How much contingency should I have for a remodel?

No primary source we could verify sets a standard figure. Weigh the age of the house and how much will be opened up, then set your own percentage.

How do I calculate a contingency?

Multiply the contract price by your percentage. $50,000 × 10% is $5,000.

Is the contingency part of the contract?

Usually not. It is your reserve. Spend it only through written change orders you sign before the work starts.

What if I do not use it?

It stays yours. A reserve is not a price; nobody is owed it.

HyreRemodel tools

Remodel contingency calculator

Enter the contract price and the percentage you want to hold in reserve.

A remodel contingency calculator multiplies your contract price by the percentage you choose to hold back. A $50,000 contract with a 10% reserve means $5,000 held back and $55,000 to have available. HyreRemodel sets no percentage for you: we found no primary source that sets one.

Work out your reserve

Arithmetic on your figures. Nothing is stored or emailed.

— Reserve

— Total available

— How to spend it

What this assumed —

Your percentage, your arithmetic.

Worked example

One kitchen, two reserves

At 10%

A $50,000 contract with a 10% reserve: $5,000 held back, $55,000 to have available.

At 20%

The same contract at 20%: $10,000 held back, $60,000 available. Both percentages are example inputs, not recommendations.

Reserve = contract price × your percentage. Total = contract + reserve.

Why the contingency calculator has no recommended percentage

No primary source we could verify sets a standard remodeling contingency. Figures quoted online are opinions, and they rarely say what the house was like. So you set the percentage.

The risk is in the house, not the percentage. What you cannot see before walls and floors open is what a reserve pays for. A newer house with a simple scope carries less of that than an old one being opened up.

Things that argue for a bigger reserve

An older house
Homes built before 1978 can carry lead paint, which changes how paid work is done under the EPA RRP rule.
Opening walls, floors or ceilings
Hidden rot, wiring or plumbing shows up only once they are open.
Moving plumbing or removing walls
A load-bearing wall needs a permit and may need an engineer. See permits and approvals.
Allowances in the bid
An allowance is a placeholder, not a price. See remodeling allowance.

How to use a remodel contingency

A remodel contingency is spent only through written change orders. Each one should state the work, the price and the effect on the schedule, signed before the work starts. See remodeling contracts.

Keep the reserve out of the deposit. What a contractor can ask up front is limited in some states; check the deposit limit checker. When you want a person to read your plan, plan your remodel.

Questions this calculator answers

How much contingency should I have for a remodel?: No primary source we could verify sets a standard figure. Weigh the age of the house and how much will be opened up, then set your own percentage.
How do I calculate a contingency?: Multiply the contract price by your percentage. $50,000 × 10% is $5,000.
Is the contingency part of the contract?: Usually not. It is your reserve. Spend it only through written change orders you sign before the work starts.
What if I do not use it?: It stays yours. A reserve is not a price; nobody is owed it.

Sources and methodology

Figures dated October 22, 2026. Last reviewed August 16, 2026.

Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (US Environmental Protection Agency, retrieved September 5, 2026). Why pre-1978 homes change how paid work is done.

Whole-home budget The figure to set a reserve on.
Remodel loan payment calculator If the reserve is borrowed.
Quote comparison Compare what each bid includes.
What remodeling costs What moves a price.

Plan Your Remodel Back to the home page