BuildTools is project management and scheduling software that provides custom home builders and remodelers a centralized tool to manage every aspect of the construction business. From pre-construction planning and bidding to project management and financial tracking, BuildTools organizes all kinds of information and makes it easily accessible so users can save time and cut costs to focus on growing their business.
Table of Contents
- BuildTools Features and Strengths
- BuildTools Pricing
- Who Uses BuildTools?
- BuildTools Supported Language
- Case Studies
- Why Choose BuildTools?
- Company Info
- Explore Additional Project Management Resources
- Featured Partners: Project Management Software
BuildTools Review: Features and Strengths
Team Communication
BuildTools lets users easily share messages, documents, photos, change orders, selections, and meeting minutes, both internally with the team and externally with partners. A unified inbox enables seamless communication with the project team, and all communication is neatly stored together and archived as long as needed. The Project Poster tool allows users to distribute documents in the field without downloading, logging in, or training.
Users can control access of documents and sharing capabilities with clients and subs through permissions. It also has progress updates and photos to keep clients involved and engaged. Creating and approving change orders and selections online streamline processes and improve traceability and accountability. Meeting minutes can also be recorded and shared.
Project Management
BuildTools is industry-specific, construction project management software for custom builders and remodelers. All project information such as budgeting, scheduling, communications, and documents are in one place. It has tools to streamline the bidding process and keep project bids organized. It also has project schedule views for all resources, subs, and employees across all projects.
The software automatically sends notifications when changes in schedule occur. Cross-module integration connects all project information together like specs, selections, POs, change orders, and schedules under one project budget code for easy cost tracking. It also manages tasks, drawings and revisions, warranties, and service work requests.
Financial Management, Estimates, Remodeling, and More
BuildTools helps users improve profitability with smooth change order and finance tracking. Users have control over every aspect of a project with change order management that utilizes multiple budget codes, selections, and specifications. They can also control costs with online purchase orders that provide real-time tracking and documentation, and it has detailed financial and WIP reporting — as well as integration with QuickBooks.
BuildTools simplifies the sales process with intuitive tools for creating estimates and proposals. Once approved, the software automatically moves all details of the estimate into the budget for effective cost tracking. Users can customize quotes by room or location, and it’s an ideal tool for remodeling jobs, tracking all moving parts and helping users stay organized with simple workflows and real-time updates.
BuildTools Pricing
BuildTools pricing is simple and straightforward at $349 per month. This includes three users and all features, with additional users at $20 per month. The plan includes unlimited projects, training, support, and unlimited client and subcontractor access. Interested parties can schedule a demo by directly requesting one from the ECI team.
Who Uses BuildTools?
BuildTools is for custom home builders and remodelers of all business sizes that need to manage projects centrally, simplify operations, and connect and communicate to everyone involved. Customers include Optima Construction, Platinum Series Homes, Regency Builders, Stonewood Builders, Bradford Builders, and CHB1 LLC.
BuildTools Supported Language
BuildTools currently supports English only.
Case Studies
Andy Isch is the sales representative for a Greenfield, Indiana, builder serving residential and commercial customers since 1985. Due to the current cost of goods and labor rates, the company saw a shift of client projects, from small traditional projects to large additions and remodeling projects. With this shift, the company needed a tool to help them get ahead of projects, get them organized faster, and allow them to take actions several months ahead of start dates.
Isch brought BuildTools into the company, which allows them to see the bigger picture and helps them make better strategic decisions. Isch and team can also communicate to leads, designers, project managers, and other partners. The ability to communicate instantly gave the company more flexibility with scheduling, time to shop price and vendors, and better resource allocation.
Carl Bast is a home building management consultant who’s built more than 400 homes over the past 10 years. With wide industry expertise and experience, he has provided productivity and profitability gains for the different construction companies he’s worked for.
Bast admits that all these successes have only been possible with the help of BuildTools. While looking for a more cost-effective solution than his previous multiple but disconnected solutions, he found BuildTools. It’s easier to use and navigate, supports collaboration with trade workers and other partners, and provides real-time visibility into projects. With this builder software, he can tell the accounting department where a project stands in 20 seconds while accountants might take two hours trying to figure out the same.
Why Choose BuildTools?
BuildTools is an all-in-one software solution designed for the unique needs of custom home building. It is a flexible and user-friendly tool that streamlines processes and increases efficiency. Its ability to keep all project communication, files, schedules, and financial information available ensures everyone is on the same page and working on the most up-to-date information, thereby reducing the possibility of miscommunication and project delays.
Company Info
BuildTools is a product of ECI Software Solutions, a privately held business software solutions and services company with headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, and offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., the Netherlands, and Australia. It was founded in 1998 and continues to serve small to midsize companies in the manufacturing, distribution, building and construction, and field service industries. In November 2020, it announced that Leonard Green and Partners, a private equity firm, acquired a majority stake in the company.
Explore more project management solutions and methods with a look at our other product reviews and info pages:
Featured Partners: Project Management Software
Not quite ready to commit to a solution? Review other popular software in the project management space:
1 Wrike
Wrike is the most powerful work management platform on the market, enabling teams to plan projects and collaborate in real time. Our award-winning software is trusted by 20,000+ companies across the globe, including Sony, Estée Lauder, and Siemens.
Wrike’s customizable features include Gantt charts, request forms, dashboards, cross-tagging, time tracking, and proofing. Integrate with 400+ apps from the likes of Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce. Automate repetitive tasks and achieve 50% faster planning. Work from anywhere with 100% access to your files via our mobile and desktop apps.
Whether you’re a small startup or an established brand, Wrike has the solution for you. Paid plans start at $9.80/user/month. Join our community of 2.3 million — start your free two-week trial today.
2 monday.com
monday.com Work OS is an award-winning no-code work management platform that helps teams manage projects and workflows more efficiently.
Used by 152,000+ customers worldwide, this fully customizable software lets you plan, manage, and track every project in one place. monday.com offers time-saving and easy-to-use features such as automations, time tracking, document sharing, and real-time collaboration. Multiple board views such as Gantt and Kanban help you structure and navigate tasks and projects the way you prefer, and dashboards give a high-level overview of your progress.
In addition, integrations with apps such as Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, and Excel, allow you to easily continue working with your favorite tools from within the platform. monday.com also offers dedicated solutions, such as monday dev and monday sales CRM, designed to answer the needs of specific industries.
3 Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a leading work execution platform that has real-time work management features, collaboration and automation tools. Users are presented with a familiar and easy-to-use spreadsheet-like interface. However, it has enterprise-grade capabilities that even Fortune 500 companies like Cisco, Bayer, HP, and PayPal are confident to adopt in their business. Strong project management features enable teams to utilize different views of real-time data, and switch easily from Gantt, card, grid and calendar views. Smartsheet has automatic update requests, and can be used for waterfall and agile projects, product launch, sprint planning, and more. The resource management feature provides users the visibility who is busy, and who is not, in real-time. They can also attach files, share sheets, get notified, view the activity log, export, email, and print.
4 Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is an online project management application that helps its users to plan projects, collaborate with employees and clients, keep track of time, manage documents, and generate charts and reports. Users work on a central platform where they can keep track of progress, discuss ideas, communicate easily and stay updated. It is cloud-based and highly accessible, where user data is kept safe with stringent security systems. The software is also scalable depending on the number of projects, with the option to add more features. Zoho Projects is a cloud-based project management tool that helps you plan your work, track it efficiently, and collaborate with your team wherever they are.
5 Cerri Project
Cerri Project is a comprehensive PPM solution integrating project portfolio management and strategic planning features to drive value for your business.
Strategic execution of project portfolios, business initiatives and objectives.
Global capacity planning and visibility.
Streamlined workflows with process-driven project management.
