Contractor Estimating Spreadsheet Template: What to Include (Free Checklist)

If your estimates feel inconsistent (or you keep “winning” jobs but money feels tight), the problem usually isn’t your work.

It’s the math and the system.

A simple estimating spreadsheet helps you:

• stop forgetting line items
• price labor consistently
• protect margin with markup + profit
• quote faster without guessing

Below is a clean template layout you can build in Google Sheets or Excel in under an hour.

The simplest structure that works (3 tabs)

Tab 1: Estimate Summary

This is what totals the job and keeps you sane.

Include:

• Client name + job address
• Estimate number
• Scope summary (1–3 sentences)
• Subtotal (materials + labor)
• Overhead
• Profit
• Tax (if applicable)
• Total
• Deposit / payment schedule (optional)

Tab 2: Materials

This is where you stop “eating” hardware, consumables, and waste.

Recommended columns

• Item
• Supplier
• Unit (ea / ft / box)
• Qty
• Unit Cost
• Waste %
• Markup %
• Extended Cost

Formula (Extended Cost)
=Qty * UnitCost * (1 + Waste%) * (1 + Markup%)

Tab 3: Labor

This is where most underbidding happens.

Recommended columns

• Task
• Crew Role (you / helper / tech)
• Estimated Hours
• Loaded Hourly Rate
• Extended Labor

Formula (Extended Labor)
=Hours * LoadedHourlyRate

The “loaded hourly rate” (the number you need)

Your hourly rate isn’t just your wage.

A simple way to estimate a loaded rate:

1. Pick your target hourly pay
2. Add burden (taxes/insurance/etc.)
3. Add overhead per hour
4. Add profit

Quick method

• Burden: add 20–35% on top of wage
• Overhead per hour: monthly overhead / billable hours per month

Example:

• Wage target: $35/hr
• Burden at 25%: $35 × 1.25 = $43.75/hr
• Monthly overhead: $4,000
• Billable hours/month: 80
• Overhead per hour: $4,000 / 80 = $50/hr
• Loaded rate (before profit): $43.75 + $50 = $93.75/hr

Always. Round up.

The 12 line items contractors forget (and regret)

Add these to your spreadsheet as checkboxes or default rows:

• Trip/fuel charge
• Disposal/dump fees
• Consumables (blades, bits, tape, fasteners)
• Floor/wall protection
• Pickup/delivery time
• Permit fees
• Tool wear / specialty tool rental
• Waste factor (10–20% depending on materials)
• Cleanup time
• Admin time (calls, invoicing)
• Payment fees (card processing)
• Warranty reserve (even small)

Example estimate (so you can sanity check)

Let’s say it’s a small job:

Materials

• Direct materials: $150
• Waste 10%, markup 20%
  Extended materials:
  $150 × 1.10 × 1.20 = $150 × 1.32 = $198

Labor

• 10 hours at $95/hr loaded rate
  Labor: 10 × 95 = $950

Subtotal: $198 + $950 = $1,148
Overhead (if not already included in rate): skip (avoid double-counting)
Profit (15%): $1,148 × 0.15 = $172.20
Total: $1,148 + $172.20 = $1,320.20 → quote $1,320

If your loaded rate already includes overhead, don’t add overhead again.

Free checklist (copy this into your spreadsheet)

• Materials listed (including consumables)
• Waste factor applied
• Markup applied
• Labor broken into tasks
• Loaded hourly rate used (not “hope rate”)
• Trip/fuel included
• Cleanup included
• Disposal included
• Admin time accounted for
• Payment fees accounted for
• Profit added
• Terms included (deposit, timeline, exclusions)

For more ideas, read our main guide: Digital Products for Tradesmen: 10 No-BS Ideas You Can Build in a Weekend.

If you want to turn this into a digital product, bundle:

• the spreadsheet +
• the checklist +
• a one-page “how to use it” PDF

That’s a real product people will buy.