Residential Construction Estimating System

The complete estimating and budget management system for ground-up residential construction.

Built by working construction professionals, this is the same system we use to estimate, track, and manage real builds. It is not a generic spreadsheet with a few formulas. It is a full project management toolkit designed for how residential construction actually works.

What is included:

Estimating System: 20 trade categories, 150+ line items covering every phase from pre-construction through close-out. Budget vs. actual tracking, variance analysis, percentage of total breakdowns, adjustable contingency, cost per square foot, and an all-in project cost calculation that includes your lot.

Bid Comparison Sheet: Compare up to 3 bids per trade side by side across 26 trade categories. Lowest bid auto-calculates for quick comparison.

Draw Schedule Tracker: 6 standard draw milestones plus retainage, linked to your budget and loan amount. Status tracking from pending through funded with remaining balance calculation.

Change Order Log: 25-row log with add/credit/net change tracking, status and requested-by dropdowns, and a revised budget calculation that updates automatically.

Client and Lender Summary: A print-ready one-page summary that pulls all data from your estimate automatically. Includes a cost breakdown by category, pie chart, cost per square foot, and signature line. Hand it to a client or include it in a draw package.

Project Setup Tab: Enter your project details once and they populate across every tab. Square footage, dates, financing info, and key sub contacts all in one place.

Instructions Tab: Color-coded guide explaining exactly how to use every tab. Yellow cells are your inputs, black text is formulas, green text is cross-tab links.

Works in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Formulas are compatible with both platforms.

This is built for general contractors, small-volume builders, flippers moving to new construction, and anyone estimating a residential ground-up build who needs a professional system.