The renovation budget is $350,000; two-thirds of that, in cash and donated services, is already in hand, he said.

The renovation budget was NZ$295,000.

Wiring was the biggest part of the job, and consumed $36,000 of Ms. Torrance's $100,000 renovation budget.

Their collaborative push for refinement was not without its costs: the renovation budget tripled to $300,000.

However it was hard to establish a full renovation budget due to budgetary constraints of the Belgian government.

There was no official renovation budget.

They made a low bid, and eventually got the apartment for $365,000, which cut deeply into their renovation budget.

The bulk of the renovation budget was spent on the offices, which feature slate floors and glass and steel walls.

"This was a full-time reconstruction," said Mr. Rein, who originally estimated the renovation budget at $100,000.

That gave the renovation budget a $1.2 million start; the rest was covered by private donations, the city of Brussels and the Belgian government.