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Construction Project Budget Tracker — Real-Time Spend vs. Budget

Know where every dollar is going before it is gone. A real-time construction project budget tracker with original budget, approved change orders, revised budget, committed costs, actual spend, and projected final cost — by cost category and by phase.

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What's Included

  • Original contract amount and approved change orders running total
  • Revised budget = original + change orders
  • Committed costs (contracts awarded to subs and suppliers)
  • Actual costs to date (paid invoices)
  • Uncommitted budget remaining (for unawarded scopes)
  • Projected final cost = actual + committed + contingency
  • Projected variance = revised budget minus projected final
  • Budget breakdown by CSI division (site work, concrete, framing, mechanical, electrical, finish)
  • Cash flow projection chart (spend by month vs. budget)
  • Owner billing reconciliation (amount billed vs. amount paid vs. budget)

Who This Is For

GCs and remodelers managing projects with detailed client budgets, bank construction loans, or owner-provided budgets. If you do not have a real-time budget tracker, you will not know you have overrun until the job is done — and then it is too late to recover. This tracker lets you see budget health at every weekly owner meeting.

What Professionals Say

★★★★★

Saved a $420K custom home project from a $60K overrun. Caught a mechanical commitment that would have blown the budget at 70% complete — issued a value engineering change order before it was too late.

— Tony L., residential GC
★★★★★

My clients love the weekly budget update I send them. Building it used to take an hour. Now it takes 10 minutes to update the tracker and screenshot it for the report.

— Kelly B., remodeling contractor
★★★★★

Required by my construction lender for every draw request. This format is exactly what they need.

— Brian W., home builder

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between committed cost and actual cost in a budget tracker?
Committed cost is the total value of contracts and purchase orders you have signed with subs and suppliers — money you are obligated to pay, even if you have not paid it yet. Actual cost is what you have actually invoiced and paid. Tracking both gives you a true picture of where the budget stands, not just what has been billed so far.
How do I handle change orders in a construction budget?
Each approved change order should increase (or decrease) the revised budget column. Track owner-authorized change orders separately from contractor-initiated changes. The revised budget is your new baseline for tracking variance.
How do I project the final cost before the job is complete?
Final cost projection = actual costs paid + committed costs (signed contracts not yet billed) + estimated cost to complete uncommitted scopes + contingency. Compare projected final cost to revised budget to see your projected variance. Update weekly.

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Budget Tracker is the foundation of the Builder Finance Kit — 7 financial templates for $57

Builder Finance Kit — $57 Complete Builder Pro Kit — $97
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