Home builder software is designed to manage residential construction projects, including project planning, scheduling, budgeting, materials procurement, and communication. We’ve assessed the top home builder software based on cost-effectiveness, integration options, and key features like project management and cost estimation.
- Procore: Best Overall
- BuilderTrend: Most User-Centric Design
- Jonas Premier Construction Software: Advanced Financial Management
- Sage Construction Management: Comprehensive Reporting
- 123Worx: Tailored Project Customization
- BuildTools: Strong Vendor Collaboration
- ECI MarkSystems: Streamlined Workflow Automation
- Custom Homebuilder’s Solutions: Extensive Design Capabilities
- Houzz Pro: Best for Interior Designers
- Contractor Foreman: Best for Small Businesses
1 Procore - Best Overall
Why we chose it: Procore is best overall due to its comprehensive and user-friendly approach to construction project management. It excels in streamlining various aspects of homebuilding, from project planning and scheduling to budgeting and communication. Procore’s intuitive interface fosters collaboration among construction teams, subcontractors, and clients, promoting transparency and efficiency.
Procore’s project management tools, including document management, RFIs, and submittals, make it a top choice for overseeing home construction projects of all sizes. With Procore, you have a unified platform that ensures seamless coordination and data accessibility.
2 BuilderTrend - Most User-Centric Design
Why we chose it: BuilderTrend made the list because it prioritizes user experience and ease-of-use. Homebuilders can quickly adopt the software, minimizing training time for their teams.
BuilderTrend offers a seamless mobile app, allowing for on-the-go project management and client communication. Its user-centric design ensures that builders and clients alike can easily access project information, schedules, change orders, and more, all in one user-friendly platform.
3 Jonas Premier Construction Software - Advanced Financial Management
Why we chose it: We selected Jonas Premiere Construction Software because it delivers sophisticated features for cost tracking, budgeting, and financial reporting. Homebuilders can easily track expenses, monitor project budgets, and analyze financial data in real-time.
Premier Construction Software also supports intricate financial processes such as progress billing and subcontractor payments, making it an invaluable tool for ensuring financial control and profitability in the home construction business.
4 Sage Construction Management - Comprehensive Reporting
Why we chose it: Sage Construction Management, formerly Corecon, delivers strong reporting and analytics capabilities. The platform offers numerous customizable reports and dashboards that provide visibility into project performance, financial metrics, and scheduling. Homebuilders can make informed decisions and proactively address issues to keep projects on track. With Sage Construction Management, you have the analytical tools needed to optimize project outcomes and deliver high-quality homes efficiently.
5 123Worx - Tailored Project Customization
Why we chose it: We picked 123Worx because it provides flexibility and scalability required for project customization. Its standout features include comprehensive project management, detailed cost estimating, and integrated scheduling.
This software helps homebuilders to plan, execute, and monitor their projects efficiently, regardless of the project’s size or complexity. With 123Worx, you can customize your workflows to align with your specific homebuilding processes, making it an ideal choice for builders seeking adaptability in their software solutions.
6 BuildTools - Strong Vendor Collaboration
Why we chose it: BuildTools offers a dedicated portal for vendors and subcontractors, simplifying communication, document sharing, and bid management. It streamlines the procurement process, ensuring that materials are ordered and delivered on time, thereby minimizing project delays. BuildTools’ collaborative approach fosters strong relationships with your supply chain, enhancing project efficiency and overall productivity in the homebuilding industry.
7 ECI MarkSystems - Streamlined Workflow Automation
Why we chose it: We picked MarkSystems by ECI because it integrates project management, accounting, and sales, ensuring data flows effortlessly between departments. MarkSystems also offers customizable workflow templates, enabling homebuilders to tailor their processes to their unique needs. With its workflow automation capabilities, MarkSystems simplifies complex tasks, reduces errors, and enhances overall productivity in the homebuilding industry.
8 Custom Homebuilder’s Solutions - Extensive Design Capabilities
Why we chose it: We went with Custom Homebuilder’s Solutions because it gives builders exhaustive design capabilities. The platform offers comprehensive tools for detailed design and specification management, ensuring that each project aligns perfectly with the client’s preferences and requirements.
It facilitates transparent communication with clients, allowing them to track project progress and make real-time selections. With this software’s expertise in tailored home design, homebuilders can differentiate themselves by offering a truly customized and personalized homebuilding experience.
9 Houzz Pro - Best for Interior Designers
Why we chose it: Houzz Pro made our list for those home builders who are also interior designers. We like how it provides project management, lead management with client dashboards, and individual insights. Additionally, features like an integrated online payment system, mood boards, streamlined Selections tool, and white-labeling for communications add to its appeal.
Houzz Pro manages all aspects of a home building and interior design project in one place, including floor planning, product selection, and 3D renderings. The Augmented Reality walkthrough feature is great for client presentations by showing the end result.
10 Contractor Foreman - Best for Small Businesses
Why we chose it: We suggest Contractor Foreman for smaller home builders with under 50 total employees. We really liked its dashboards which provide a clear overview of tasks. All the customization allows contractors to tailor the software to their specific needs and workflows. This flexibility is a significant advantage for companies with unique processes or those looking to adapt the software to their existing operations.
Pricing is another important factor when considering Contractor Foreman. SaaS plans start at $49/month (when billed annually) and a free 30-day trial is available.
What is Home Builder Software?
Home builder software is a construction management software that provides project management, estimating, job costing, scheduling, and purchasing. These systems often include databases with vendor information for parts or materials for home projects like appliances, plumbing fixtures, or flooring materials. Some also include home design functionalities to assist with creating blueprints and 3D models.
While builders can get away with using general contractor software, many vendors are offering dedicated home building software with specific project management tools. Mobile capabilities and field service management tools make it possible to work at the job site on phones and tablets. And homeowners can be given access via customer portals that allow them to view the status of their new homes–ensuring the construction project is streamlined, stays within budget, and is completed on time.
Features of Home Builder Software
- Construction Estimating: Create accurate estimates based on labor costs, required materials, and equipment needed to complete the job.
- Job Costing: Assigns costs to labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractors.
- Project Management: Coordinate scheduling, time tracking, resource allocation, document management (blueprints, progression photos, etc), punch lists, and warranty information.
- Accounting: Manage invoicing, purchase orders, payroll, lien waivers, and change orders.
- Customer Relationship Management: Allow customers to suggest or approve changes to the design, send post-job surveys for customer satisfaction analysis, automate notifications for warranty changes, and store customer contact information. Mobile features like on-site eSignatures allow customers to sign newly created purchase orders and service agreements.
Benefit #1: Improve Estimates
If your estimates are too low, you risk upsetting clients over unexpected price increases. If your estimates are too high, you’re likely losing out on a lot of potential projects. Construction estimating software functionality assists with creating an accurate quote based on the costs of labor, subcontractors, materials, and equipment needed to build the home. Accurate quotes will help you land more jobs, keep customers happy, and increase ROI.
The longer a project goes on, the more opportunities there are for change orders. With software, the estimate automatically adjusts when there are changes like appliance upgrades, countertop material changes, or fixture updates.
Digital takeoff is also an important part of estimating to ensure your quotes are as accurate as possible. Digital takeoff assigns costs to lumber and steel, as well as light fixtures, pipes, and cabling. A detailed price list of the materials required for the project is created based on dimensional information extracted from the blueprints.
Benefit #2: Schedule More Jobs
Scheduling in home builder software helps you assign labor and resources to particular tasks. The system will alert you if there are any conflicts in the schedule, so you can make changes as needed to prevent delays. Having a schedule laid out for all of the labor and resources will also help you calculate an accurate completion date. The completion date will automatically adjust if any issues arise, so your customers won’t be left in the dark about schedule changes.
Some home builder systems also provide custom schedule views including Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and calendar views. These views will help you visualize the labor, materials, and equipment being used at particular times in the construction process.
Benefit #3: Create Accurate and Timely Purchase Orders
Purchase order management in home builder software allows you to create orders for services, raw materials, and products that are needed for a project. The system will keep track of vendor contact information, purchase quantities, delivery times, and costs. When the price and quantities are approved by the vendor, you can save time by collecting the approval signatures electronically.
Purchase order management also includes the scope of work documents that include materials, description of project deliverables, cost codes, and payment schedules.
