General contracting estimate template

Download the General contracting estimate template

The same sample document in two formats. The PDF is what a finished estimate looks like; the spreadsheet has live formulas, so change a quantity or a rate and the totals follow.

No signup, no email, no watermark. Sample figures — edit everything. Opens in Excel, Numbers and Google Sheets.

See this estimate filled in, in the builder — the same sample, editable.

What a General contracting estimate needs on it

Estimate is the right instrument early, before selections are made and before anything is opened up. Price the known scope, carry the unknowns as allowances, and be explicit that concealed conditions — structure, wiring, plumbing, water damage — are priced when found. That framing is what makes the later change orders feel expected rather than opportunistic.

• Allowances for unselected finishes, each with a stated amount and what happens over or under
• Who carries the cost if an inspector stops work over pre-existing non-compliance
• Exclusions in a named list: permits, engineering, hazardous materials, landscaping repair
• A change-order clause: how extra work gets priced, and that it is approved in writing first
• Your license number and general liability carrier

And what every estimate needs

Use an estimate when the scope is clear but the final number can still move — concealed damage, a substrate you cannot see until demo, or material prices that change between bid and start date.

• An expiry date, so a months-old number cannot be held against you
• Scope written plainly enough that a homeowner knows what is excluded
• A deposit or payment schedule if you need money before mobilising
• A signature line, so acceptance is recorded rather than remembered

General contracting line items included in this template

These load into the builder ready to edit. Prices are starting points, not our opinion of what you should charge — set your own and they save to your price book.

Rates are illustrative US figures and vary widely by market. Price your own work.

Questions

How should allowances work on a remodel estimate?

Each allowance names a dollar amount for a category the client has not chosen yet — tile, fixtures, appliances. State that overages are billed at cost and underages credited. Vague allowances are the most common cause of remodel disputes, because the client remembers a number and you remember a category.

How do I handle change orders so they actually get paid?

Price them in writing and get approval before the work happens — that is the whole trick. Put the clause on the original estimate so it is not a surprise, then issue each change as its own numbered document with its own price and schedule impact. Verbal changes are how contractors finish a job profitable on paper and short in the bank.

What should an estimate say about what is behind the walls?

That it is priced when found, not now. Structure, wiring, plumbing and water damage are the four concealed conditions that reprice a remodel, and naming them early is what makes the later change orders feel expected rather than opportunistic. An estimate that promises certainty about an unopened wall is promising something nobody can deliver.