What Is Most Needed In Construction Software?

eddierogers

Greetings,

I am an owner of a construction software business.

I would like to start a thread here discussing what is needed most in a construction software tool.

DecksEtc

A button you can push that will withdraw the funds from customers' accounts as soon as a job is completed!

RobertCDF

I second that.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

ProWallGuy

Something for the little guy. A decent, easily customizable piece of software that doesn't break the bank. seems the good ones are very pricey, and the cheaper ones won't let you customize them to specialty trades.
And yeah, a button for payment would be super too.

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Wallpaper Hanger St. Louis
Digital Murals Installation

hatchet

Eddie - I believe I have reviewed your mobile software previously and it's a very useable piece of software (the one I reviewed was a couple years ago - looks like it's made some advancements). The items for me on almost every project is before the project even begins.
Estimating, contracts, schedules, etc and then tracking those items. I have a program now for estimating that does a pretty decent job - but has it's own quirks as well such as the formatting of the item codes - it has to be x.*** which when importing into quickbooks takes some time which are in the ***x format. Anyway - a more flexible program would be very nice.
Contract writing software is really unnecessary IMO. I've discussed with a few people on another forum regarding this and I think we all kind of came to the same answer - not useable in most instances. But a specification writing software IMO would be very nice. Something that could be templated for different types of jobs - remodels, new construction, decks, etc. Most out there are for one or another and you spend months getting it just right for the type of projects being done.
PWG - what type of software are you talking about? You didn't really say

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Rich
WIT Construction Co.
Superior MT Contractor

ProWallGuy

I was assuming this was about estimating software. All the painting programs that say they cover wallpaper too are a joke.

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Wallpaper Hanger St. Louis
Digital Murals Installation

PrecisionFloors

I second this, all the software that is specific to floor covering is....well lets just say the developers are real proud of it, too much for a little guy like me anyway.

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Teetorbilt

I'm having problems dealing with large corporate accounts, multiple PO's on the same project#, false PO's (order PO's), associating PO's with job#'s. A single job may have 10 PO's and 4 of them may be false to me.

I spent 6 hrs. today spreading out all of this crap on the dining room table and that's just one account. I look forward to doing the same tomorrow and, possibly on into next week with other accounts.

IMHO a $35.00 an hour book keeper isn't worth the time it takes her to fart.

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George Z

There is:

Not a button, but a phone call
to Visa or Mastercard

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nadonailer

Estimating and scheduling programs are what I'm looking for..

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rbron

EddieRogers: I am a tenant finish/office remodeling manager and I am looking for a software program to take an architect's CAD drawing(or file) and convert it into a 3D office image to show to tenants. Anything available?

Double-A

Eddie, a few of us use Quickbooks and seem to like it for the most part. I have noticed several threads that seem to say they are looking for some type of dispatching software in one form or another to use for planning and tracking. One that would let them commit and assign resources to a job or project.

My personal thoughts for it are that it would have not have to interface with Quickbooks, other than to perhaps provide a list of Current Customer:Jobs from QBs, and that it should be assignable down to the 1/4 hour, for accommodate travel and lunches that run longer than they should. It might report back actual time for payrolls, but I think that might get a bit compilcated to track.

If you're familiar with Masterbuilder software by Intuit, they have a nice dispatching system, but the price of admission is steep.

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"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006