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General contracting estimate template
The full template below — scope lines, the exclusions that stop free work, terms and a signature block. Copy it, print it, or take the Word version and put your logo on it.
General contracting estimate
[Your company name, address, licence and contact]
Estimate no. ________ Date ________ Valid until ________
Prepared for
Job address
Scope of work
- Project supervision, scheduling, and coordination of all trades listed below
- Permit application and management of required inspections
- Demolition and removal of existing finishes within the defined work area
- Framing, mechanical rough-in, insulation and drywall to the scope drawings
- Finishes as specified, with allowances stated in the schedule for owner-selected items
- Site protection, weekly cleanup, and final construction clean
- Deficiency walkthrough and correction of listed items before final payment
Price
Subtotal ________ Tax ________ Total ________
Deposit due on acceptance ________ Balance due ________
Not included in this price
- Any work not shown on the drawings or listed in the scope above
- Cost above the stated allowance for owner-selected materials; the difference is billed at cost plus the markup stated
- Structural engineering, architectural drawings, surveys and development charges
- Hazardous material testing, abatement, and the delay it causes
- Undisclosed conditions behind finishes: rot, mould, failed framing, out-of-code wiring or plumbing
- Landscape restoration, driveway damage from deliveries, and snow removal
- Appliance and furniture supply, moving, or storage
Terms
- This estimate is valid until the date shown above; pricing after that date is subject to material cost at the time of order.
- Work outside the scope above proceeds only on a written change order signed by both parties, priced before the work begins.
- Payment is due on the terms shown; overdue accounts carry interest at ____% per month.
- Workmanship is warranted for ____ months from completion. Manufacturer warranties on supplied materials pass to the owner.
- Access to the work area, power and water are provided by the owner during working hours.
Acceptance
The owner accepts the scope, price and terms above.
Signature Printed name Date
How to price the job before you fill this in
General contracting work prices by phase, with subcontractor costs, an explicit allowance schedule, and your supervision fee shown as its own line. Whatever unit you use, the price underneath it has to cover three things: the loaded cost of the hours, the share of overhead those hours consume, and the margin you intend to keep. Miss any one and the job looks profitable right up until year-end.
On general contracting the two things that decide profitability are allowances and change orders. Every owner-selected item needs a dollar allowance on the estimate, and every change needs a signed price before work proceeds. A verbal 'while you're in there' is the most expensive sentence in the trade.
If you've never run the numbers, do it in this order: loaded labour rate, overhead per billable hour, then the rate you should charge. It takes about fifteen minutes once.
The parts of this template that do the most work
The exclusions. Every line in that list exists because someone did that work for free. Deleting a line because it seems negative is how you end up back there — read the exclusions guide before you cut any of them.
The change order clause. Priced and signed before the work happens, every time. Verbal agreements on site are collected at the end of the job, if at all.
The expiry date. Material pricing moves and your quote shouldn't be open forever. Fourteen to thirty days is normal.
The signature block. An estimate that gets signed is a contract. An estimate that only informs is a price the customer takes to somebody else.
Send it the same day
Speed closes general contracting work more reliably than being the cheapest. The homeowner who has just watched you walk their job is more interested in you than they will be tomorrow, and considerably more than in three days. Fill in the scope on site, price it that evening, send it before you go to bed.
Questions contractors actually ask
How detailed should a renovation estimate be?
Detailed enough that the owner can see what they're buying and you can prove what you priced: scope by phase, an allowance schedule, exclusions, a payment schedule tied to milestones, and a change order process spelled out.
How do allowances work on an estimate?
You state a dollar figure for a category the owner hasn't selected yet — tile, fixtures, flooring. If they choose above it, the difference plus your stated markup is added. Say that on the estimate, in that order, before they go shopping.
Should I show subcontractor pricing?
Show the scope, not the sub's invoice. You carry the scheduling, supervision, warranty and payment risk on subbed work, and a markup on it is standard practice, not padding.
Can I use this template commercially?
Yes. Use it on your own jobs, put your company name and logo on it, and reuse it as often as you like. Reselling the template itself as a product is not permitted.
Is this a legally binding contract?
Once both parties sign, an estimate with scope, price and terms generally forms a contract — but contract law varies by province and state, and this is general information rather than legal advice. For high-value work, have a lawyer review your standard terms once. It's a one-time cost that covers every job afterwards.
The Word version, plus nine other trades
The Vault includes this template and nine more as editable Word files, the pricing calculator that produces the number you put in it, and pre-written terms for each trade.
Pricing calculator, 10 trade estimate templates in Word, pre-written exclusions and terms, and the 10-minute pricing guide. One payment, no subscription, 30-day guarantee.
Other trades
All ten estimate templates, from roofing to handyman.