home remodel budget template

Recently on a flight across the country, Brandon and I slaved over our budget document to get the numbers to align. We have numerous versions, shared access on Google Drive, have added and deleted columns and data more times than we can remember  – all of which resulted in this conversation:

Brandon: Ok, I think everything is updated now.

Summer: Really? Wow we’re in great shape then. Looks like we’re on track to get the renovation done on budget. Wait, do we have the extra work crew in here and and and?

Brandon: Mmmm nope.

{An hour passes of sipping vodka sodas and crunching numbers}

Summer: Ok, now everything is in there.

Both: CRAP.

{Another hour passes of drowning our sorrows in vodka sodas}

Moral of the story here is that it is critical to have a good budget tracking sheet for any home renovation – whether a small project or a large gut job like ours.

I wish I would have come across this spreadsheet template sooner. It’s thorough, easy to customize, and tracks actuals and estimated budget which I love.

Some quick hints on using this doc:

1. First, I’m crazy and updated the color palette instantly. The one seen on the post is the Austin palette. You can find them all under Page Layout –> Colors.
2. Start on the last tab titled “Setup.” Microsoft has done a great job blowing these lists out, but you can add to various areas, rooms and items that you want readily available in your template. Any adjustments will automatically populate on the second tab titled “Cost Input.”
3. Once you have the Setup complete (and you can go back and edit any time) move to the second tab “Cost Setup” to input your AREAS, ROOMS and ITEMS and the associated estimated costs with them. The formulas for all the totals are all accounted for in the template.
4. To see the BIG PICTURE, go the first tab titled “Dashboard.” This is the snapshot of your project budget.
5. There are handy dandy pivot tables on the Dashboard tab that allow you to filter by AREA, ROOM or ITEM. To deselect any selections you make here, simply click on the filter icon in the top right corner of the table.
6. Depending on how many projects you have going on, you may want to separate out the projects with their own budgets and tabs. To do this you will need a bit of Excel skills to duplicate all the sheets and update the formulas to the correct tab/sheets. Otherwise you can make one large laundry list for all projects on one sheet.

To download the template, click here.

Happy budgeting!

Summer

UPDATE: I noticed months after posting that this template does not seem to be available any longer – BUMMER! I did find a similar one here https://templates.office.com/en-us/Home-construction-budget-TM00000068

If I find the other one again I will post the updated link!