25+ Most Expensive Building Remodels and Renovations in History

Updated: Jul 14, 2023By Kate PrinceBusiness

Colosseum, Rome ©jovannig/stock.adobe.com

Renovating isn’t for the faint of heart, or for the poor of wallet. After all, restoring anything from a family home to a grand mansion isn’t cheap and it certainly isn’t quick…but when it’s done, it’s worth every penny. Some of the biggest renovation projects in the world have been known to cost millions of dollars, but what did these grand residences look like before they got a fresh lick of paint?

From sprawling Hyatt hotels with hundreds of bedrooms to ‘60s style two-bedroom villas, these restorations totally transformed these buildings, giving investors big returns. It just goes to show, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

1. Big Ben

Location: London, England
Year Renovated: 2022-2027
Est. Cost: $100 million*

If you’ve ever been to London or even heard of the U.K. capital, then there’s a good chance you know what Big Ben is. Big Ben is the striking clock at Westminster Palace. Technically, Big Ben is the name of the Great Bell, but the moniker is used to describe the entire clock and tower.

Big Ben @Henry Be /Unsplash.com

Big Ben takes a lot of work to maintain. This photo, taken in 2014, shows four workers cleaning the massive clock face. The workers are dangling hundreds of feet above the ground to get the clock spic-and-span. In 2022, Big Ben started the process of a $100 million repair project. The project will take five years, and its purpose is to make sure Big Ben withstands even the worst of weather, keeping up with time.

2. The U.S. Capitol Building

Location: Washington D.C., USA
Year Renovated: 2013-2016, 2021
Est. Cost: $75.68 million* (2013 Renovation)

America is a young country, but it still has its fair share of historical landmarks nonetheless. The U.S. Capitol Building is a common site in Washington D.C., where it has stood for many years. Many times in its history, the building has been covered with scaffolding. In 2013, a renovation project cost over $70 million.

The U.S. Capitol Building ©NASA/Getty Images

That’s a huge uptick from a decade before when improvements cost around $54.43 million. According to the AOC (Architect of the Capitol), workers are preserving the exterior of the building, its stone, and its materials. The frequent renovations keep this U.S. landmark safe from water damage, corrosion, soil, stains, and other deteriorative elements.

3. The Great Wall of China

Location: China
Year Renovated: 2010s
Est. Cost: $45 million* (2-Mile Stretch)

The Great Wall of China is yet another historic landmark that has gotten quite a few facelifts. The Great Wall is one of the most amazing structures on Earth, and it has withstood weather, attacks, vandalism, and more for centuries.

The Great Wall of China @Victoriano Izquierdo /Unsplash.com

In 2014, a seven-hundred-year-old span of the Great Wall was restored in order to keep it from incurring erosion-related damage. This is far from the first time this landmark has been restored. Just 8.2% of the original wall is still intact; the other 90%+ has been replaced. Restoration is not cheap, either. In the 2010s, renovating a two-mile stretch of the Great Wall cost the Chinese government $45 million.

4. Wentworth Woodhouse

Location: South Yorkshire, England
Year Renovated: 2017- Present
Est. Cost: $263 million*

England is home to many homes that once belonged to the aristocracy, including Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire. Set in a scenic location, the sprawling property was first built between 1724 and 1750 by the Marquesses of Rockingham. No expense was spared. Sadly, that attitude was not maintained – and neither was the house.

Wentworth Woodhouse ©PA Images/Alamy

After a sale and a stint as a training college, Wentworth Woodhouse was a shadow of its former self. By 2017, it was bought by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust for just $9.2 million. Renovations began in 2017, but as you can imagine, the project was neither cheap nor cheerful, requiring $273 million in funds and an enormous amount of work.

5. Chatsworth House

Location: Derbyshire, England
Year Renovated: 2018
Est. Cost: $42 million*

Chatsworth House is undeniably one of the most spectacular stately homes in the whole of England, which is not a title easily won. However, like many ancient stately homes, it needed a bit of TLC. Renovations on the seat of the Cavendish family were completed in 2018 at a reported cost of $42 million.

Before and After Chatsworth House @explorebuxton/Twitter.com

During the works, the entire facade of the building was totally unrecognizable, but that’s not where it ended. The 12th Duke of Devonshire made sure that all of the interior structural problems were fixed, as well as restoring some of the beautiful paintings that adorned ceilings and walls. Chatsworth House has been used as a filming location in numerous projects, including Netflix’s The Crown.

6. Windsor Castle

Location: Windsor, England
Year Renovated: 1992
Est. Cost: $48 million*

Windsor Castle is one of Queen Elizabeth II’s most-loved properties. When it was severely damaged by a blazing fire in 1992, ripping its way through over 115 rooms. Amazingly, staff were able to remove many priceless artifacts before the fire fully took hold.

Windsor Castle ©Mistervlad/stock.adobe.com

When firefighters eventually extinguished the fire, the devastation was apparent. Renovations took place soon after, costing the Crown over $48 million. The extreme task went on to become one of the biggest and constilest renovation projects in British history at the time.

7. Kim Kardashian’s Mansion

Location: Hidden Hills, Los Angeles
Year Renovated: 2016
Est. Cost: $2 million*

Kim Kardashian and Kanye Wst’s marriage might be over now, but when they bought their Hidden Hills dream home in 2016 it was still going strong. The couple bought the Meditteranean-style mansion for $20 million, going on to totally transform it.

Kim K Mansion @Curbed LA/Twitter.com

They extensively remodeled and restyled the home, turning it into a neutral off-white paradise that Kim and the kids could relax in. After the split, Kim retained ownership of the house, which reportedly cost $2 million to renovate.

8. The Watergate Hotel

Location: Washington, D.C
Year Renovated: 2007-2016
Est. Cost: $200 million*

The Watergate Hotel needs no introduction, as one of the most infamous buildings in US history. The huge hotel was originally built in 1967, before closing its doors in 2007 for a much-needed renovation. Getting fancy wasn’t cheap, costing developers over $200 million.

Watergate Hotel @The Washington Post/Twitter.com

The end result was a much-needed new lease of life on a building that wasn’t exactly pretty to begin with. It took almost a decade to complete, with the hotel opening for guests in 2016. Rooms were totally overhauled, as was the lobby, restaurant, and conference rooms. Designers retained the ‘60s feel while updating it to modern standards.

9. Saint Peter’s Basilica

Location: Vatican City, Italy
Year Renovated: 2020-2024
Est. Cost: $5.4 billion to build*

Located in Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica is a church that has stood since 1506. Famous artists like Michelangelo worked on the church, which has stood the test of time with a little help from renovators.

Saint Peter's Basilica ©amer ghazzal/Alamy Stock Photo

In February of 2020, visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica noted that the church had quite a bit of scaffolding outside it. The Church cost $5.4 billion to construct in the 1500s, and construction took over a century. It’s no surprise that constant upkeep costs millions. The latest 2020 renovations are expected to continue until 2024. The Basilica’s stone surface is in need of the most work, as pollution has caused it to massively degrade.

10. Jill Biden’s White House

Location: Washington D.C
Year Renovated: 2021
Est. Cost: $2 million*

Whenever a new president is elected, the White House gets somewhat of a makeover. After all, the president and his family are expected to live in the historic building for at least four years. In 2021, Jill Biden took on the task of making it her own.

@WorldNewsSpot/Twitter.com

Not a lot of details have been released explaining what Jill sought to do with the property, but it’s thought she spent more than $1.2 million redoing the bathrooms in the East Wing alone, according to Tatler.

11. The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Location: Piazza del Duomo, Italy
Year Renovated: 2013-2020
Est. Cost: $40 million*

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower that is part of the Pisa Cathedral. It is famous for its four-degree lean, which comes from an unstable foundation. Rather than fix the foundation, Piazza del Duomo, Italy, has leaned into the flaw, creating one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa @SamGuzman0810/Pinterest

Though the city’s tourism bureau is fine with it, architects have been attempting to fix this Tower for centuries, to no avail. In 2013, workers were at least able to stabilize the Tower to keep it from collapsing. The project involved $40 million, a lot of steel cables, and luck.

12. Notre Dame

Location: Paris, France
Year Renovated: 2019-Present
Est. Cost: $1 billion* (Projected)

The world was horrified in April of 2019 when Notre Dame, one of Paris’ most historic landmarks, caught fire. The damage was fierce, but private funds and the government banded together to fund a $1 billion restoration project to put the cathedral back to rights.

Notre Dame @architecturaldigest/Pinterest.com

This restoration project has been labor-intensive and, in some instances, revelatory. Repair crews in March of 2022 discovered an ancient grave consisting of centuries-old tombs. The highlight of the find was a fourteenth-century lead sarcophagus, discovered beneath the floors. It’s eerie to think that this gravesite was under tourists’ and visitors’ feet all this time, and no one knew.

13. The Colosseum

Location: Rome, Italy
Year Renovated: 2021-2023
Est. Cost: $18 million* (Current Renovation)

The Colosseum is easily one of the most famous landmarks in all of Italy. It is certainly a centerpiece of Rome, and it is estimated that six million people visit the site every year. Monetarily, the Colosseum brings in $58.22 million in tourist revenue annually.

So, the Italian government can afford to spend a little money on a refit. The project was announced in 2021, and it is far from the first time the Colosseum has been renovated. This new renovation, however, is unique, as it is going to create a new floor for the historical site, giving tourists the same view ancient Roman Gladiators had. The new floor will cover subterranean chambers, and the entire project is slated to be completed by 2023.

14. Mont Saint-Michel

Location: Normandy, France
Year Renovated: 2013-Present
Est. Cost: $300 million*

Undoubtedly, Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most beautiful sites in the world. The abbey is gravity-defying, and it looks, in photos, like a magical island. The eleventh-century structure consists of monastery buildings, cloisters, a church, and a refectory, all of which were constructed over a span of two centuries.

Mont Saint-Michel @sophia971922/Pinterest

In 2013, controversy abounded when the French government, as well as the local governments of Brittany and Normandy, banded together to undertake a renovation project with a budget of $300 million. Locals and tourists were unhappy with the renovations and the disruptions they brought, but this project has continued on undeterred, and it is still ongoing.