New Home Build Cost Planner Spreadsheet

About this template

This self build cost planner is for people building a house from the ground up, whether a self build or a custom home build managed with a contractor. It follows the project stage by stage, from buying the plot to finishing, and keeps every estimate, quote and payment in one place.

A new build is not a large renovation. A big share of the money goes on the plot and consents before anything goes up, and the house has no rooms until the roof is on, so this file is organized the way a build actually happens.

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).

Ten stages, not rooms

The budget runs through ten stages: plot and purchase, design and consents, groundworks, superstructure, roof, first fix, second fix, kitchen and bathrooms, externals, and finishing. Each package gets its own budget line with the estimate next to the actual, so you can see which stage is running over while there is still time to react.

Quote comparison for every trade

Put up to three prices for one trade side by side, such as the timber frame, the groundworks or the windows. The Quotes tab works out what the dearest quote wanted over the one you accepted and adds those differences into a single saving. Accepted quotes and the ones still being decided are each totaled in money.

Built for a whole house

• Sized for a house construction budget of half a million and more, not a single kitchen refit
• A contingency percentage you set once on Setup, held back off the budget
• What is left in the budget, always on the dashboard
• Tasks with four states, for everything still to arrange
• Seven connected tabs: Start Here, Setup, Areas, Budget, Quotes, Tasks and Dashboard

See a real build first

The filled copy follows a build on an 814 square meter plot through to second fix, with ten stages estimated, fourteen quotes logged and the frame, groundworks and windows each priced twice. It works as a new build budget you can study before you start. A blank copy, the same construction budget tracker with nothing in it, is ready for yours.

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

Can I use it in Excel and Google Sheets?

Yes. You get 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.

How is it different from a renovation planner?

It is organized by build stage, from plot and consents through groundworks, frame and roof to finishing, instead of room by room, and it is sized for a whole house.

Can I compare quotes from different suppliers?

Yes. Enter up to three prices for one trade side by side and the Quotes tab works out what the dearest one wanted over what you accepted.

Does it allow for a contingency?

Yes. You set a contingency percentage once on the Setup tab and it is held back off the budget.

Is there an example to follow?

Yes. The filled copy is a build taken through to second fix, with ten stages estimated and fourteen quotes logged, and a blank copy comes with it.