Renovation Estimator
Renovations that need permitted drawings can be a major undertaking. Market-average rates let you pressure-test scope, sequence, and a buildout budget that fits your school's timeline. Free to use, no account needed.
Renovation categories and planning ranges
Buildout cost is usually quoted per square foot. These are market-average planning bands, not quotes. A real number comes from an architect and a contractor who have walked the building.
- General refresh or improvement: about $25 to $60 per square foot. Paint, flooring, lighting refresh, classroom finish updates.
- Interior reconfiguration: about $60 to $125 per square foot. Add classrooms, move walls, light mechanical and electrical updates.
- School-readiness conversion: about $150 to $400 per square foot. Convert office, retail, flex, church, or community space into a school.
- Major renovation or expansion: about $250 to $500 per square foot. Classroom wing addition, structural work, full systems replacement.
What the estimate covers
- A renovation range for the scope you select, not a single point number
- Scope items you can turn on or off, so exclusions stay visible
- Furniture, fixtures, equipment, and low-voltage planning allowances
- Planning-level review items to raise with your architect and local officials
Why the range matters more than the midpoint
Two buildings with the same square footage can differ by several hundred thousand dollars once sprinklers, fire alarm, accessibility routes, egress, and mechanical systems are counted. Carrying a range into board conversations keeps the contingency visible instead of burying it.
What Space does not decide
SchoolStack Space produces planning-level estimates that help you ask better questions before you commit to a building. It does not determine legal use, zoning, building code outcomes, certificate of occupancy, licensing, insurance, authorizer decisions, or financing.
Treat every number here as a starting range to verify with your architect, your local planning and building departments, the fire marshal, and your authorizer or licensing agency.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to convert an office building into a school?
School-readiness conversions commonly plan at roughly $150 to $400 per square foot, because the work usually reaches egress, restrooms, accessibility routes, fire protection, and mechanical systems rather than finishes alone. The band is wide on purpose. Scope the specific building with an architect before you rely on a number.
What does a light school renovation cost per square foot?
A general refresh covering paint, flooring, lighting, and classroom finishes typically plans at about $25 to $60 per square foot. If the work changes use, occupancy, egress, restrooms, accessibility, or building systems, confirm with your local building department whether permits or code review are triggered.
Does the Renovation Estimator include architect and permit fees?
Soft costs such as architect, engineer, and permit fees are excluded from several of the renovation categories. The estimator shows what each category includes and excludes so you can add the missing lines to your own budget.