Builders
Project Estimator
Cost, price, timeline and risk for a job.
Loading…
About the Project Estimator
Price a job the way estimators do: break it into phases, list the labor, materials, equipment, subcontracts and other costs in each, then add overhead, a contingency for what can go wrong, and the margin you need. Templates for kitchen remodels, roofing, software projects, consulting, events, landscaping, video production and fabrication start you with the usual lines and rates, all editable. The result is a client-ready PDF estimate with a payment schedule, and an Excel cost breakdown with working formulas.
How to estimate a project
- Pick the kind of project, or a blank estimate.
- Adjust each phase’s lines: quantities, units, your costs, waste on materials, and how risky each line is.
- Set overhead, contingency, margin, discount, tax and payment terms.
- Download the client PDF and keep the Excel breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
Margin or markup: which does the price use?
Margin on price. A 25% margin means a quarter of what the client pays is profit, so price = cost ÷ (1 − 0.25), which is a 33% markup on cost. The field shows the matching markup so the two are never confused.
How is the contingency worked out?
Each line has a risk level: low lines can run 5% under to 10% over, medium 10% under to 25% over, high 15% under to 50% over. The estimator simulates the job 3,000 times with those ranges and recommends the contingency that covers four outcomes in five. You can set your own instead.
What goes in overhead?
Costs of running the business that no single job pays for directly: office rent, vehicles, insurance, software, admin time. Divide a year of them by a year of direct job costs for a starting rate.
What does the client see?
The PDF shows each phase’s share of the price with its dates, any discount, tax, the total, the payment schedule and a signature line. Your costs, overhead, contingency and margin stay in the Excel breakdown, which is for you.
