What this does that other renovation spreadsheets do not: it is both a detailed estimator and a full project tracker in one file. Cheap templates ($5–13) give you a flat budget list; professional tools ($69–400 or a monthly subscription) add contractor and draw tracking. This workbook combines them — a room-by-room line-item estimate AND a 3-way Budget vs Contracted vs Actual, a built-in 3-bid contractor compare, a milestone draw schedule with financing interest, change orders, a punch list, permits and a timeline — for the price of a template.

The Cost Estimate sheet is the heart of it. One row per item, grouped by room: quantity, unit material and unit labour, with a waste allowance on materials. Each line computes its material, labour and total; at the bottom, material tax, your overhead-and-profit markup and a contingency reserve build up to the real project budget — the number cheap lists skip. Next to every line you record what you Contracted and what you Actually spent, so the variance column flags overruns in red the moment they happen.

Everything rolls up: a budget by room, a budget by trade with a cost-per-area benchmark, and a Dashboard showing budget, contracted, actual, remaining, % of budget spent, contingency, financing interest and cost per area with a chart. The Contractor Bids sheet takes three quotes per trade, marks the lowest and totals what choosing the cheapest saves — with a place for each vendor’s licence number and insurance expiry so nothing lapses mid-job. The Draw Schedule tracks milestone payments and the loan interest that accrues while the work runs, and Change Orders adjust the working budget automatically as approved.

On top of that you get a punch/snag list, a permits and inspection log, a phase-by-phase timeline that turns overdue tasks red, and a DIY-vs-hire comparison that values your own time so you can see what a task really saves. Built for Excel 2016+ and Google Sheets with compatible functions only (SUMIF, MIN/MAX, COUNTIF, dropdowns) — no macros, nothing locked. Any currency. A realistic fictional full renovation is filled in so every number and chart is alive on first open; clear the yellow cells and it is yours. Every headline figure in this listing was measured from the built file and checked against an independent model.