Free Australian buyer tool
Tiny Home Project Budget Planner (Australia)
Add your own builder quote, site costs, delivery, services, approvals and owner work. The planner totals the figures, separates written quotes from allowances and shows which parts of the project are still uncosted.
Last updated: 1 August 2026
Buyer-entered result
Project budget summary
This total only adds the figures entered. It does not predict prices, decide an adequate contingency or prove that a quote covers the site, approvals, delivery or completed dwelling.
How to use the planner
- Enter the whole-project amount you can fund, if you have set one. Do not use the builder's advertised price as the target by default.
- Add each written quote and label any figure you supplied yourself as a buyer allowance.
- Leave unknown work blank. The result will keep it on the gap list instead of silently treating it as zero.
- Replace allowances with site-specific quotes as the design, land, delivery route and approval pathway become clearer.
What the total can and cannot tell you
The calculation is simple addition. Its useful job is to keep the factory build, site, approvals, delivery, services and owner work in one place, then expose the gaps between them.
It cannot test whether a quote is complete, whether the project can be approved, whether a lender will fund it or whether a contingency is adequate. Those checks still need current written advice for the site and contract.
Worked example: brochure price versus project plan
Suppose a buyer enters a $120,000 written home-package quote, then adds their own allowances of $8,000 for reports and approvals, $12,000 for site and foundations, $7,000 for delivery, $15,000 for services, $8,000 for owner work and $2,000 for insurance and holding costs. The documented subtotal is $172,000.
If that buyer independently chooses a 10% contingency, the planner adds $17,200 and shows a $189,200 planned total. These round figures demonstrate the method only. They are not typical costs, quotes or a recommended contingency.
Before you rely on a total
Check the quote basis
Confirm GST, expiry date, specification, exclusions, provisional sums, delivery distance and variation terms.
Name every responsibility
Record who owns planning, engineering, foundations, service connections, crane access, certification and handover.
Use the actual site
Slope, soil, bushfire, flood, wastewater, access and utility distance can change several budget lines at once.
Separate quotes from allowances
A buyer allowance is useful for planning but should not be presented as a fixed or supplier-confirmed price.
Match lender timing
Off-site production and deposits may not align with valuation or progress-payment requirements. Confirm the sequence early.
Recheck before contract
The budget should match the current drawings, written specification, site scope, payment schedule and approval responsibilities.
Continue your research
Method and source notes
The categories follow the complete-project scopes that Australian buyers need to reconcile across factory, site and owner contracts. Official quote guidance also stresses clear written descriptions, itemised costs, terms and inclusions. State building-contract rules vary, so use the regulator for the project's jurisdiction.
- business.gov.au: prepare clear written quotes
- Building and Plumbing Commission Victoria: expected inclusions
- Australian Building Codes Board: prefab and modular handbook
- NSW Government: Consumer Building Guide
General information only. This tool is not a quote, cost estimate, valuation, finance assessment, insurance assessment, building or planning service, contract review or recommendation. It does not store or send the figures entered. Confirm prices, scope, GST, availability, licensing, insurance, approvals and responsibilities with the relevant builder, contractor, council, certifier or building surveyor, advisers, insurer and lender.