How to keep track of remodel expenses

[niccig]

We're starting to plan a sizable remodel. I need a way to track expenses as we have to stay within budget. I was thinking excel on google Doc, so I can input details as buy them. Any other ideas?

Thanks


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[twowhat?]

That's basically what we did, just an excel spreadsheet. I put each area on its own tab (e.g. kitchen, breakfast room, family room...). In the first column I listed each remodel item (e.g. dining table pendant light, kitchen backsplash, dining room paint etc.). I tried to split out labor and materials where possible. Then in the next column I input the original budgeted amount. I just called it "original estimate" in the header - this was basically the estimated cost for each line item. The third column listed the actual cost (for simplicity I included tax) and the last column was for "notes" - anything that I needed to make note of. At the very bottom (last row) I just put in a simple formula to tally up everything in that column.

It worked well enough, the key was to stay on top of it every time we got a receipt and it did absolutely help keep us in budget - for example we had to have our designer return a bunch of things that spilled us over budget. When all was done, we were only a few hundred over our original budget, which I think was pretty good considering it was a 25K remodel.

[hillview]

I did an xls and put down estimates for everything and then put in the actuals. I was about 80% right

[pastrygirl]

I also kept an Excel spreadsheet. In one column, I wrote the estimate or guesstimate, and in another column, I wrote the actual amount once I paid (along with date/check #).

[Dcclerk]

I recently had a client use this company Airtable for another context, and I thought of it for remodeling at the time. It looks like something I would have loved to use when we built our house. The learning curve may be quite steep, because it has so much flexibility, which can be pretty daunting. But I don't know of another option that allows you to include so much information, cross-reference, and upload receipts, etc. https://airtable.com/tbl1o1pVX53g5lm...N8g9qT9jPjoYoM Good luck!

[niccig]

I recently had a client use this company Airtable for another context, and I thought of it for remodeling at the time. It looks like something I would have loved to use when we built our house. The learning curve may be quite steep, because it has so much flexibility, which can be pretty daunting. But I don't know of another option that allows you to include so much information, cross-reference, and upload receipts, etc. https://airtable.com/tbl1o1pVX53g5lm...N8g9qT9jPjoYoM Good luck!

Oh..this could be dangerous. I'm a database geek. I was contemplating making my own in Access but I want to access it on my phone...

[squimp]

You could use excel and google docs, then you could access it on your phone.

[lmh2402]

i used excel

[Dcclerk]

Oh..this could be dangerous. I'm a database geek. I was contemplating making my own in Access but I want to access it on my phone...

If you can do Access, this seems quite easy. (I would need someone to at least set it up with me.) It does have an iPhone and iPad app, but I don't know how full-featured it is. My client used it for a pretty basic purpose, but the options there look pretty robust. If I had time to geek out, I'm sure I would find all kinds of uses...

[niccig]

If you can do Access, this seems quite easy. (I would need someone to at least set it up with me.) It does have an iPhone and iPad app, but I don't know how full-featured it is. My client used it for a pretty basic purpose, but the options there look pretty robust. If I had time to geek out, I'm sure I would find all kinds of uses...

I'll play with it. I used to make databases in Access when I was a librarian. We often needed something custom and the IT guys were too busy and wanted to work in SQL. Our projects weren't that big to warrant paying someone else, so I taught myself (did some database design classes in Library masters, but self-taught Access and Filemaker Pro). I recently got an email that 6 years later they ran into a problem with one of the databases. I told them to get something new, as I work in a different field now. They had the original database without data as a back-up, and just copied over a new version and are using that without any problems.

I actually want a database for work and have been considering making something in Access...maybe this will work too.