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Before any job starts, the first thing to do is lay out the construction schedule.
This template follows the order we actually schedule work in. It’s free to download; change the start date and it’s ready to use.
Download the template
- Change the “Start date” and the weekdays, dates and Gantt bars update across the whole sheet
- Change the “Days” for any item and the following items move back automatically
- If two items overlap, just edit the start date on that row
The columns a useful construction schedule needs
| Column | Why you need it |
|---|---|
| Work item | List items in construction order; breaking them down to “one crew, one job” makes scheduling easiest |
| Crew | Who is due on which day, so each crew can see it at a glance |
| Start / end date | Calculate the end date as start date + days − 1 rather than typing it, so changing one doesn’t throw everything out |
| Days | Where you estimate duration; when the job slips, this is the only cell you change |
| Gantt chart | Dates drawn as bars: overlapping crews and gaps are faster to spot in a chart than in numbers |
Common renovation work items and typical durations
| Order | Work item | Typical days |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Site protection | 1 |
| 2 | Demolition | 2–4 |
| 3 | Plumbing and electrical rough-in | 3–5 |
| 4 | Masonry (walls, plaster, waterproofing) | 5–10 |
| 5 | Tiling | 4–7 |
| 6 | A/C pipes and ducted indoor units | 1–3 |
| 7 | Carpentry (ceilings, partitions, cabinets) | 10–20 |
| 8 | Painting (filler, primer, topcoat) | 6–10 |
| 9 | Modular cabinet installation | 2–4 |
| 10 | Flooring | 1–3 |
| 11 | Lights, switches and sockets | 1–2 |
| 12 | Curtains and wallpaper | 1–2 |
| 13 | Final cleaning | 1 |
| 14 | Inspection and snag fixes | 2–5 |
Reference figures for a mid-size home renovation in Taiwan; actual time depends on size, methods and whether the layout changes | Wall-mounted split A/C units are usually installed after painting
Two places are the easiest to get wrong.
The first is masonry and waterproofing: they need drying time, so the next crew can’t start the moment they finish.
The second is carpentry and painting: filling only starts once ceilings and cabinets are done, and together these two stages are usually the longest part of the job.
How to build a Gantt chart in Excel yourself
- To the right of the table, add a row of date columns, one column per day: the first equals the start date, and each column after it adds 1
- Select the Gantt area and use conditional formatting with a formula that fills the cell when the column’s date is between the row’s start and end dates
- Add a row of weekday letters above the dates so weekends stand out
If you’d rather not build it, the template above already does this, and the Gantt bars show up in Excel, Numbers and Google Sheets.
Where Excel schedules usually break down
- Delays: one crew runs two days late and a dozen later items all need moving, while remembering to skip weekends
- Mismatched versions: the sheet is on the office computer, and the crews have last week’s screenshot from the group chat
- No reports from site: to know what is really finished you phone people one by one, so the schedule is always a step behind
Once it’s scheduled, staff and supervisors see it on their phones
Everywhere Design is a project management app for construction and renovation teams.
The schedule is a Gantt chart. When the job slips, shift everything at once, with the option to skip weekends.
Staff and supervisors view the schedule on their phones, check in by GPS on arrival, and site photos are filed by trade under each site.
30-day free trial, no credit card required.
FAQ
Do I need project management software like MS Project to make a Gantt chart?
No.
A typical home renovation has 10 to 20 work items, which Excel handles fine. The template in this article is ready to go: download it and change the start date.
What is the difference between a baseline schedule and a working schedule?
They are similar.
A baseline schedule is usually the plan shown to the client or main contractor before work starts; a working schedule is the one you keep updating during the job and use to book crews.
How do I adjust the schedule when work is delayed?
In the template, change the days for the delayed item and everything after it moves back automatically.
If you need to shift the whole job and skip weekends, a scheduling app is much faster than editing by hand.