Run your renovation like a project: scope, budget, quotes, changes and snags
The Renovation Project Manager gives you the method and every tool to manage a kitchen, bathroom, extension or full refurbishment from the first brief to the last snag, in any country and any currency.
- A 14-sheet Renovation Control Workbook: budget with contingency and variance, like-for-like quote scoring, milestone payments, selections with order-by dates, change orders, snags and a live dashboard
- Five fillable PDF forms: renovation brief, contractor interview and checks, site visit and stage inspection, change order, final snagging and handover
- A 44-script library for contractors, neighbours and suppliers, a request for quote pack with 8 letters, and a contract checklist with a household agreement
- A practical e-book with a worked example, four cheat sheets, 33 AI prompts, a 12-week calendar and a task board import
The Renovation Project Manager · Bodhih Pro Kits · 117 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do I manage a home renovation project myself?
Write a brief with Must, Should and Could items, set a budget with contingency, send the same request for quote to several checked contractors, compare quotes like for like, tie payments to milestones, run a weekly site meeting, sign every change, and snag before the final payment. The Renovation Project Manager kit from Bodhih Training gives you the tools for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Manage a Home Renovation Project, Step by Step.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Three quotes, three different jobs
One quote is a single line, one leaves out tax, one has a third of the price in provisional sums. You cannot tell which is really cheapest, so you guess.
The budget keeps creeping
Small changes on site, a surprise behind a wall, a tile upgrade. None feels big on its own, but together they eat the money you did not set aside.
Trades waiting for decisions
The tiler arrives and the tiles were never ordered. The shower valve is needed weeks before you thought. Every late choice costs days.
Paying before the work is right
Payments due by date rather than progress leave you with little bargaining power when snags appear or certificates are missing.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture the Saturday morning when you open the Renovation Control Workbook and the kitchen table is clear. Your brief sits in a folder, every work item ranked Must, Should or Could. As you type your start date into Settings, the plan, the trades schedule and the payment dates all move into place.
When the quotes arrive, you drop them into the Quote Comparison sheet and watch the gaps appear: the missing tax, the vague decorating line, the large provisional sums. You send the clarification email from the script library, and a week later you are choosing between quotes that finally describe the same job.
Imagine a Friday in week seven. The site meeting takes twenty minutes because the four questions are on the form. A hidden problem under the floor goes through the Decision Card and onto a signed change order, and the Dashboard shows how much contingency is left. You pay the stage payment because the evidence is there, not because the calendar says so.
And at the end, whether you start with the brief tonight or the budget tomorrow, you walk each room in daylight with the snag form, collect every certificate, agree the final account on paper and put the house file on the shelf.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Renovation Project Manager (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here map
The whole renovation as fourteen steps with the file to open at each, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day use plan.
Renovation Control Workbook
Fourteen-sheet workbook: settings, scope by room, room summary, budget with contingency and variance, like-for-like quote comparison with weighted score, milestone payment schedule, 12-week plan, trades schedule, selections with order-by dates, change order log, issues and snags, warranties and documents, and a dashboard with chart.
Renovation brief
Three-page fillable brief: why you are renovating, what done looks like, must/should/could by room, budget, constraints and the professionals you need. Send it with every request for quote.
Contractor interview and checks
Fillable interview and due-diligence record for each contractor: questions to ask on the site visit, checks on insurance, registration and references, and a score that feeds the Quote Comparison sheet.
Site visit and stage inspection
Two-part fillable form: a weekly site meeting and daily check record, and a stage inspection before anything is covered up (after strip-out, after first fix, before tiling, before decorating).
Change order form
One-page fillable change order: what changes, why, cost and time impact, effect on other trades, and signatures before work starts. Log each one in the Change Orders sheet.
Final snagging and handover
Three-page fillable snag walk-round by room, handover checklist (certificates, manuals, warranties, keys, settings) and final account sign-off with retention.
Script library: contractors, neighbours, suppliers
44 scripts and ready-to-send messages for professionals and approvals, finding and checking contractors, negotiating, neighbours, suppliers, on site, problems and disputes, and snagging.
Request for quote pack and letters
Request for quote pack (covering letter, scope and pricing schedule, 10 questions for every contractor, owner-supply list) plus 8 ready-to-send letters including the neighbour notice letter.
Renovation agreement checklist and household agreement
Part 1: a 14-section checklist of what your renovation contract should cover, to use with any standard or contractor's contract. Part 2: a one-page household renovation agreement on who decides, spending limits and living through works.
Worked example pack: the Mensah kitchen and bathroom
The brief, contractor checks, quote comparison, payment schedule, a stage inspection, a change order and the snag list completely filled in for one composite case, so you can see what good looks like.
AI prompt pack for renovation
33 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by stage of the renovation, each with what to paste in and what to check before using the output.
Trades sequence card
The usual order of work in eleven stages, what must be finished or inspected before each next stage, lead-time traps and drying times.
Decision card: change or not
If-this-then-that card for every proposed change, quick rules and the cost of a late change.
Red flags in quotes
Fourteen red flags in quotes and contractors, why each matters and what to do, plus green flags.
Renovation mistakes to avoid
Twelve common renovation mistakes, the early sign of each, what to do instead and a Friday self-check.
12-week renovation project calendar
63 calendar events across 12 weeks: every plan task with the file to open, weekly site meetings during the build and a Friday self-check. Import, then move dates to suit.
Renovation task board import
43 plan tasks as a CSV ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with phase, week, owner and due date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + PDF cheat sheets + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 57 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Apple Preview, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion
- Best for
- Kitchens, bathrooms, extensions, flat fit-outs and full refurbishments, anywhere in the world
The Brief: What You Want, Why, and What Done Looks Like
Write a one-page brief that says why you are renovating, what done looks like and ranks every item Must, Should or Could.
A Budget That Survives Contact with Reality
Build a line-by-line budget with estimate, quote and actual, a contingency set before quotes, and a weekly Dashboard check.
Design Decisions and Selections
Give every selection an order-by date so tiles, valves and worktops arrive before the trade who fits them.
Permits, Approvals, Safety and the Professionals You Need
Separate planning, building approval, consents and neighbour notices, and book qualified professionals for structural, electrical, gas, roofing and asbestos work.
Finding and Checking Contractors
Check contractors from three sources: the site visit conversation, references and paperwork you verify yourself.
Comparing Quotes Like for Like
Send everyone the same request for quote, normalise for tax, exclusions and provisional sums, then score with weights.
The Agreement and Paying by Milestones
Use a fourteen-point checklist to read any contract and tie every payment to evidence you can see.
The Schedule, the Trades Sequence and Living Through the Works
Sequence the trades, respect drying time and inspections, and plan how you will live through the works.
Running the Site: Meetings, Daily Checks and Changes
Run a weekly site meeting with four questions and put every change through a decision card and a signed change order.
Quality, Problems, Snagging and Handover
Inspect before covering, log problems, climb the escalation ladder calmly, snag in daylight and collect every document before the final payment.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Renovation Project Manager e-book: 10 chapters, a worked example throughout, an appendix on rented-out and inherited property, and dated country notes
Spreadsheet
- Renovation Control Workbook: Start here, Settings, Scope by Room, Room Summary, Budget, Quote Comparison, Payment Schedule, Project Plan, Trades Schedule, Selections, Change Orders, Issues and Snags, Warranties and Documents, and a Dashboard with chart
Fillable PDF forms
- Renovation brief (3 pages)
- Contractor interview and checks (2 pages)
- Site visit and stage inspection (2 parts)
- Change order form
- Final snagging and handover (3 pages)
Word templates
- Script library: 44 scripts for professionals, contractors, negotiating, neighbours, suppliers, on site, problems and snagging
- Request for quote pack and 8 letters, including the neighbour notice letter
- Renovation agreement checklist (14 sections) and household renovation agreement
- Worked example pack: the Mensah kitchen and bathroom
- AI prompt pack: 33 prompts with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- Start here map with your first hour and a 30/60/90 day plan
- Trades sequence card
- Decision card: change or not
- Red flags in quotes
- Renovation mistakes to avoid
Plans and imports
- 12-week renovation project calendar (63 events) for Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- Task board import CSV (43 tasks) for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to write a brief that settles arguments before they cost money
- You will be able to build a budget with contingency and track estimate, quote and actual line by line
- You will be able to compare quotes like for like and choose a contractor on more than price
- You will be able to agree a contract and a payment schedule tied to evidence
- You will be able to plan selections so trades are not left waiting
- You will be able to run a weekly site meeting and control every change on paper
- You will be able to snag, collect documents and agree a final account before you pay
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Project & Delivery Leadership
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentProcurement & Vendor Management Judgment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentEstimation & Forecast Calibration
Take the assessment →JobularySet goals you actually reach with the WOOP method (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 6
Quotes differ in what they include, what they leave out and how much is still unknown. One shows tax; one does not. One includes making good and decorating; one says nothing. One has provisional sums (allowances for things not yet chosen or priced) making up a third of the total. Comparing the totals as sent is like comparing a hotel price with breakfast to one without breakfast, parking or a room. So you normalise: add tax where it is missing, add a realistic figure for anything excluded, and treat large provisional sums as uncertainty, not as a firm price. Then compare. And because price is not the only thing that matters, you score each contractor on a few weighted criteria.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | A single total in a free template | Estimate, quote and actual per line, contingency, variance alerts and a forecast against your ceiling |
| Quotes | Compare the totals | Like-for-like questions, gap count, provisional sum share and a weighted score with your own weights |
| Payments | Pay when asked | Milestones tied to evidence, due dates from your start date, retention and a final account form |
| Changes | Agreed verbally on site | Decision card, signed change order form and a log showing contingency left |
| Words to say | Work it out on the day | 44 scripts and 8 ready-to-send letters |
| Countries | One country's assumptions | Any currency, metric or imperial, and dated country notes with official sources to check |
Made for you if…
- Homeowners planning a kitchen, bathroom, loft, extension or whole-house refurbishment
- First-time buyers renovating a home they have just bought
- Owners fitting out a new flat or apartment interior
- Landlords renovating a rented-out property between or during tenancies
- Families renovating an inherited home
- Anyone who wants to work well with a builder rather than hope for the best
Probably not for you if…
- People looking for DIY instructions on electrical, gas, structural, roofing or asbestos work: those need qualified, registered professionals
- Professional contractors looking for estimating or site management software
- Anyone wanting legal advice on a specific dispute: speak to a qualified lawyer
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Your renovation, run like a project
Open the brief tonight and answer the first question together. Whether you start with the brief or the budget, you will have a clear plan on paper before you call the first contractor.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Home Ops Manual
Running the home once you are in.
The Household Money Hub
The household budget system.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Renovation Project Manager: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkHow much contingency should I keep for a renovation?
Many owners keep around 10% of the estimate for a straightforward refresh and more for older homes, structural work or anything where walls and floors are opened. The kit's Settings sheet lets you set your own figure, and the Dashboard shows how much you have used on signed changes.
How do I compare builder quotes fairly?
Send every contractor the same request for quote pack, then check what each includes: tax, strip-out, making good, decorating and provisional sums. The Quote Comparison sheet counts the gaps and calculates a weighted score, so you compare like for like rather than headline totals.
What order do trades work in during a renovation?
Broadly: protection, strip-out, structure, first fix, inspection before covering, plaster, tiling and fitting, second fix, finishes, testing and snagging. Your contractor sets the real sequence; the Trades sequence card helps you ask what must be finished, dry or inspected before each trade starts.
Does the kit work outside the UK?
Yes. The method works anywhere, the workbook takes any currency and metric or imperial units, and examples come from many countries. Rules on permits, deposits and contracts differ, so they sit in dated country notes with official sources to check.
Is this legal or building advice?
No. The kit is educational and practical. It does not replace a qualified lawyer, surveyor, structural engineer, architect or registered trades. Electrical, gas, structural, roofing and asbestos work must be done by qualified, registered professionals and inspected where your rules require.
Can I use it if I am renovating a rented-out or inherited home?
Yes. Appendix A covers both, the letters pack includes a letter to tenants, and the household agreement works for siblings or co-owners as well as couples. Check tenancy and estate rules with a qualified professional.
Do I need Excel?
No. The workbook opens in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice. Forms fill in with any PDF reader such as Acrobat Reader or Apple Preview, and the Word templates open in Word or Google Docs.
Can I measure my starting point as a project manager?
If you want to measure your starting point, the AssessAll assessments Project and Delivery Leadership, Procurement and Vendor Management Judgment, and Estimation and Forecast Calibration look at the same skills a renovation asks of you: running delivery, choosing suppliers and estimating realistically.
How do I turn what I learn into a development plan?
Many people find a renovation stretches skills they use at work. To turn it into a development plan, Jobulary's guide to the WOOP method shows how to set goals you actually reach.
Can I share the files with my builder or partner?
You can use the kit for your own renovation and share filled-in forms, schedules and letters with the people working on it. Please do not share or resell the blank kit files.
How much does The Renovation Project Manager cost?
₹1,299 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $34 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
