8-Tab Kitchen Budget Sheet | Google Sheets | Percent Allocation + 15-25% Contingency | Designer

A kitchen renovation budget spreadsheet that splits your total across every category and funds a real 15-25% contingency — designer-built, in Google Sheets.

A total is not a budget. A split is. You came in with a number; that number is not a budget until it is split across every category the kitchen will actually spend on, with a contingency on top big enough to absorb the surprises that are coming. This sheet does the splitting for you. You enter your total once, and the allocation, the reserves, the contingency, the grand total, and the red flags all calculate on their own.

There are no dollar amounts in this sheet. On purpose. Kitchen costs swing two to two-and-a-half times across markets, move year to year, and do not translate across currencies. So nothing is hardcoded. You bring the numbers — you type your total in your own currency and drop your own local quotes in the tracker. The math runs on percentages, so it works in any currency, any market, any year.

WHAT'S INSIDE — 8 TABS

- Start Here — a plain-language walkthrough in the designer's voice, so you know what to do before you touch a cell.
- Allocation — pick your scope tier (cosmetic refresh, mid-scope reno, or gut of an older home), enter your total, and watch every category split out by percentage.
- Reserves — two lines the categories miss: hidden conditions and the appliance cascade.
- Contingency and Grand Total — a 15-25% contingency keyed to your scope, and the number you are actually prepared to spend.
- Red-Flag Check — the sheet walks every threshold and lights up anything that is off: percentages that do not sum to 100, cabinets eating too much or too little, labor under-quoted, a deposit too big, a draw not tied to a milestone.
- Payment Milestones — tie every draw to something you can see, so big money never leaves before visible work does.
- Vendor / Quote Tracker — a "your local quote" column to compare real quotes against what you allocated.
- Helpers — the working tab behind the math (hidden), so the front tabs stay clean.

WHO THIS IS FOR

- Homeowners who want a budget that splits top-down instead of stacking quotes bottom-up
- Buyers in any country or currency — the sheet is percentage-based, with no hardcoded costs
- Anyone who has been quoted a kitchen and wants to check the number against a real allocation

WHO THIS IS NOT FOR

- Buyers who want published cost ranges or "what a kitchen should cost" numbers — this sheet does not hardcode dollars, by design
- Anyone who wants a printable PDF planner (see the Kitchen Edition Renovation Planner)

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Built on the budgeting framework of an award-winning kitchen designer with 14+ years of residential experience — the same percent-allocation, contingency, and payment-milestone discipline from the Kitchen Edition Renovation Planner, turned into a sheet that does the math for you.

HOW THIS WAS MADE

The expertise here comes from a practicing kitchen designer with 14+ years on the floor, captured in recorded interviews and written Q&A. The writing was drafted and edited with AI assistance working from those transcripts, then sent back to her for review — her corrections are in the final text. The judgment is hers. The tools are just tools.

FORMAT AND COMPATIBILITY

- Google Sheets template, delivered as an instant-download PDF with your private Make-a-Copy link
- A free Google account is required. Open the link — Google will ask if you want to make a copy. Say yes, then work in that copy
- Can be downloaded to Microsoft Excel (File > Download), though some drop-downs and color rules work best in Google Sheets
- No dollar amounts — you enter your own total and quotes, in any currency
- No physical product is shipped

FAQ

Q: How is this delivered?
A: After checkout you download a short PDF with a private Make-a-Copy link. Open the link. Google will ask if you want to make a copy — say yes. The sheet lands in your own Drive.

Q: Do I need a Google account?
A: Yes, a free one. A copy has to live in somebody's Drive. If you are not signed in, Google will ask first.

Q: Can I use it in Excel?
A: You can download it to Excel. The formulas carry over; a few drop-down menus and colour-coded flags are built for Google Sheets and may look different in Excel.

Q: Why are there no dollar amounts?
A: Because a number that is right for one kitchen is wrong for the next. The sheet runs on percentages and your own entered total, so it stays right in any currency, market, or year.

Q: What is the refund policy?
A: As a digital download, this listing is non-refundable once access has been delivered, in line with Etsy's policy for instant-download digital goods. If something is wrong, message me and I will fix it.

You have all your ducks in a row before putting down any deposit.