General contracting quote template

Download the General contracting quote template

The same sample document in two formats. The PDF is what a finished quote 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 quote filled in, in the builder — the same sample, editable. It opens as an estimate — the builder files quotes that way — so the heading and the number change.

What a General contracting quote needs on it

Fixed-price the phases you fully control and quote them as a package: demo, framing, drywall, finish. Keep selections on allowances even inside a quote, because a client who upgrades tile mid-job should move the price, and a quote without allowances leaves you eating the difference.

• The schedule each phase assumes, since a fixed price depends on continuous access to the space
• Allowances kept even inside the fixed price, so a mid-job tile upgrade moves the number
• A draw schedule tied to milestones, not dates, so payment tracks visible progress
• Subcontracted trades identified, so the client knows who is coming and what is coordinated
• Overhead and profit as their own line, which reads as more transparent than burying them in unit rates

And what every quote needs

Use a quote when you can see the whole job and control the variables: a like-for-like replacement, a measured area, a repeat job you have priced twenty times.

• A tightly written scope — a fixed price is only safe if the scope is exact
• Explicit exclusions, since anything unlisted is what a dispute will be about
• A change-order clause saying how additional work gets priced and approved
• An expiry date, because a fixed price cannot outlive your material costs

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

What should a draw schedule look like?

Tie draws to milestones a client can see: deposit at contract, a draw at demo complete, at rough-in inspection, at drywall, and final at substantial completion with a retainage. Milestone-based draws are easier to defend than calendar dates, because the client is paying for visible progress rather than for time passing.

Can a remodel be quoted as a fixed price?

The phases you fully control, yes — demo, framing, drywall, finish. Keep selections on allowances even inside a fixed quote, because a client who upgrades tile mid-job should move the price, and a quote without allowances leaves you eating the difference. Fixed-price wins residential work, but only when the exclusions are complete.

Should overhead and profit be a visible line?

Stating it as its own line reads as more transparent than burying it in every unit rate, and it makes a cost-plus conversation straightforward if the client asks for one. Clients who see a 15 percent line understand they are paying a business; clients who see inflated unit prices suspect they are paying twice.