Ranges by level
Values excluding VAT, from Belgian professional sources of 2026. The applicable VAT regime changes the final amount appreciably.
| Level of intervention | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|
| Redecoration, paint and floors | roughly 300 to 800 €/m² |
| Medium refurbishment, services and partial insulation | roughly 700 to 1,100 €/m² |
| Major refurbishment, structure and all services | roughly 1,100 to 2,500 €/m² |
| Demolition and rebuild | roughly 1,200 to 2,200 €/m² |
The ranges overlap, and that is the most important fact in the table. Major refurbishment can cost more than demolition and rebuild, which reverses common intuition.
Some sources place major refurbishment between 800 and 1,500 euros per m², others between 1,500 and 2,500. The gap between those bounds exceeds the price of new build at closed shell.
Where the uncertainty comes from
Four unknowns, specific to existing fabric, explain that dispersion. None is resolved without prior investigation of the building.
The actual condition of the structure. It emerges only after strip-out, and a floor or roof structure requiring repair transforms the budget.
The presence of materials requiring treatment. A prior survey is necessary before demolition, and its outcome determines specific disposal routes.
Compliance of installations. Electrics, plumbing and heating in an older building rarely meet current standards, and upgrading them is rarely partial.
Accessibility. An occupied, party-wall or town-centre building imposes slower and costlier methods than a clear site.
None of these unknowns is removed on paper. That is why a contingency higher than on new build is indispensable, and why a refurbishment benchmark is an order of magnitude rather than an estimate.
Demolition and rebuild as an alternative
The trade-off deserves to be posed early, because it changes the whole project. It sets major refurbishment against demolition and rebuild.
Demolition alone sits at roughly 75 to 250 euros per m² depending on the nature of the building. The complete operation, demolition and new build with basic finishes, sits between 1,200 and 2,200 euros per m².
Four advantages argue for this route where the fabric is badly degraded. They concern performance, freedom of plan and control of unknowns.
The VAT regime. Since 2024 the reduced rate of 6 % for demolition and rebuild has become permanent and applicable across Belgium, whereas it was previously limited to certain urban areas. It is subject to strict conditions, notably that the dwelling be the applicant's own and only home and that the applicant live in it.
Energy performance. A new building meets the applicable regulatory level from the outset, without the compromises of insulation applied to irregular existing fabric.
The absence of unknowns. The principal source of uncertainty disappears with the building.
Use value. Heights, grids and layout are no longer constrained by what exists.
Against that, rebuilding takes longer, in the order of twelve to eighteen months against six to twelve for major refurbishment, and requires consent with the periods specific to each region. The additional carrying cost therefore belongs in the comparison.
When refurbishment remains preferable
The trade-off is not automatic, and four situations favour refurbishment. They relate to heritage, planning, taxation and timetable.
The fabric has heritage value or is protected, which rules out demolition.
Planning rules would not permit rebuilding to the same envelope, particularly on massing or siting, which would lose area.
The structure is sound and only services and finishes need renewal.
The conditions for the reduced rate are not met, which removes the principal fiscal advantage.
Refurbishment VAT
A mechanism distinct from that for demolition and rebuild, and often confused with it. It is the reduced rate applying to refurbishment.
Refurbishment works in a dwelling first occupied more than ten years ago may qualify for a reduced rate of 6 % instead of 21 %, under conditions relating notably to the age of the building, its use as a private residence and direct invoicing to the individual. Those conditions are cumulative and checked before the quote is drawn up.
On a hundred-thousand-euro project the gap between the two rates represents fifteen thousand euros. That exceeds most decisions about finishes.
Conditions are covered in the article on VAT on construction. The mandatory invoice wording is also specified there.
What this means for an estimate
Four rules.
Pose the refurbish-or-rebuild trade-off before pricing, because the two routes share neither budget, nor programme, nor tax treatment.
Provide more contingency than on new build. Existing fabric justifies a reserve well above the usual ten to fifteen per cent.
Carry out surveys before the estimate, not after. A prior survey costs little against the uncertainty it removes.
Check eligibility for the reduced rate very early, because it can reverse the economic trade-off.
This article reflects professional practice and tax rules at the date of checking and serves as orientation. It does not constitute tax advice and does not replace assessment of the individual case.