Construction Cost Code Template for Custom Home Builders

You know the last build made money. You don't know which part of it did.

What's in the list

• 45 cost codes across nine phases, permits through punch list
• The cost types to split each code by: labor, material, subcontractor, equipment, other
• A simple note on what belongs in every code
• A column mapping each code to the NAHB Chart of Accounts — 3802 for direct costs, 4002 for job overhead
• A QuickBooks Online setup guide: which job field to use on your plan, plus six setup steps
• A QuickBooks mapping tab with a suggested item, account, and class for every code, filled in from your edits
• Blank columns for your own numbers and your crew's names for things
• Opens in Excel or Google Sheets

How to use it

1. Mark N on work you don't do. Most custom builders land at 25 to 40 active codes.
2. Renumber and rename. Match what your bookkeeper and your crew already say.
3. Set up QuickBooks once. Follow the setup tab, then create one item per code from the mapping tab. At setup, not per invoice.
4. Build your estimate on the same codes. The estimate becomes the budget.
5. Freeze the list. Add codes at the start of a job, never mid-build.