BUILD THE PROJECT BRIEF
Give every contractor the same project goals, areas, and starting conditions.
Construction & Specialty Trades · FREE PREPARATION PACK
General contractor project brief and proposal comparison worksheet
A renovation or addition is easier to discuss when the rooms, goals, decisions, and responsibilities are written down first. This helpful preparation resource from PickYourPro.ai helps you create a consistent project brief, flag coordination questions, and compare general contractor proposals against the same requested work.
Download free PDF ↓Ready for proposals? Start a request ↗
This is a project-planning worksheet, not construction, design, engineering, permit, code, financing, contract, or legal advice. Ask qualified professionals and the appropriate local authorities to address technical requirements, approvals, licensing, insurance, safety, and written terms for your specific project.
START HERE
How to use this resource
Describe the result you want by room or work area before discussing how it should be built. Separate confirmed decisions from open choices, and note which items may be supplied by you, a designer, the contractor, or a specialty trade. Give each contractor the same access, occupancy, timing, and coordination information, then ask for written scope, assumptions, exclusions, and change procedures.
Open the PDF in a form-capable viewer, save a copy, then fill it in. Reopen your saved copy to check your answers. You can also print the blank pages and write by hand. Your answers are not submitted to PickYourPro.ai.
MAP SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Separate requested results, open decisions, and ownership of each task.
PREPARE ACCESS AND DECISIONS
Tick only what is documented or ready to discuss.
QUESTIONS FOR THE CONTRACTOR
Record how this contractor would coordinate and document the project.
COMPARE THE SAME PROJECT
Use A and B in every box. Clarify differences before choosing.
USE IT RIGHT NOW
General Contractor preparation checklist
- List every room, exterior area, or system that may be included in the project.
- Write the desired result and priority for each area without prescribing technical methods.
- Separate confirmed selections from open design, finish, fixture, and equipment decisions.
- Identify owner-supplied items and who will order, receive, store, protect, and install them.
- Record access, parking, occupied-space, pet, neighbor, work-hour, and communication constraints.
- Ask who coordinates design information, specialty trades, inspections, deliveries, and site decisions.
- Request written scope, assumptions, allowances, exclusions, schedule approach, and change process.
- Compare proposals only after differences in responsibility and included work are made clear.
Questions to ask a general contractor
- How will you turn my room-by-room brief into a written scope and responsibility list?
- Who will supervise the project, coordinate specialty trades, and communicate routine decisions?
- Which selections, owner-supplied items, design information, and site preparations are my responsibility?
- What assumptions, allowances, exclusions, or undecided items could change the proposed scope?
- How are schedule updates, access issues, discoveries, proposed changes, and approvals documented?
- What records and closeout items will be provided when the agreed work is complete?
Write down the answers and any exclusions. If two proposals describe different work, clarify the difference before comparing their totals. Leave unanswered points blank until the professional confirms them.
A CLEARER NEXT STEP
Ready to hear from pros?
Create an account on PickYourPro.ai and start a general contractor request. Share the project areas, desired result, decision status, access constraints, and responsibility questions so participating pros can compete for your business with proposals. Compare scope, coordination, timing, written terms, and fit.
Start a new request ↗Participation and availability vary. A site visit and planning conversation may be needed before a final project proposal.
Keep the useful part.
The worksheets are free to use whether you hire through PickYourPro.ai or elsewhere. No account is needed to download them.
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More help with your next step
Official references and scope
These are original planning prompts, with AI assistance, prepared by PickYourPro.ai. Official links checked October 9, 2026. This pack has not been independently reviewed by a licensed specialist.
- Federal Trade Commission: How to avoid a home improvement scam ↗
Official consumer guidance supporting written estimates, careful comparison, and verification through relevant authorities. Requirements vary by location, so this national worksheet does not state local licensing, permit, payment, or contract rules.
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