So perfect. So exact. So just how I think things are.

RENOVATIONS to the Prime Minister’s possum-infested official Canberra residence have blown out to $6.4 million — more than double the initial estimate, three times the original construction cost and 50 per cent more than building an entirely new Lodge.

The completion date for the project has been delayed again, meaning the refurbishment will now take far longer than the ­original 14-month construction in 1926 and 1927, which cost £28,319 (roughly $2.1m, adjusted for ­inflation). Quantity surveyor BMT estimates a new 800sqm architecturally designed executive residence in Canberra should cost between $3.9m and $4.2m.

The upgrades to the 40-room Georgian-style home were commissioned by Labor and have been under way since September last year. Tender documents reveal the government on December 12 varied its agreement with head contractor Manteena to match the new $6.38m price tag, and the ­Department of Finance has further delayed completion to the middle of next year.