Builder Pricing Guide

How much does a builder charge in 2026?

Hourly rates by region, common job prices, what drives the cost, and how to write a building quote that wins.

The short answer

Builders typically charge $50 to $120 per hour

$1,500 to $80,000+ per job depending on scope. Here is what tradies actually charge in 2026 and how the price gets built.

Builders typically charge between $50 and $120 per hour in the US for labour, with materials priced separately. Small jobs like a garden wall or repair work run $1,500 to $8,000. Mid-size projects like a room extension or kitchen renovation run $20,000 to $60,000. Larger work like a second-storey addition or new-build extension can run $80,000+. Pricing depends on scope, materials, site access, permits, and how much of the work is subcontracted.

Hourly rates

Builders hourly rates by region (2026)

Standard daytime rates across the major markets. Metro areas typically command a 20-30% premium. After-hours work is 1.5x to 2x.

Region	Hourly rate	Notes
United States	$50 - $150/hr	Licensed general contractors in metro areas at the top
United Kingdom	£35 - £90/hr	London Federation of Master Builders rates at the top
Australia	$75 - $150/hr	Master Builders Association rates highest
South Africa	R250 - R700/hr	NHBRC registered builders above this range
Canada	C$55 - C$130/hr	Licensed contractors in major metros
New Zealand	$70 - $145/hr	Auckland and Wellington at the top
Ireland	€40 - €115/hr	Dublin commands a premium
India	₹1750 - ₹5400/hr	Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore at the top

United States

Hourly rate$50 - $150/hr

Notes

Licensed general contractors in metro areas at the top

United Kingdom

Hourly rate£35 - £90/hr

Notes

London Federation of Master Builders rates at the top

Australia

Hourly rate$75 - $150/hr

Notes

Master Builders Association rates highest

South Africa

Hourly rateR250 - R700/hr

Notes

NHBRC registered builders above this range

Canada

Hourly rateC$55 - C$130/hr

Notes

Licensed contractors in major metros

New Zealand

Hourly rate$70 - $145/hr

Notes

Auckland and Wellington at the top

Ireland

Hourly rate€40 - €115/hr

Notes

Dublin commands a premium

India

Hourly rate₹1750 - ₹5400/hr

Notes

Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore at the top

Job pricing

Common builder jobs and what they cost

Real-world price ranges for the jobs tradies quote every week. Includes labour, parts, and standard call-out.

Job	Typical price	What's included
Site visit and written quote	Free to $300	Most established builders quote free for jobs over $5,000. Charge applies to large scope-of-work documents.
Garden wall (per linear metre)	$180 to $450	Includes excavation, foundation, blockwork, and 2-3 days labour. Render and capping extra.
Internal wall removal (non-structural)	$1,500 to $4,000	Includes demolition, debris removal, and make-good. Structural engineer report extra if load-bearing.
Concrete slab (per square metre)	$90 to $180	Includes excavation, reinforcement mesh, formwork, concrete pour, and finish. Excludes site prep.
Single-storey room extension	$25,000 to $80,000	Depends on size, fittings, and finish level. Excludes plumbing and electrical subcontract.
Bathroom renovation (full)	$8,000 to $25,000	Includes demolition, plumbing, tiling, fixtures, and labour. Premium fittings add cost.
Kitchen renovation (full)	$15,000 to $50,000	Depends on layout changes and cabinetry. Bench-tops, splashbacks, and appliances priced separately.
Retaining wall (per linear metre)	$280 to $850	Depends on height and material (block, gabion, sleeper). Excavation and drainage extra.
Daily site labour (1 person)	$400 to $900	Standard 8-hour day. Apprentice + qualified builder pair runs higher.

Site visit and written quote

Typical priceFree to $300

What's included

Most established builders quote free for jobs over $5,000. Charge applies to large scope-of-work documents.

Garden wall (per linear metre)

Typical price$180 to $450

What's included

Includes excavation, foundation, blockwork, and 2-3 days labour. Render and capping extra.

Internal wall removal (non-structural)

Typical price$1,500 to $4,000

What's included

Includes demolition, debris removal, and make-good. Structural engineer report extra if load-bearing.

Concrete slab (per square metre)

Typical price$90 to $180

What's included

Includes excavation, reinforcement mesh, formwork, concrete pour, and finish. Excludes site prep.

Single-storey room extension

Typical price$25,000 to $80,000

What's included

Depends on size, fittings, and finish level. Excludes plumbing and electrical subcontract.

Bathroom renovation (full)

Typical price$8,000 to $25,000

What's included

Includes demolition, plumbing, tiling, fixtures, and labour. Premium fittings add cost.

Kitchen renovation (full)

Typical price$15,000 to $50,000

What's included

Depends on layout changes and cabinetry. Bench-tops, splashbacks, and appliances priced separately.

Retaining wall (per linear metre)

Typical price$280 to $850

What's included

Depends on height and material (block, gabion, sleeper). Excavation and drainage extra.

Daily site labour (1 person)

Typical price$400 to $900

What's included

Standard 8-hour day. Apprentice + qualified builder pair runs higher.

What drives the price

Six things that change the price of a job

The same job can cost 2x more or less depending on these factors. Knowing them helps customers spot fair quotes and helps tradies justify their own.

Scope and scale

A wall repair is hourly; a full extension is a fixed-price contract. Always break the scope into stages (demolition, structure, finishes) on the quote.

Materials and finish

Standard brick is $0.80 each; face brick is $2.50+. Standard tile is $20/sqm; designer tile is $200+/sqm. Always specify the finish grade on the quote.

Site access

A driveway-accessible site loads quickly; a tight inner-city site needs a crane or trolleying every load. Quote site difficulty as its own line.

Permits and compliance

Most building work needs council approval. Structural work needs an engineer sign-off. These are real costs (plus delays) that should be quote lines.

Subcontractor coordination

Plumbing, electrical, tiling are usually subcontracted. The builder marks these up 15-30% to cover coordination, supervision, and risk. State the markup model openly.

Time of year

Winter and the rainy season slow exterior work. Most builders price in a buffer for weather days. State the assumed working calendar on the quote.

How to quote it

How builders should price their work

Tips for tradies on writing quotes that win the job and protect the margin.

Quote in stages

Break the quote into demolition, structure, services, finishes. Customers can compare line by line and approve in tranches. Reduces scope-creep arguments.

Specify materials precisely

Brand, size, grade. 'Quality tiles' invites swap-out arguments. 'Porcelain tile, 600x600mm, rectified edge, Grade 4' does not.

State the labour day rate

Day rate + qualified vs apprentice split + how overtime is charged. Customers can see how a 10-day job becomes 14-day and what that costs.

Take stage payments

30% on signing, 30% on slab/structure, 30% on lock-up, 10% on completion. Protects both sides on multi-month jobs.

Quote a fixed contingency

5-10% contingency on the bottom line, returnable if unused, covers the things that pop up on demo. Better than calling for variations every week.

Send updates via WhatsApp

Photo updates daily, weekly progress claims with line items. Customers paying in stages need to see what they are paying for. Reduces invoice disputes to almost zero.

Watch out for

Pricing red flags to watch for

The patterns that usually signal a problem on the quote, with what to do about each one.

Verbal quote on a build job

What to do: Walk away. A build quote needs a written scope, materials list, and milestone schedule. Verbal quotes on $20,000+ jobs are the start of every horror story.

No contract for jobs over $5,000

What to do: Insist on a written contract with scope, milestones, payment schedule, and dispute clause. Most regions require it by law over a threshold.

Full payment upfront

What to do: Never. Standard is 30% on signing for materials, then stage payments. Anyone asking for 80-100% upfront is a scam risk.

Cash-only with no invoice

What to do: Walk away. Without an invoice you have no warranty, no insurance claim path, and no proof of work for resale.

No insurance certificate

What to do: Ask for the public liability insurance certificate. If the builder cannot produce one, an injury or damage on your property comes out of your pocket.

Pressure to skip permits

What to do: Walk away. Work done without permits cannot be legally occupied, fails sale inspections, and can be ordered demolished. The 'savings' evaporate on resale.

Sample quote

A real example: line-by-line

Single-storey rear extension, 24sqm, standard finish

Line	Rate	Total
Site demolition, debris removal, and make-good	$ 2,500	$ 2,500
Concrete slab (24sqm) including reinforcement, formwork, and pour	$ 110/sqm	$ 2,640
Brickwork and external walls (24sqm) to lock-up	$ 280/sqm	$ 6,720
Roof structure, tiles, gutters, and insulation	$ 6,500	$ 6,500
Windows and external door (mid-grade aluminium frames)	$ 4,200	$ 4,200
Internal finishes (plaster, paint, skirting, cornice)	$ 5,800	$ 5,800
Builder labour and project management (24 days, 2-person team)	$ 600/day	$ 14,400
Permits, engineer sign-off, and council inspection	$ 1,800	$ 1,800
Subtotal		$ 44,560
Tax (10%)		$ 4,456
Total		$ 49,016

Site demolition, debris removal, and make-good

Rate $ 2,500$ 2,500

Concrete slab (24sqm) including reinforcement, formwork, and pour

Rate $ 110/sqm$ 2,640

Brickwork and external walls (24sqm) to lock-up

Rate $ 280/sqm$ 6,720

Roof structure, tiles, gutters, and insulation

Rate $ 6,500$ 6,500

Windows and external door (mid-grade aluminium frames)

Rate $ 4,200$ 4,200

Internal finishes (plaster, paint, skirting, cornice)

Rate $ 5,800$ 5,800

Builder labour and project management (24 days, 2-person team)

Rate $ 600/day$ 14,400

Permits, engineer sign-off, and council inspection

Rate $ 1,800$ 1,800

Subtotal$ 44,560

Tax (10%)$ 4,456

Total$ 49,016

FAQ

Builders pricing questions, answered

Everything customers and tradies ask about builder pricing.

Labour rates are $50 to $120 per hour in the US, £35-90 in the UK, A$75-150 in Australia, R250-700 in South Africa, and C$55-130 in Canada. Most builders prefer to quote fixed-price for jobs over $5,000 and reserve hourly for small repairs.

Builders bid differently on materials, labour mix, and contingency. A 'cheap' quote often skips proper foundations, uses sub-grade fixtures, or leaves the customer paying for variations later. Always compare scope and inclusions, not just totals.

Three for jobs over $10,000. Compare scope, materials, and the payment schedule, not just the headline number. If one is 30% cheaper than the others, it almost always means work is missing from the quote.

For build projects: 30% on signing for materials, 30% on slab/structure, 30% on lock-up (roof and walls complete), 10% on completion. Anyone asking for more than 30% upfront is a risk.

Yes, especially for jobs over $5,000. A contract sets scope, milestones, payment schedule, variation handling, and dispute resolution. Most regions require it by law over a threshold.

Look for a 'fixed price + contingency' clause. A 5-10% contingency on the total, returnable if unused, covers the unknowns. Anything beyond contingency triggers a written variation that you sign before work proceeds.

Almost never on a build. The cheapest quote is usually missing work that the others priced in. Ask each builder to walk you through the scope; the differences tell you why the numbers diverge.

Site visits and verbal quotes are usually free. A formal written quote with scope, materials, and engineering takes 4-8 hours and many builders charge $150-300 for that. Worth it on a $50,000+ job because the quote becomes the contract.

Every change goes through a written variation with a price before work proceeds. Verbal 'while we are at it' agreements are how a $40,000 job becomes a $55,000 invoice. Sign nothing on site without a written number.

Yes, most modern builders send quotes as a PDF via WhatsApp. Faster acceptance, mobile-friendly review, and the message thread doubles as a written record. Tools like QuoteGenio build the PDF on the builder's phone and send via WhatsApp in 2 minutes.

Use a template

Free builder quote and invoice templates

Itemised templates ready to send. Skip the manual quote builder and get from job to paid in 2 minutes.

Quote

Builder Quote Template

Itemised builder quote with trades, provisional sums, and staged payment schedule.

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Invoice

Builder Invoice Template

Staged builder invoice with variations, retention, and cumulative paid figures.

Open template

City pricing

What builders charge in 160 cities

Builders pricing benchmarks written for tradies pricing their own work in each city. Local hourly rates, common job prices, and a sample quote you can copy. Pick a country to see its cities.

New York City$50-$150/hr

Builders pricing

What to charge for builders jobs in New York City.

How much does a builder charge in 2026?

Builders typically charge $50 to $120 per hour

Builders hourly rates by region (2026)

Common builder jobs and what they cost

Six things that change the price of a job

Scope and scale

Materials and finish

Site access

Permits and compliance

Subcontractor coordination

Time of year

How builders should price their work

Quote in stages

Specify materials precisely

State the labour day rate

Take stage payments

Quote a fixed contingency

Send updates via WhatsApp

Pricing red flags to watch for

A real example: line-by-line

Builders pricing questions, answered

Free builder quote and invoice templates

What builders charge in 160 cities

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