Home Extension and Remodel Budget Planner

About this template

This home extension budget planner is for homeowners taking on an extension, a loft conversion or a large remodel with several builders to choose between. It puts every quote, every budget line and every payment in one workbook, so you can see what each room is really costing while the work is still going on.

On a big job the gap between the cheapest and the dearest builder can run to thousands, and that number rarely gets written down. Here it does.

Please read: This is a tracker tool only, not financial, tax, legal, medical or any other professional advice or advisory service. It records and calculates what you enter; you are solely responsible for checking all figures, rates, dates and results and for every decision you make. By purchasing, downloading or using it, you accept these terms (your statutory consumer rights are not affected).

Builder quotes, side by side

The Quotes tab lists the area, the trade, who quoted, the price and the status on one row. Quote the same job three times and the tab works out what the dearest quote wanted over the one you accepted. Added up across the project, that is a figure for what shopping around saved you, which is the number that justifies the weeks spent collecting builder quotes. Accepted quotes and the ones you are still deciding on are each totaled in money.

Estimated against actual, room by room

• A budget line per job, with the estimate next to what it actually cost
• Ten areas, from drainage and consents through to the loft, including the parts of a build that are not rooms
• Overruns show up on the area where they happened, not as a surprise at the end
• A contingency percentage you set once on Setup, held back off the renovation budget
• What is left in the budget, shown on the dashboard

Seven connected tabs

• Start Here and Setup: a guided start, your total budget and the contingency
• Areas: the ten parts of the project
• Budget: estimated against actual, per line and per area
• Quotes: prices compared and savings worked out
• Tasks: jobs by room, each with one of four states
• Dashboard: reads every tab and fills itself

A worked example included

The filled copy follows a rear extension and a loft on a six-figure construction budget, spread across ten areas with fourteen quotes for nine jobs. It shows how money spent, money still to pay and money left all sit together. A blank copy is ready for your own remodeling planner.

Works with

• Microsoft Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365, on Windows and Mac, and LibreOffice
• Google Sheets with a free Google account. The Google Sheets version is a real workbook you make your own copy of, not a PDF with a link in it.
• No dynamic arrays, no macros, no add-ins and no subscription

What you download

• The Excel workbook filled with a worked example
• A blank Excel workbook ready for your own entries
• The instruction guide, which has one-click links to the Google Sheets versions (filled and blank)
• The terms of use as a PDF

Your files are ready to download as soon as payment clears, and the Start Here tab walks you through setup in a few minutes. The template is for personal and business use on your own devices, so please do not share or resell the files. Questions before or after you buy? Use our contact page and we will help.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Excel, or will Google Sheets work?

Either. The download includes Excel workbooks for Excel 2016 or later on Windows and Mac, and the instruction guide has one-click links to make your own copy in Google Sheets with a free Google account.

Can I compare quotes from several builders?

Yes. Enter each price for the same job on its own row and the Quotes tab works out what the dearest quote wanted over the one you took, and totals the saving.

Is it only for loft conversions and extensions?

The worked example is a rear extension with a loft, but the areas and budget lines are yours to set, so it suits other large home renovation projects too.

How is the contingency handled?

You set a contingency percentage once on the Setup tab, and it is held back off the budget so the amount left already allows for it.

Can I see overruns by room?

Yes. Every budget line has an estimate and an actual, grouped by area, so an overrun shows up where it happened.