Renovation Cost-to-Complete & Contingency Tracker
What will it really cost to finish—and is enough funding left?
Private browser calculationBase + risk comparisonCSV · project file · print
Method reviewed October 25, 2026 · All prefilled amounts and rates are hypothetical examples. Replace them with supported project figures.
Build a decision you can explain.
Reconcile paid costs, approved changes, remaining commitments and unbought work to expose forecast overruns, contingency headroom and remaining funding gaps. Read the method and boundaries.
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Project files retain scenarios across the nine workbench models and share a private label. BRRRR and condo models can also share purchase, acquisition, construction and soft-cost inputs. Each model retains its own financing, cash and operating assumptions. A saved tool scenario restores its own values.
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Work packages and current forecasts
Use a private reference. All rows and amounts below are illustrative until you replace them.
Approvals can leave an apparent reserve while the forecast overruns
Hypothetical prefilled packages total $300,000 of original base budget plus $50,000 separate contingency. Net approved changes are $20,000. Paid costs are $130,000 and current remaining forecasts are $225,000. Entered available cash plus verified undrawn funds total $200,000.
| Decision measure | USD |
|---|---|
| Nominal contingency after approvals | $30,000 |
| Forecast total cost at completion | $355,000 |
| Forecast over original control funding | $5,000 |
| Base funding still needed beyond entered resources | $25,000 |
A positive nominal reserve does not prove the project is fully funded. The risk case adds $30,000 of unresolved exposure, $9,000 of uncommitted-work overrun and $15,000 delay carry, bringing forecast cost to $409,000.
Method, assumptions and DC source boundaries
These equations are our planning analysis. Agency sources explain legal or supervisory context; they do not validate a property, approve a lender request or supply the fictional rates and prices above. Method version 2026-10-25.2.
- Each remaining dollar belongs in either unpaid committed cost or uncommitted forecast, never both. Paid costs are historical cash outflows and must be excluded from remaining commitments. Include all relevant project scope and base carry in package rows; this tool cannot find omissions.
- Original control funding equals original package budgets plus the original separate contingency. Approved changes reallocate that control funding; they do not create new money. Nominal contingency after approvals equals original contingency minus net approved changes, while forecast headroom compares control funding with actual paid plus remaining forecast costs.
- Base estimate at completion equals paid + unpaid commitments + uncommitted forecast. Risk-funded completion additionally spends all entered unapproved exposure, applies the entered overrun to uncommitted work and adds incremental delay carry. These are assumptions, not probability-weighted estimates or approved orders.
- Funding needed from today excludes paid costs. The displayed gap compares remaining need with entered unrestricted cash plus verified undrawn funds. It does not model reimbursement lag, retainage, draw conditions or intramonth timing; use the dated draw tool for interim liquidity.
- Negative approved changes represent documented deletions; a package approved budget cannot be negative. Actual costs can exceed approved budgets and remain visible. A payment entry does not establish inspection acceptance, lien release, contractor licensing or completion.
Evidence to confirm
- Commercial Real Estate Lending, version 2.0Office of the Comptroller of the Currency · Context reviewed October 25, 2026 · Bank supervisory reference reviewed 2026-10-24, including March 2025 update note; not universal private-lender terms
- Contractor and construction service licensing requirementsDC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection · Context reviewed October 25, 2026
- DC construction codes and official amendmentsDC Department of Buildings · Context reviewed October 25, 2026
- DC Code, Title 40, Chapter 3: mechanics, materialmen and contractorsDC Law Library · Context reviewed October 25, 2026
Keep actual quotes, leases, tax/closing calculations, approval records and release conditions with your project. No automatic entitlement, valuation, savings or funding outcome is represented.