Renovation Budget Tracker

What this sheet is for

See the gap between what you planned to spend and what you have spent while there is still time to do something about it, rather than at the end.

Who it is for

Anyone running a renovation, extension or fit-out and paying for it in stages.

How to use it

1. Break the job into lines you can actually price — one per element, not one per room.
2. Fill in the budgeted column before you ask for a single quote.
3. Update the actual and paid columns the week each invoice is settled.
4. Total the columns at the foot and keep the invoices behind the sheet.

What is on the sheet

The layout is fixed at a size that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the A4 and Letter files are visually identical and print at full size on either. Rows are set at a height that an adult can actually write a date and a few words into with a pen — most printable tables are built in a word processor and never tested with one.

Questions

Does this tell me what a renovation should cost?

No. It records your figures and nothing else. Costs depend on the property, the specification and where you are, and this sheet takes no view on any of that.

Should I keep a contingency line?

Many people add one, and the sheet has room for it as a line like any other. How much to set aside, and whether the work is affordable at all, is a question for you and anyone qualified who is advising you.