Foundation Cost Spreadsheet

Designing and building our own foundation in our self-built home saved us a considerable amount of cost and allowed much greater quality control compared to hiring out the project. This spreadsheet details the full material and tool list for this project, which will give you insight into planning yours. We wish we would've had this resource when figuring everything out! Save yourself the hours of effort we spent researching, planning, and sourcing materials and put them into actually building your foundation. Our slab foundation is a 36'x40' rectangular footprint, with a perimeter stem wall extending below the frost line. The stem wall is constructed of concrete blocks (CMU, or concrete masonry units) that is reinforced with rebar and the cores filled solid. What's Inside? 💰 Material, Tools, & Labor Cost Breakdown: Exact cost for everything purchased for the foundation, from the first box of screws to the final truckload of concrete. 🛒 Detailed Product Information: Specific details on every item, so you can easily find and purchase the same thing for your project. 📅 Vendor Information & Purchase Dates: Where we sourced each product, tool, and service, as well as month & year of purchase to give context on price. 📝 Notes & Descriptions: Comments on where every line item belongs in the foundation. 🧩 Full Section View: Detailed section view of the foundation directly from our official building plans. This gives a clear visual of where each material is used.