General Contractor Intake Forms & Client Questionnaires

A homeowner calls and says they want to "redo the kitchen." That could mean replacing the cabinet doors and countertops without moving anything — a cosmetic refresh that takes two weeks and costs $25,000 — or it could mean gutting the kitchen to the studs, moving the plumbing and gas lines, relocating the electrical panel, knocking out a load-bearing wall to open the floor plan, pouring a new slab for an island, and installing custom cabinetry that has a 14-week lead time. The first project needs a cabinet installer and a countertop fabricator. The second needs a structural engineer, an architect, permits from the building department, a plumber, an electrician, an HVAC tech to reroute the ductwork, a framer, a drywaller, a tile setter, a painter, and a project manager who keeps all of them sequenced correctly so the electrician is not standing around waiting for the framer to finish. If your initial conversation with the client does not distinguish between these two projects, you are going to write a proposal that is either wildly under-scoped or intimidatingly over-engineered — and either one loses the job.

The General Contractor intake form captures the information your estimator needs to scope, price, and schedule the project correctly from the first meeting. It starts with the project classification: kitchen renovation, bathroom renovation, basement finishing, room addition, whole-house renovation, new construction (residential), commercial buildout (tenant improvement), commercial renovation, structural repair, exterior renovation (siding, windows, roofing as part of a larger scope), or historic restoration. Each classification triggers a different set of follow-up questions because the permitting requirements, subcontractor trades involved, material lead times, and typical project duration vary dramatically.

Scope Definition and Existing Conditions

Scope creep is the single biggest margin killer in general contracting, and it starts when the initial scope is poorly defined. The intake form forces a structured scope conversation by breaking the project into systems: structural (framing, foundation, load-bearing modifications), mechanical (HVAC ductwork and equipment), electrical (panel upgrade, circuit additions, fixture relocation), plumbing (supply line rerouting, drain line modification, fixture relocation), finish carpentry (trim, built-ins, closet systems), flooring (hardwood, tile, carpet, LVP), painting (interior, exterior, number of colors), and specialty items (fireplaces, built-in appliances, custom metalwork, stone fabrication). For each system, the form captures whether the work is included in the project scope, whether the client has already selected materials, whether design decisions are finalized or still in progress, and whether an architect or designer is involved.

Existing conditions assessment is critical for renovation and addition projects. The form captures the age and construction type of the existing structure (wood frame, steel frame, masonry, concrete block), foundation type (slab, crawl space, basement), known issues (water intrusion, settling, termite damage, mold, asbestos, lead paint, knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, polybutylene pipe), and whether a home inspection has been done. For additions, it records the lot size, setback requirements, easements, HOA restrictions, and whether a survey has been completed. For commercial buildouts, it captures the existing condition of the space (white box, grey shell, or second-generation with existing improvements), lease obligations regarding tenant improvements, landlord approval status, and ADA compliance requirements. Each of these factors affects the estimate, the permitting timeline, and the subcontractor lineup.

Budget, Timeline, and Permit Status

Budget conversations at intake save everyone time. The form captures the client’s budget range (not a single number, which creates a target), how the project is being financed (cash, home equity loan, construction loan, commercial financing, insurance claim), and whether the budget includes design fees, permits, and furniture or just construction costs. A client who says their budget is $150,000 but means $150,000 all-in including the architect, the permit fees, and the new appliances has a very different construction budget than one who has $150,000 earmarked exclusively for the build. Capturing this distinction at intake prevents the proposal rejection that happens three weeks later when the client realizes the $150,000 construction estimate does not include the $40,000 in soft costs they forgot about.

Timeline is captured with the same specificity. The form asks for the desired start date, desired completion date, any hard deadlines (baby due date, wedding, lease expiration, school year start, holiday gathering), and whether the client is flexible on timing in exchange for cost savings. It records whether the client will be living in the home during construction (which affects dust control, noise restrictions, bathroom availability, and daily cleanup requirements) or whether the property will be vacant. Permit status is tracked separately: whether permits have been applied for, which permits are needed (building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, demolition, grading, right-of-way), whether architectural plans have been submitted, and the current status with the building department. A project with approved plans and pulled permits is ready to schedule; a project where the architect has not started drawings yet is months away from breaking ground, regardless of what the client wants.

Subcontractor Coordination and Change Order Process

General contractors coordinate subcontractors, and the intake form captures the complexity of that coordination. It records which trades the project requires (demolition, excavation, concrete, framing, roofing, siding, windows, insulation, drywall, painting, flooring, tile, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire protection, low-voltage/data, landscaping, cleaning), whether the client has any preferred subcontractors or vendors they want used, and whether any of the work will be done by the homeowner or their own hired labor ("sweat equity"). Owner-performed work creates coordination challenges because the GC’s schedule depends on the owner completing their portion on time and to code, and the form captures what work the owner plans to self-perform and when they commit to having it completed.

The change order process is documented at intake because scope changes during construction are inevitable, and how they are handled determines whether the project stays on budget and on schedule or spirals into disputes. The form establishes the change order protocol: all changes in writing before work proceeds, change orders priced within a specified number of business days, approved change orders added to the contract sum, and the impact on the schedule documented with each change. Material preferences are also captured early: does the client want to select all finishes themselves, do they want the contractor to present three options at each decision point, or do they want an allowance-based approach where a dollar amount is allocated and the client shops within that budget? Each approach requires different levels of project management involvement, and knowing this at intake lets the estimator build the right amount of overhead into the proposal.

Intake vs. Client Questionnaire

The intake form is your internal estimating document. Your project manager or estimator fills it out during the initial site visit, recording measurements, existing conditions, structural observations, utility locations, access constraints (driveway width for deliveries, dumpster placement, staging areas), and notes from the walkthrough. It includes fields for preliminary cost estimates by trade, subcontractor availability, material lead times, and scheduling constraints. The companion client questionnaire is what you email to the homeowner or business owner after the initial phone call and before the site visit. It asks them to describe the project in their own words, share any inspiration photos or Pinterest boards, confirm their budget range, indicate their timeline flexibility, note whether they have an architect or designer, identify any HOA or condo board restrictions, and list their priorities if the budget requires trade-offs. Getting this before the site visit means your estimator arrives prepared to discuss realistic options within the client’s actual budget instead of spending the first meeting discovering that the client’s vision and their budget are $100,000 apart.

Pricing

Each form is $12.99 for the complete set (intake + questionnaire), $9.99 for intake only, or $6.99 for questionnaire only. All PDFs are fillable in Adobe Reader and password-protected against editing.

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