold a bond against damage to common property, lifts, corridors, stairwells, for the length of the job. Approval can take two to eight weeks depending on the building and how much of the scope touches shared structure or services.
Submit early. A renovation that's ready to start the day approval lands moves straight into the build, one that isn't sits waiting on paperwork it could have lodged weeks earlier.
Getting materials in and waste out
A skip bin parked in the driveway isn't an option most apartment jobs get. Materials go up the goods lift if the building has one, booked in advance around other residents and the building manager's own schedule, and waste comes down the same way. Buildings without a goods lift sometimes need after-hours lift hire or a crane for larger deliveries, both real line items on the quote.
This is the single most common thing an apartment renovation quote gets wrong when it's priced without a proper site visit. A phone estimate can't see what the loading dock and lift booking system actually allow.
Working hours and noise rules the building sets, not the renovator
Most owners corporations set their own hours for noisy work, commonly 8am to 5pm on weekdays, tighter than the hours a renovator might otherwise keep. Demolition, tiling and anything with a hammer drill usually has to sit inside that specific window, which stretches jobs that would run faster in a standalone house. Check the building's by-laws before a start date is set, every building's rules are slightly different.
What you can and can't change
Load-bearing walls and shared plumbing stacks run between units, not just through yours. A structural engineer's assessment and body corporate sign-off both have to happen before a wall comes out or a stack gets moved, because the floors above and below are affected too, not just the apartment being renovated.
This is worth confirming at the site visit, before a layout is drawn up around a change that turns out not to be possible. Cosmetic changes, cabinetry, benchtops, tiling, flooring, don't carry the same restriction.
What an apartment kitchen and bathroom renovation costs
The base ranges don't change inside an apartment. A kitchen renovation runs $25,000 to $55,000, a bathroom $18,000 to $40,000, kitchen and bathroom combined from $40,000. See the full kitchen cost breakdown and bathroom cost breakdown for the tier-by-tier detail.
What moves an apartment job toward the top of those ranges is almost always access and approval time, lift bookings, after-hours hire, a longer body corporate process, not a more expensive kitchen. Get those factors priced at the site visit, not assumed away.
A strata building is where subcontractor juggling costs the most
Coordinating separate trades is a headache in a house. In a building with one lift, a booking system and a building manager to answer to, it's worse, because every trade needs its own access window, not just its own schedule. When the tiler and the plumber don't talk to each other in a house, the delay lands on a calendar. In an apartment, it lands on a lift booking that doesn't come around again for a week. One crew handling every trade removes that failure point, not by working faster, but by not needing five separate access bookings for five separate subcontractors.
Worth knowing
If your building's by-laws ban the specific work you're planning outright, no owners corporation will approve it regardless of who's holding the tools. Check the by-laws and get a straight answer from the building manager before booking a site visit, it can save weeks of a quote process that was never going to get approval.
Common questions
How much does an apartment renovation cost in Melbourne?
The base ranges are the same as any Melbourne renovation, a kitchen runs $25,000 to $55,000, a bathroom $18,000 to $40,000, kitchen and bathroom combined from $40,000. What changes in an apartment is what sits outside those ranges, body corporate approval, lift bookings and after-hours access can add real cost on top of the room itself.
Do I need body corporate approval to renovate my apartment?
Almost always, yes, for anything beyond a cosmetic refresh. Most owners corporations require a written renovation notice or formal approval before work starts, and some hold a bond against damage to common property. Submit early, approval can take two to eight weeks depending on the building and the scope.
Does an apartment renovation cost more than a house renovation?
Often, yes, for the same size job. Lift bookings, loading dock access, waste removal through common property and restricted working hours all add labour time a house renovation doesn't carry. The kitchen or bathroom itself doesn't get more expensive, getting materials in and waste out does.
How do tradies get materials in and waste out of an apartment building?
Through the building's goods lift, if it has one, booked in advance around other residents and the building manager's schedule. Larger deliveries sometimes need a crane or after-hours lift hire where a goods lift doesn't exist. Waste removal follows the same path in reverse, which is why skip bins parked in a driveway aren't an option most apartment jobs get.
What hours can renovation work happen in an apartment building?
Most owners corporations set their own hours for noisy work, commonly 8am to 5pm on weekdays, tighter than gutted.'s general business hours because it's the building's rule, not the renovator's. Demolition, tiling and anything with a hammer drill usually falls inside that window specifically. Check your building's by-laws before a start date is set, they vary building to building.
Can I renovate a load-bearing wall in an apartment?
Sometimes, but it needs a structural engineer's assessment and body corporate sign-off before anything is quoted as fixed. Shared structure and plumbing stacks between units mean changes have to be checked against the floors above and below, not just your own apartment. This is worth confirming at the site visit, before a layout is finalised.
How long does an apartment renovation take in Melbourne?
A kitchen or bathroom renovation typically runs the same build time as a house, several weeks depending on scope, but body corporate approval adds two to eight weeks on the front end that a house renovation doesn't need. Factor that into a start date, not just the build itself.
Can I live in my apartment during the renovation?
For a single-room renovation, often yes, though a kitchen renovation removes cooking facilities for the length of the job. Noise and restricted hours mean the disruption is more visible to neighbours than in a standalone house. A written timeline should say exactly which weeks the noisy work happens, useful for giving neighbours notice too.
Renovating a tight apartment kitchen specifically? See our small kitchen renovation ideas guide. Weighing up the full scope of a renovation across every room? Check the full home renovation cost breakdown. See completed work on our work page. Every gutted. quote follows a real site visit and a real BPC registration check, never a phone estimate. Check your specific by-laws and approval process with your owners corporation or Consumer Affairs Victoria.