Contractor Estimating Template for Excel
A contractor estimate has more moving parts than a materials list. Labor needs burden on top of the wage, overhead has to be charged to the job somehow, and the price you send has to clear a margin target, not just a markup. When those pieces live in different places, a bid can look profitable and still lose money.
The KlipPack Contractor Estimating & Job-Profit System is one Excel workbook with 9 sheets and 68 formulas that keeps all of it connected: you set your rates once, enter the job, and the proposal fills in from the same numbers.
What's inside
Setup once
Business info plus 8 default rates: labor burden, sales tax, default crew rate, markup, target margin, and monthly overhead divided by billable crew-hours to give an overhead cost per labor hour.
Three cost sheets
20 material lines with quantity, unit cost, and tax; 15 labor tasks with crew size, hours, and a rate that falls back to your default and adds burden automatically; 12 equipment or subcontractor lines.
Markup and margin side by side
The Overhead & Markup sheet totals direct cost, applies overhead per labor hour, and shows a suggested price by markup and another by target margin, so you can see the gap before you choose.
Job Profit Dashboard
Takes the bid you actually pick and returns gross profit, gross margin, markup over cost, and profit per labor hour.
Client Proposal
Pulls your business details and the total, splits a deposit (30% by default) from the balance, and prints clean.
Cost Library
32 reference line items across seven trade groups (concrete, framing, drywall, paint, flooring, roofing, and mechanical subs) with blank unit-cost cells for your local prices.
Who it's for
Solo and small-crew contractors, remodelers, and handyman businesses who bid their own work and want one file that runs from takeoff to a proposal.
Who it's not for
A single-trade sub who only needs a fast quantity takeoff. The concrete, painting, and drywall templates below do that on one sheet for less.
FAQ
What software does it need?
Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. It is a standard .xlsx with ordinary formulas and no macros, so it also opens in LibreOffice and Numbers.
Does it come with sample prices?
No. There is no sample data and the Cost Library unit-cost cells are blank, because material and labor prices vary by market. You enter your own once in Setup and the Cost Library.
How is this different from a free estimate template?
Most free sheets stop at materials and labor. This one charges overhead to the job by labor hour, adds burden to every labor line, compares a markup price with a target-margin price, and feeds the chosen bid into a proposal.
Is it a subscription?
No. It is a one-time purchase; you keep the file, and future updates to the product are included.
Estimates are only as good as the prices and production rates you enter. You are responsible for checking every bid before you send it.
Contractor Estimating & Job-Profit System · $99
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