Home Builder Software

Home Builder software: purchase guide

What is home builder software?

Definition

Home building software are IT tools used by construction industry and public works professionals. It includes software for commercial management, quotations and invoicing software or construction site management and monitoring software as well as ERPs.

Home builder software adapts to the specific needs of contractors so that they can manage the different aspects of their profession: invoices, accounting, human resources, accurate estimating. They are all management systems that allow the follow-up of a construction project as well as the management of the various regulations and financial aspects.

How does home builder software work?

Offered in SaaS mode, a contractor connects his user portal via a Web browser or a mobile application and accesses the various modules related to his activity: 

• An invoicing module to edit estimates, send them to customers, and transform them into an invoice. 
• A site manager to carry out site inspections, intervention reports, schedule planning, etc. 
• A sales management module or CRM module to view the history of activities with a client, contact him, etc. 
• A module for inventory management, subcontracting, and supplier invoice management. 
• Accounting software to enter the accounting entries of his company or to calculate the cost price of a building site.
• Project management tool.
• Payroll software.

It is also possible to define different user profiles (site managers, supervisors, workers, managers, etc.) and create a personalised work environment specific to each individual. For example, workers who record their daily activity on a mobile application.

What are the main features of home builder software?

Management of quotes and invoices

The invoicing module works on the same principle as a spreadsheet. Users have boxes that allow them to create an estimate and that they can fill in with his works: wording, quantity, price. They can easily create categories of projects. They can make simple estimates or measured estimates with or without VAT. They can create a template or have access to examples of estimates and finally, it is possible to customise an estimate template included in the tool.

Construction management software takes care of down payments, credit notes, advance payments and possible holdbacks, VAT rates, and the dematerialisation of invoices. The edited estimate is sent by e-mail to the customer. Once validated, it is automatically converted into an invoice by the invoicing software.

A construction price library

Home builder software is equipped with a price library: a database that includes all the books, products, and services offered. Each element is identified by a label, a purchase price, a labour cost, a margin rate. 

The database is automatically updated when a non-existent element is created in a quote. It is also possible to implement a product catalog of its suppliers (synchronisation of the catalog sent by the supplier).

Management of construction sites in project mode

The site management module centralises all information per site:

• Load plans
• Task planning: Gantt and PERT charts
• Assignment of tasks per employee 
• Labour and material tallying 
• Daily (weekly, other) reporting of operations: status, comments, attachments, etc. 

Dematerialised invoices

A dashboard allows construction companies to supervise each construction site. It is therefore possible to monitor the work but also to measure the difference between the estimated and actual profits. The entire expenditure history can be categorised between material and labour.

When a building process is completed, the application archives the project and generates a PDF export if needed.

Other dashboards combine the individual performance of each job site to analyse the overall performance of an organisation:

• Turnover: by product, customer, etc. 
• Net income.
• Evolution of margins.
• Etc.

The ERP of the building industry

The modular, configurable structure of a home builder software centralises all the needs of construction companies:

• A CRM to manage the customer file and to ensure a commercial follow-up: to follow the current invoices, to carry out customer reminders (SMS or e-mail). 
• HR management software to draw up a schedule for each worker, manage paid holidays, manage mobile teams, calculate salaries, etc.
• An accounting module to prepare financial statements
• An equipment management module to manage the availability of machine tools

The open architecture of this business management software allows interoperability with other internal or external tools (suppliers, customers).

Who uses home builder software?

These cloud-based software are mainly used by auto contractors and small businesses in the building and public works sector.

The construction site management and ERP module for the building industry are more interesting for SMEs, SMIs, ETIs, and large groups in the building sector (property developers, design offices) who handle each construction site in project mode and who wish to comply with the mandatory specifications.

Internally, they are used by all the building trades: site managers, interior designers, site and machine operators, multi-skilled workers, HR directors, administrative managers, managers, etc.

Why should you use home builder software?

Home builder software is useful for managing daily activities. Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages.

Advantages

• Save time and money when making purchase orders, invoices, and building sites;
• Follow in real-time the progress of construction sites;
• Unique seizure of information on each building site;
• Tools that centralise all the needs of the craftsmen of the building;
• Interoperability with the tools used by customers and suppliers;

Disadvantages

• Self-entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises, a large structure may require a tool developed to measure;
• Setting up a task manager can be badly perceived by workers who are not sensitive to digital applications.