Free framing estimate template that survives lumber swings
This free framing estimate template organizes a frame bid into walls, floors and roof, sheathing, hardware, and labor, with a price-hold date because lumber quotes go stale in days, not months. Studs and trusses price by the each, dimensional lumber and beams by the foot, sheathing by the square foot. A downloadable PDF version is on this page.
Walls
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2x4 stud | ea | roughly one per lf of wall at 16 in centers, after plates and corners |
| 2x6 lumber | lf | exterior walls where the plan or energy code wants the depth |
| Pressure treated 2x4 | lf | sill and bottom plates on concrete |
| Sill seal | lf |
Floors and roof
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Engineered I-joist | lf | |
| LVL beam | lf | headers and flush beams per the structural sheets |
| Roof truss | ea | truss plant lead time drives the schedule |
| Tongue and groove subfloor | sf | glued and screwed, squeaks are callbacks |
Sheathing and weather barrier
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| OSB sheathing | sf | |
| ZIP System sheathing | sf | sheathing and weather barrier in one, tape is the system |
| House wrap | sf |
Hardware and fasteners
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Joist hanger | ea | |
| Hurricane tie | ea | every truss or rafter seat where code requires |
| Hold-down anchor | ea | |
| Anchor bolt | ea | |
| Framing nails | lb | |
| Structural screws | lb | |
| Construction adhesive | ea |
Labor and equipment
| Line item | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Framing crew labor | hr | |
| Crane or lift for truss setting | day |
Example scope
Frame a 2,400 sf two-story on a prepared foundation, per the architect's plan set rev B: 2x6 exterior and 2x4 interior walls, engineered I-joist floor system with glued tongue and groove subfloor, plant-built roof trusses set by crane, ZIP System wall sheathing taped, OSB roof deck, and the full connector package per the structural sheets. Lumber package price held 10 days from bid date.
What a framing estimate must include
The plan set and revision date, referenced
Name the drawings and the revision the bid is built on. Framing bids die by plan revision: a moved wall, a bigger header, a vaulted ceiling added in rev C. When the estimate cites rev B, everything after it is visibly a change order instead of an argument about what was included.
A lumber price-hold date
Suppliers typically hold a lumber package quote 7 to 15 days, and the commodity market moves more than any other input you buy. Put the hold date on the estimate and state that the package reprices at current market after it. Holding a 30 day price on someone else's 10 day quote is how framers lose five figures.
Engineered lumber and trusses as their own section
LVL at about $9.65 per lf and glulam at $18 are a different budget class than 2x4 at $0.63, and trusses around $148 each come from a truss plant with their own lead time and engineering. Separate them so the client sees where the money actually is, and so a truss redesign reprices cleanly.
The hardware schedule, per the engineer
Hurricane ties at $0.87, hold-downs at $26, joist hangers, straps, and anchor bolts: the connector package on an engineered plan runs to real money and the inspector checks it piece by piece. Bid it from the structural sheets, and state that hardware added by engineering revisions is a change order.
Equipment and hoisting
Setting trusses on a two-story means a crane day or a boom lift, and neither is free. Carry hoisting as a visible line with the assumed day count. Weather that scrubs a crane day is a real cost too, so say how a re-mobilization bills.
Exclusions at the framing boundary
Exclude engineering fees, steel beams unless quoted, windows and exterior doors unless the bid includes setting them, backing for another trade's equipment, and any concrete or foundation correction. A frame sits on someone else's foundation: state that out-of-level or out-of-square foundations bill corrective time.
Estimating mistakes that cost framers money
Holding a price longer than the lumber quote
Your supplier holds the package 10 days, your estimate promised 45. The market moves 15 percent in between and the difference is yours. Match your hold to the supplier's, and reprice at signing if the client sat on the bid.
Bidding from a stale plan revision
The client emails rev D the week you start, with a wider garage opening and a new LVL. If the estimate never named its revision, that beam is now included by assumption. Cite the drawing set and date on every framing bid, no exceptions.
Forgetting the connector package
Hold-downs, straps, ties, and hangers off an engineered plan can total thousands, and every one is inspectable. Take the count off the structural sheets, not from memory of the last job. The inspector reads those sheets even if you did not.
A square-foot price that ignores complexity
A rectangle with trusses frames fast. Tall walls, dormers, bays, and a cut-up roofline can double the labor per square foot. Per-sf pricing works only between jobs of the same shape. Price the complexity you can see on the plans.
No crane money for the truss day
Trusses at the plant are cheap compared to trusses in the air. A crane day with an operator is a four-figure line in most markets, and wind can scrub it. Bid the hoisting, name the assumed days, and state how a weather re-mobilization bills.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a framing bid good for?
Only as long as the lumber quote behind it, typically 7 to 15 days from the supplier. Lumber is a traded commodity and can move double digits in a month. A framing estimate should carry an explicit price-hold date and reprice the package at market after it expires.
How do framers estimate stud counts?
The working rule for 16 inch centers is about one stud per linear foot of wall, which self-corrects because corners, tee intersections, and openings consume the spacing savings. Plates add roughly three times the wall length in plate stock on a standard single-top-plate-plus-double setup.
Who decides the framing hardware?
The structural engineer, on the plan's structural sheets: which hold-downs, what strap at what location, hurricane ties at every seat. The framer bids and installs to that schedule, and the inspector verifies against it. Hardware added by an engineering revision after bid is a change order.
Is per-square-foot framing pricing reliable?
Only across jobs of similar complexity. A simple truss-roof rectangle and a house with dormers, vaults, and tall walls can differ by 2x in labor per square foot. Square-foot numbers are fine for sanity checks, but the bid should come from the actual takeoff and plan complexity.
How do I fill this template out fast?
Describe the build by voice, or upload the plan PDF and let Eddie, Staxen's estimator, draft takeoff-based line items in this same structure, priced and ready to send for e-signature. Eddie costs $59 per month, and the first job is free, no card required, no time limit.
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