Remember these are just proposals at this stage . The repairs were initially priced at 10 million last time it was assessed and are now 13 . 5 million instead . In 2008 , then Auditor General Sheila Fraser estimated that completely rehabilitating 24 Sussex Drive would cost about $ 10 million and would require full access to the residence for a minimum of 12 to 15 months . Delays are likely to result in further deterioration and higher costs , Fraser said then . Another 12 million is for the living quarters of the Prime Minister , dedicating the main residence to government work . That will then require additional money to make secure and turn into a workplace . Remember , they ' re ripping out asbestos and fixing everything up like nonfunctional kitchens . It costs more to fix something , especially if it ' s old , if you want it to be secure and modern instead of building something new . It ' ll be likely cheaper to build a new place completely . We ' re not attached to 24 Sussex as is . TLDR It ' s not going to cost $ 38 million dollars unless they do everything there . They could just fix it up for $ 13 . 5 m or build a new Canadian White House for half a billion .