How Much Does It Cost to Gut a House? [2025 Data]

Cost Factors to Gutting a House 

Factors like the size of your house play a big role in how much it costs to gut a house, but you’ll also need to consider the complexity of your home, the layout, and any age-related issues like lead paint, asbestos, or rotted wood.

Home Size 

Gutting a house to the studs costs roughly $2 to $8 per square foot. For a standard 1,500-square-foot home, you’ll spend between $3,000 and $12,000 to create a clean canvas.

“Before you decide to gut a house, make sure that you know what your goals are,” says Bob Tschudi, an Expert Review Board Member and Raleigh, N.C.-based general contractor. “Gutting is a very extreme action when all you want is a simple change. Talk with your general contractor before deciding to tear everything up.”

Complexity

Gutting bathrooms and kitchens will almost always be more expensive than gutting something simpler, like a bedroom or den, simply because you have to deal with heavy fixtures, complex appliance hookups, and plumbing. Removing everything down to the studs also costs more than simply removing specific parts of a room. 

Age of the Home

If your home is older, getting down to the studs may reveal issues like lead paint and rotting wood that require remediation before you can move forward. While these factors don't necessarily impact demolition costs, they will make your demolition more expensive simply by uncovering hidden costs to be addressed going forward.

Layout and Structural Changes

If your renovation includes structural or layout changes—like knocking down a wall to expand a kitchen or build a walk-in closet—the cost to gut a house will rise. Budget $300 to $1,000 to remove a non-load-bearing wall and $1,200 to $10,000 to remove a load-bearing wall. If the wall is in a multi-level home, the cost will be on the high end of the range.

Labor 

Labor accounts for the majority of the cost to gut a house. A demolition crew costs $40 to $80 per hour. After the demolition, most homeowners need to hire a general contractor to make repairs and rebuild the home, which costs between $50 and $150 per hour.

Location 

It costs more to gut a home in an area with a higher cost of living because contractors charge a higher hourly rate. In cities like New York or San Francisco, you could see costs rise past $100 per hour. Costs can also rise if your home is in an inaccessible location because the crew will need to transport the waste for disposal. 

Permits 

You’ll need to obtain a permit for most demolitions. A building permit costs anywhere from $500 to renovate a single room to $2,000 for a whole-home renovation. The requirements and costs depend on the area and the scope of the project, so check with your local municipality.

Disposal

When you gut a home, you’ll need to remove a lot of old construction materials. A dumpster rental costs around $300 to $500 per week, and you’ll pay around $100 to $800 to haul away each truckload of trash. If there’s hazardous waste (like lead paint or asbestos) costs slightly increase.

Asbestos

If your home was built or renovated before 1980, always assume that asbestos could be present before you take a sledgehammer to a single wall. The average cost for asbestos removal is $2,100. It's also possible that your contractor will decide it's more efficient to safely encapsulate asbestos instead of removing it.

Cost to Gut a House by Project 

Though the average cost to gut a house is between $2 and $8 per square foot, it can cost more to gut rooms with heavy appliances and multiple plumbing fixtures. On the high end, kitchens can reach up to $20 per square foot, while bathrooms go up to $60 per square foot. Here’s a breakdown by the room. 

Cost to Gut a House vs. a Complete Teardown 

Gutting a home is different from tearing down a home as it only impacts the interior. When gutting a home, everything inside is removed down to the studs so you can fully renovate the space. Alternatively, tearing down a home involves demolishing it entirely, including the framing and foundation, so you can build a brand-new home in its place. 

The cost to demolish a house is between $6,000 and $25,000, which is about twice as much as gutting the interior. Expect to pay anywhere from $4 to $17 per square foot.

Cost to Gut a House to the Studs Yourself vs. Hiring a Pro

Only experienced DIYers should approach this project. The big requirement for gutting a house on your own is patience. It could take several times longer to attempt this project than to bring in a local demolition crew to do it for you.

The heavy-duty tools needed for a DIY home gutting will eat into the savings you're getting from not paying someone else to tackle this job. Here are the average costs of the basic tools required to even attempt a house gutting:

If your home has asbestos, this turns from a potential DIY job to an expert-only job that needs to be carefully managed according to all regulations. Hiring a local asbestos removal contractor is a must for safety.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed thousands of real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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