Renovation Budget Tracker
One Excel workbook for a homeowner running a renovation with a few trades: what you budgeted, what you have agreed to pay, what you have actually paid, every change order, how much of the contingency is left, and how much cash the next 30 days will need. No bank link, no account, no monthly fee.
Built for the person writing the checks
- You are renovating a kitchen, a bathroom, an addition or a whole floor and hiring two to six trades.
- A budget that “balances” can hide the fact that you have already accepted quotes you have not paid yet. This workbook shows the money that is already spoken for.
- You want change orders written down once, with a status, instead of quietly edited into a line item.
- You would rather own one file than rent another monthly app.
What's inside
Start Here
Project name, as-of date, total budget, contingency % and holdback %, and the lists for rooms, contractors and categories. These settings drive every other tab.
Budget
One row per scope line: budget, accepted quote, approved change orders, committed, paid, unpaid commitment, remaining and a flag of Over budget, Not committed, Overpaid or OK.
Change Orders
Each change order with a date, line, contractor, reason and a status of Proposed, Approved or Rejected. Approved total, pending exposure and change orders as a share of the original contract, with an alert threshold you set.
Payments
Date, line, amount, invoice reference and milestone for every payment, with a tie-out check that the payments add up to what the Budget tab says you have paid.
Contractors
A ledger per contractor: contract, approved change orders, paid, balance due, holdback, percent complete and a flag when you have paid ahead of the work.
Cash Schedule
Payment milestones as a percentage or a fixed amount, with the cash needed in the next 30 days, the next 60 days and in total.
Rooms & Summary
Budget, committed, paid and remaining by room and by category, plus the contingency pool, how much of it is used, what is pending, and what is left.
Quotes
Up to five bids per scope item side by side: lowest, highest, the spread between them, and a count of blank scope lines per bidder. Pick one and it feeds the Budget tab.
Every tab comes pre-filled with made-up example data (a kitchen and bathroom project with several trades, two approved change orders, one pending, a payment made ahead of the work and a bid comparison) so you can see it work, then you overwrite it with yours. Formulas are unlocked and visible; edit anything.
What it does not do
- It is a planning tool, not financial, construction or legal advice. The contingency percentage, holdback percentage and payment splits are inputs you set; the workbook does not know what your contract or your state or province requires.
- It does not handle tax treatment of improvements, permits, lien waivers or scheduling, and it does not import bank files.
- It tracks one project per file. Start a fresh copy for the next one.
How delivery works
After checkout you are sent straight to a private download page with one file: Renovation-Budget-Tracker.xlsx. It opens in Excel. In Google Sheets, upload it with File > Import > Upload; we do not ship Google Sheets links, so check the example data after importing. Updates are free for a year: your download link always serves the latest file.
FAQ
How many lines, contractors and change orders can it hold?
Up to 60 budget lines, 15 contractors, 40 change orders, 200 payments and 10 rooms per workbook.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Import the file via File > Import > Upload. The formulas use standard functions, but we build and test in Excel format, so check the example data after importing.
Is there a free version?
Yes: one tab, the Contingency & Change Order Tracker, free for your email. Confirm your address and it arrives right away.
Something is wrong with my copy.
See support.
Free: Contingency & Change Order Tracker, one Excel tab. Confirm your email and the file arrives right away, plus an occasional note (at most one a week) on keeping a renovation on budget. Unsubscribe in one click. Privacy.
Free renovation budget guides
A planning tool, not financial, construction or legal advice. Example data is made up. Contingency, holdback and payment splits are inputs you set; payment and deposit rules vary by contract and by state or province.