Construction Project Schedule Template (Free Download + Gantt Chart)

A construction schedule that actually accounts for working days, weather buffers, and trade dependencies. Free download, editable in your browser, no signup.

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What's in this template

A 40-task construction schedule for a small commercial fit-out or residential renovation. Phases covered:

Pre-construction (permits, design, contracts)
Site preparation (mobilization, utilities, demolition)
Structural (foundation, framing, roof)
Rough-in (electrical, plumbing, HVAC)
Insulation and drywall
Finishes (flooring, paint, trim, fixtures)
Commissioning and handover

Total duration: about 16 weeks (working days). Each task has typical lead times based on industry averages — you'll adjust to your project size.

Why "working days" matter on construction

Most generic schedule templates treat days as calendar days. That's a problem when:

Weekends are off (true for most residential and commercial work)
National holidays land mid-project
Trades only work 8-hour days, so a "3-day task" means 3 working days, not 72 hours of wall time

The template uses working days exclusively. The tool that renders it (GanttBuilder) automatically skips Saturdays and Sundays. You'll still need to add buffer for holidays — see below.

Download the template

Right-click the link below and save the CSV file, or paste the contents into the tool directly:

NO,Task,Duration,Predecessor,Indent
1,Pre-Construction,,,1
2,Permit Application Submitted,1,,2
3,Permit Approval (City Review),20,2,2
4,Construction Drawings Finalized,10,2,2
5,Contractor Selection & Contract,10,4,2
6,Site Preparation,,,1
7,Site Mobilization,3,3,2
8,Temporary Utilities (Power/Water),2,7,2
9,Demolition,5,8,2
10,Site Clearing & Grading,4,9,2
11,Structural,,,1
12,Excavation,3,10,2
13,Foundation Forms & Rebar,4,12,2
14,Foundation Pour & Cure,7,13,2
15,Framing - Walls,10,14,2
16,Framing - Floor & Roof,8,15,2
17,Roof Decking & Membrane,5,16,2
18,Rough-In,,,1
19,Electrical Rough-In,7,16,2
20,Plumbing Rough-In,6,16,2
21,HVAC Rough-In,7,16,2
22,Rough-In Inspection,2,"19,20,21",2
23,Insulation & Drywall,,,1
24,Insulation Installation,4,22,2
25,Drywall Hung,5,24,2
26,Drywall Tape & Mud,7,25,2
27,Prime Coat,2,26,2
28,Finishes,,,1
29,Flooring Installation,8,27,2
30,Cabinetry Installation,5,29,2
31,Interior Doors & Trim,5,29,2
32,Paint - Final Coats,6,"30,31",2
33,Electrical Trim & Fixtures,4,32,2
34,Plumbing Fixtures,3,32,2
35,HVAC Commissioning,3,"33,34",2
36,Closeout,,,1
37,Final Inspection,2,35,2
38,Punch List & Touch-Up,5,37,2
39,Final Cleaning,2,38,2
40,Handover to Owner,1,39,2

How to load it

Copy the CSV text above
Paste into a text file, save as construction-schedule.csv
Open GanttBuilder
Click Load CSV... and select your file

The chart renders immediately with all dependencies wired up.

What to customize first

1. Project start date

Change Project Start in the Project panel to your actual mobilization date.

2. Permit review duration

Task 4 ("Permit Approval") is set to 20 working days — typical for a small commercial project in many North American jurisdictions. Adjust based on your city. For complex permits or historic districts, double or triple this.

3. Subtrade durations

Durations are typical for a 2,000 sq ft commercial space or 1,500 sq ft residential renovation. For larger projects, scale proportionally. For smaller, reduce. A few rules of thumb:

Framing: 1 day per 100 sq ft of floor for residential, 0.5 day per 100 sq ft for commercial
Electrical rough-in: 1 day per 500 sq ft
Drywall: hang 1 day per 500 sq ft, tape/mud 2–3 days per 500 sq ft
Flooring: 1 day per 200 sq ft for tile, 1 day per 500 sq ft for laminate

4. Weather buffer for exterior work

The template doesn't include weather contingency. For roof, exterior framing, or site work in winter or rainy season, add 20-30% buffer to those tasks.

5. Holiday buffers

If your project spans a major holiday (Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year), add 1-3 days to tasks that cross those dates. The tool only skips weekends automatically.

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Key dependencies you should never skip

Construction has a few "lock-step" dependencies that can't be parallelized. The template captures these:

Permit before mobilization — starting without permits invites stop-work orders
Rough-in inspection before drywall — once walls are closed, fixing rough-in is expensive
Drywall before paint — obvious but worth saying
Cabinetry installed before final paint — paint touchup after cabinets is much easier than the reverse
Final inspection before handover — never hand over with open punch items

Reading the resulting chart

When loaded, your chart shows:

The summary "Construction Project" bar at the top — total project span
Six sub-summary bars for each phase
40 individual task bars with phase-coded colors
Dependency arrows showing the sequence — pay attention to "fan-in" points where multiple predecessors converge (rough-in inspection, paint, HVAC commissioning)
A red "today" line showing current progress vs. plan

The critical path runs through: Permit → Mobilization → Foundation → Framing → Rough-in → Drywall → Paint → Final Inspection → Handover. Any slip in those tasks pushes the project end date.

What the template doesn't cover

To keep it focused on the construction sequence, the template omits:

Pre-design phase (programming, schematic design) — typically 2-4 weeks before this template starts
Material lead times — long-lead items (windows, custom millwork, mechanical equipment) often need to be ordered 6-12 weeks before installation
Owner-furnished items — appliances, FF&E, signage
Landscaping and exterior — depends on scope
Cost loading — schedule only; budget is a separate exercise

Add rows for these if relevant to your project.

Tools you'll need beyond the chart

A schedule is one piece. For full project management:

Daily reports — Asana, ClickUp, or a simple Google Sheet
Drawing management — Procore, BIM 360, or PlanGrid (now Autodesk Build) for projects over $100K
RFI tracking — same tools as above, or a dedicated log
Budget tracking — separate from schedule (different rhythm, different stakeholders)

For schedules alone, GanttBuilder is enough — especially for small projects where the full Procore suite is overkill.

Tips for keeping the schedule alive

Update weekly. Every Friday, mark progress and adjust upcoming durations.
Export and email a snapshot to the owner each week. The HTML export is small enough to attach.
Don't treat the original as binding. Construction always finds surprises. Track variance, don't pretend it doesn't exist.
Highlight the critical path. When briefing the team, only the critical path tasks need urgent attention.
Schedule sub-trade walkthroughs 1 week before they're needed — surprises in week 8 should not be discovered in week 7.

Variations on this template

The same skeleton works for:

Tenant fit-outs — skip foundation/framing, focus on phases 4-7
Single-family homes — add exterior trades (siding, exterior paint, roofing)
Multi-family — replicate the structural+rough-in pattern per unit
Custom millwork projects — collapse to fewer phases, focus on shop drawings → fabrication → installation

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Load the template now

Open GanttBuilder, click Load CSV, and paste the CSV above. Two minutes from now, you have a working schedule.

Open GanttBuilder →

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