How much should I hold back for renovations?

Don't give the bank all your savings. As long as you meet the 20 % equity and the 33 % affordability, the rest belongs in a renovation and emergency pot. For an older property with a kitchen and bathroom coming due, CHF 50'000 to 100'000 is quickly realistic; the buying check works out your personal headroom.

Which renovations can I deduct from my taxes?

Value-preserving work: replacing an existing kitchen, refurbishing the bathroom, painting, repairs. In most cantons it is deductible from taxable income, either at actual cost or as a flat rate. Value-adding work such as an extension or a luxury fit-out is not deductible, but counts towards the investment costs when you later sell and lowers the property gains tax.

Can I finance renovations through the mortgage?

Partly. Banks increase the mortgage for value-adding renovations, as long as loan-to-value and affordability stay within bounds. Pure maintenance work you generally finance yourself. If you are planning bigger conversions, raise them at the financing meeting.

In what order should I renovate?

First what is easier while the place is empty: floors, walls, electrics, pipes, ideally before moving in. Then kitchen and bathrooms. Energy measures (windows, insulation, heating) you plan with an eye on your canton's subsidy programmes; a GEAK consultation is worth it for that.

Huusfink Guide17 August 2026

Renovating after the purchase: costs, budget and taxes

Hardly anyone moves in without doing something: paint, floors, often the kitchen or bathroom. This second bill arrives as surely as the first. Plan for it before you hand the bank your entire savings.

The pot comes before the financing

The most common mistake: putting all your savings into the purchase and then living with the 1995 kitchen for years. Thought through the right way round: first establish what needs doing straight after the purchase and what it costs, and only then decide how much equity goes into the financing. As long as the 20 % equity and the 33 % affordability stand, every franc above that is free headroom.

What renovations cost in Switzerland

→Kitchen, complete: CHF 25'000 to 60'000, depending on size and standard.
→Bathroom, complete: CHF 20'000 to 50'000.
→Parquet: CHF 100 to 200 per m², laid.
→Painting: CHF 8'000 to 20'000 for a whole apartment.
→Windows: CHF 1'500 to 2'500 each.
→Electrical renewal: CHF 15'000 to 40'000.
→Heating replacement: CHF 40'000 to 70'000; roof CHF 60'000 to 120'000; facade CHF 50'000 to 100'000.

All rough reference values, heavily dependent on the size of the property and the fit-out standard. For the big energy items (heating, windows, insulation) many cantons pay subsidies; a GEAK report shows what is worth doing.

Value-preserving or value-adding: the tax difference

Value-preserving work (replacing the kitchen and bathroom, painting, repairs) you can deduct from taxable income in most cantons, either at actual cost or as a flat rate. Plan cleverly and you spread large value-preserving renovations across two tax years. Value-adding work (an extension, an additional bathroom, a luxury fit-out) is not deductible, but counts towards the investment costs at a later sale and so lowers the property gains tax. Keep the receipts for both, always.

And in the buying check?

The analysis shows you under “Plan for renovations” how much pot your equity allows, and the viewing checklist has its own point for your renovation wishes and budget, so the second bill doesn't come as a surprise.

Frequently asked questions

The buying check works out how much renovation pot your equity allows without breaking the bank's rules.

Check a property for free