Renovation Budget Planner
Plan the real cost of your project and keep spending under control.
Stage: Planning and controlling my budget
At a glance
- What this helps with
- Plan the real cost of your project and keep spending under control.
- Best for
- Homeowners planning an extension, renovation, kitchen, garage conversion or landscaping project.
- What you get
- • Live dashboard
- • Detailed budget plan
- • VAT and contingency settings
- • Payment planner
- • Variation log
- • Decision and allowance tracker
- Important disclaimer
- The Builder's Brief UK provides practical homeowner guidance only. It is not legal, financial, architectural, structural engineering, planning or building-control advice. Always use suitably qualified professionals where required.
Homeowners planning an extension, renovation, kitchen, garage conversion or landscaping project.
Catches the costs homeowners regularly forget — design fees, building control, skips, scaffolding, finishes, VAT and a sensible contingency.
Everything in this pack
2 documents · PDF guide + editable Excel workbook. Plain English, UK-specific and designed to print at A4.
Files in this pack
- Renovation Budget Planner guide (PDF, 18 pages)
- Renovation Budget Planner workbook (XLSX, 7 sheets)
- Live dashboard
- Detailed budget plan
- VAT and contingency settings
- Payment planner
- Variation log
- Decision and allowance tracker
- Three-quote comparison
- Estimated-versus-actual variance
- Cost-to-complete guidance
Real pages from this product.
Every image below is a genuine page from the files you receive, shown at reduced size with a preview watermark.
Sample pages — previewing 4 of 18
Previews are a limited, reduced-resolution, watermarked sample. Purchased files are supplied complete, unwatermarked and at full printable quality.
Guide sample pages — 3 of the 18 pages
Watermarked samples at reduced resolution. The variation worksheet is shown as a part page, and the full budget plan worksheets are included with your purchase.
Plan the real project cost, track changes and protect your contingency. Set a contingency that matches the risk in your own project. Keep control of changes so the budget does not drift.
Editable Excel workbook — illustrative example
A mock-up showing the workbook layout with invented sample figures. The real workbook and its 7 sheets are included with your purchase.
See planned against actual cost by category, with fictional example numbers.
How this pack changes the conversation with your builder.
Before using this pack
- A budget based on the builder's headline figure alone
- Pre-start, professional and site-setup costs left out
- No contingency, or a round number picked at random
- Changes agreed on site with no effect on the forecast
- No clear view of what is left to spend mid-project
After using this pack
- A layered budget covering build, fees, selections and VAT
- Contingency set against the real risk of your property
- Cash requirements scheduled against progress and orders
- Every variation updating the forecast and headroom
- A cost-to-complete review you can run at any point
How you get your files
- 2 documents · PDF guide + editable Excel workbook
- Create or sign in to your free account before checkout. Your purchase and downloads will then be saved to your account, with access details also sent by email.
- One-off purchase — no subscription and no repeat billing.
- The Excel workbook is editable, so you can use it on any project.
- Written for UK homeowners — plain English, no jargon.
If you experience a technical issue accessing your files, please contact us within 14 days of purchase and we will put it right or refund your order. Change-of-mind refunds are handled by our payment provider, Paddle, under their buyer terms. To request a refund, visit paddle.net or email hello@thebuildersbrief.co.uk and we'll help you get it sorted.
Take control of your project budget — £19.99The Builder's Brief UK provides practical homeowner guidance based on real trade experience. It is not legal, financial, architectural, structural engineering, planning or building-control advice, and is not a replacement for project-specific guidance from suitably qualified professionals.
Where this fits in your project
With the budget set, the £49 pack organises everything before work starts — brief, decisions, pre-start meeting, site logs, snagging and handover.
Complete Homeowner Project Pack (£69) bundles every paid pack for about £9.98 less than buying them separately.
Checking my first quote
Free Builder Quote Checklist
Free PDF
A short, printable checklist to help you check any UK builder quote before signing or paying a deposit.
Comparing one or more quotes
Homeowner Quote Checker Pack
£9.99
Score, compare and clarify builder quotes before you commit.
Preparing to start work
Homeowner Project Prep Pack
£49
Get properly organised before work starts, then keep clear records through to handover.
Managing the full project
Complete Homeowner Project Pack
£69 (best value)
Every homeowner tool, from first quote to final handover, in one organised download.
Common questions
Quick answers about delivery, format and how to use the pack.
Are these guides written for UK homeowners?
Do I need any building experience to use them?
How do I receive my download?
Can I print the workbooks and use them in builder meetings?
Will this help me spot red flags and provisional sums in a quote?
Common Renovation Costs Homeowners Forget
Skips, scaffolding, surveys, building control, kitchen appliances, flooring — the UK renovation line items that quietly get missed.
What Should Be Included in an Extension Quote?
Foundations, steels, building control, finishes, VAT — what a proper UK extension quote should cover and the items often missing.
Builder Payment Schedules Explained
Deposits, stage payments, retentions — how a sensible UK builder payment schedule should look and what to push back on.