Buildertrend Reviews

Pros

Phenomenal Software, it should replace everything that a construction company uses. I get that some dont like moving forward to tech, but once you actually put the work into BT to use it, it makes everything so much faster and coordination is top-notch. The fact we can give homeowners access to see whats going on construction wise saves us time and stress. We generally dont need to communicate basic things to them, they can see it for themselves!

Cons

The selections software is still a little bit limited, takes hours of work. Some sort of master template to feed everything would be amazing if it could be implemented in the future. Also the loading glitch, and how I have to "click X" to search another property. Can make going through several properties fast to a chore since it has to refresh so many times.

Pros

Communication of job progress with subcontractors, client portal, upload photos, variatin and owner invoices.

Cons

There is no taxes *yet.
No milestones schedule items, but maybe not needed.
Hope one day I can see To-dos on Gantt chart (not as a extra line, but a floating point).

Alternatives Considered

Procore

Reasons for Choosing Buildertrend

BT gives a framework to operate and TCON needed one. It helped me with my arguments to change the estimate software as well. We got Planswift, now we moved to CostX and it is saving time and helping me to standardise products as their workbooks are really powerful.

Switched From

Microsoft Project

Reasons for Switching to Buildertrend

BT changed fees plans. Honestly, it was confusing and too expensive to use for few projects per year. We are a small company with 4-6 projects per year focusing on growth to be able to build up to 8-10 per year.

Pros

I liked that it covers just about all the bases and has a great notification tool. Lots of good options on how the information is received and shared as well as filter features. The 'All-in-one-place' features are what is great both desktop and the app.

Cons

I dont like that I cant give my subcontractors the same control or permissions as my internal users. For example i would like to give my contractors ability to write a change order as a request the same way that they write an RFI as well as make requested adjustments to the schedule. Also the reporting features are not robust and useful. Much more reporting features needed for big builders that have many projects going on.

Alternatives Considered

Procore and Bluebeam Revu

Reasons for Switching to Buildertrend

It fit well with our many residential renovation projects and had all the features and more I know our company needed to move quick and have mobility

Pros

I like that I can keep track of open jobs with minimal effort.

Cons

I hate that every time there is an update to the software it changes features and removes templates. I also am unhappy that the scheduling feature no longer flows the way that it used to with predecessors.

Pros

The scheduling feature is what we use most. Its nice to have all the info to our trades and managers so they are fully aware of the project, can see pictures, and have a full scope of work prior to start date. We use the estimating part of the software as well I do wish the contract section had more detail in it which I think it could if we took some extra time to develop that.

Cons

Very happy now I can have as many job starts as I would like instead of being limited. Little unhappy that I can have only 3 users and have to pay for more than 3. As the owner who does estimates I want access as a user. I also have a designer who does estimates and she needs access. I also have 2 project managers/carpenters that need access to it as well so I will be looking at having to pay for additional users on top of the price increase I have already incurred but making it unlimited job starts.

Haven't fully used BT to its full potential but we will at some point. The software is top notch I don't have really any complaints that I can think of at this time.

Alternatives Considered

UDA ConstructionSuite and CoConstruct

Reasons for Switching to Buildertrend

Its more intuitive then some of the other programs we were looking at.

Pros

Scheduling, Logging, Time clocks, to do's ETC are very easy to use and extremely handy/ useful for use as a construction company for various reasons such as keeping a constant flow of action happening on our building sites and in theory there should be no gaps of time on the building site where nobody is working or unable to work, we believe keeping a consistent flow of action on a building site is possible through buildertrend and with nobody having to go out to site to check whats happening on site 90% of the time

Cons

sub contractors don't generally enjoy singing into our computer system every time they want paid or to confirm theyre gonna take action on a job ETC,
this isnt to blame on buildertrend its just we struggle to get our sub contractors to cooperate using our online services,

Pros

I like the level of customization available in the software, it allows me to detail my proposals, and make them look the way I want, so they stand out from the competition.
Also love the financials feature, and the schedule, so the client always knows what the project balance is, and what is happening next.

Cons

To fully utilize the software, there is a lot of data to be entered and updated regularly on a large project, which can take a fair bit of time.

Alternatives Considered

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

Switched From

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

Reasons for Switching to Buildertrend

I liked the format and tools better in Buildertrend, and was impressed at how responsive the Buildertrend development team was to changes and updates.

Pros

Buildertrend is a wonderful way to keep track of what is going on. This includes scheduling; creating, recording and sending documentation; organizing projects neatly; and staying aware of finances. It also has a very helpful Leads section, which helps me keep track of prospects from the earliest stage of when I become aware of them. In a word, I would say I appreciate most the organization which Buildertrend offers.

Cons

To be succinct, the user interface (UI) is decent but could use some improvement. The Files section in particular could use some work. I would like it to be versatile and able to navigate easily. An example of improved versatility is being able to access information in a simpler and faster way, such as Windows Explorer offers in how I see and can analyze various folders and files. An example of easy navigation is being able to tile multiple view windows so I can compare file locations across multiple Jobs to keep similar file types in the same locations, and so I could ensure my folders all have identical names across multiple Jobs

Alternatives Considered

Procore and WorkflowMax

Reasons for Switching to Buildertrend

It best fit the size of our business as well as offered the precise functions and volume we needed.

Pros

I like that it is easy to use. I also LOVE the iPhone app. Once everything has been loaded, I can send large files, communicate effectively, and raise the efficiency of my team and sub-contractors. I also Love the ability to template a project for easy set up of a new project!

Cons

When building significant line item estimates, the browser page has to refresh each time as you switch from the budget tab to the estimate tab. Even with a fast connection, it takes a bit of time to update. Not a big complaint since you can upload a spreadsheet from excel for the initial set up.

Alternatives Considered

CoConstruct

Reasons for Choosing Buildertrend

At the time that I switched, the other product did not have a native app, so it was like a glorified web browser on my smartphone. That was the main reason why I switched to BuilderTrend.

Switched From

CoConstruct

Reasons for Switching to Buildertrend

I chose Buildertrend ultimately because of the price, the overall value, and most of all, since they had a great iPhone App. The platform has evolved and has gotten much better and more organized. The pace of the added features and improvements will keep me coming back as a satisfied customer.

Pros

This software is VERY user friendly no matter what your computer skill level may be. The online tutorials are great and a huge time saver if you are unsure what to do. The customer support staff, should you need them, is always very quick to respond and explains how to execute your task. We were fortunate to have a two day training session with our representatives and that was priceless. Our subs and vendors are able to access our system so it really cuts down on paperwork flow and we know they are seeing the most up to date information on each project. We did have some special needs in our company to tweak things a bit and that was never a problem.

Cons

Nothing really, it just takes time to get use to how it flows and again, any question that I did not think of until I dove in feet first, I just emailed or called customer support and got my answers right away.

Pros

The client portal is awesome! I wish my current software has one as nice and interactive as BT’s. The dashboard is great as well. I like the daily logs as well, it’s a great little communication tool for project management. Finally the sub portal is fantastic.

Cons

It’s difficult to run reports for lead management and marketing. When setting up the Fanny it is dependent on the previous stage, however if someone is assigned to a stage and it doesn’t get Mark as complete on the day it was supposed to there is no automatic dependency, it’s all manual. So for us when there is 30 projects in different pre, in progress and post production phases, it’s a lot to go in and figure out. If you have less than five projects going then it’s fine.

Pros

Daily Reports, Budgets, Owners Portal , Lead tracking and use. file management great. All information is in one place & organized.

The To-do Ap is great and has a task check off sheet which is great except for one fatal flaw.

Cons

Messaging comes from Buildertrend and not from our own email or our name in front. Confusing clients, reducing branding opportunities for us, creating junk-mail issues with our clients. - We just do not use it.

The Billing side is weird but improving. The payments to subcontractors has improved and can be done on a percentage basis but the billing to clients does not. We use an AIA billing form and use that with the Buildertrend system but the Change orders appear and add to the bill making it awkward and we have to tell clients not to ignore the amount owed on the bottom of the billing.

The selections ap is a good idea and is believed in by some in our organization. It is awkward and confusing and I personally think it would work better if it was treated somewhat like a change order. I think if the change orders show up on Billing page so should selections.

The To-do Ap is great except that it allows the task to be assigned to multiple people. In a way that is good but if more than one person is responsible than no one is. I think it should have a primary responsible person (this can bye done by assigning tasks but that is cumbersome and has other issues.
-The To-do Ap is great and has a task check off sheet which is great except for one fatal flaw. The task check off sheet inside the to-do task is great except that the task can be marked complete by anyone though not all the sub tasks have been marked complete

Pros

The live updates in communication with subs and clients makes this software very desirable for my clients. Simplifies the process of communication and keeping people up to date.

Cons

For a single person that handles all day to day operations for a company and trying to learn a new software is a challenge. Not necessarily a con but to integrate the software makes for a bigger workload for a couple weeks.

Pros

I love the all encompassing information housing Buildertrend provides for each of our jobs. All of our team members can access this info with ease. No more information hiding in private emails or documents hiding on company drives...all of which cause major problems when team members are on holiday or out sick.

Cons

There are a few quirks and drawbacks I have found on Buildertrend. The most common qiurk seems to be the inconsistency of the same functions across different sections in Buildertrend. For instance uploading a file is done one way in one section of Buildertrend and a different way in another. Same with deleting items. In one section things just delete, in other sections you have to verify deletion and then select done...two extra steps. In the Leads section I can send a document out to be signed whether or not a customer has a log in to Buildertrend, but in the Change Order section (once the lead is a job) I can no longer send documents to an external emails for approval. I have to use Docusign to get signatures. This is not very streamlined. Seems like they had different teams writing code for different sections and they never communicated to each other on how to keep functions consistent throughout the software.
The worst drawback is that there is essentially no function for schedulING. The scheduLES within each job are great, but when it comes time for a foreman to see what team members and subs are scheduled on what jobs and what ones are available to schedule, there is no function :(

Pros

The included customer service team and support are unmatched. When you're running your business through this program, sometimes you need an immediate answer or need to learn a new feature on the fly and having instant access to those webinars and forums is invaluable.

I also love how detailed and thought through each feature is - it's what made the switch from our old process so easy because they literally thought of everything!

I could go on forever... the custom fields, different types of users and permissions, project templates, sync to Quickbooks... Buildertrend is doing it and doing it well.

Cons

Some of the features like selections, financials, and the gantt chart portion of the calendar are definitely more challenging when trying to switch from our current process over to Buildertrend. However, I'm not sure if there is a better way for any of those; I know those will have a learning curve because those are the more difficult parts of the project.

It's hard to come up with cons for the program because I feel a lot of my issues could be resolved by learning more about the feature. I guess I'll leave with a suggestion: maybe emailing or notifying users of the next month's available webinars or reminders to use the resources -- I forgot these existed for about a year, I was just watching the videos available. I would like to see more videos uploaded -- long and short on specific features.

Pros

organization, everything in one place...even if you want your QB to link to it, which we don't...I kinda like the two separate. We don't really use the PO portion of the software but have tried it and it's nice to know that its there...wish there were more video's on the entire program from set up through project completion. Techniques and more demonstrations on product capabilities and link-able aspects of the program.

I use chief architect for our design software, have been for over 20 years. They have great video's of product usage, tips and techniques by chapter from set up to a completed set of quality professional plans.

I believe BT could do the same, this is a great product for managing a company like ours and the cloud just makes it that much easier to work remotely anywhere in the web is. The price point is perfect for us and allows us to operate at a competitive rate.

Cons

For what I use it for I don't really have a dislike but I don't use but maybe half of the program.
Wish there were more video's on the entire program from set up through project completion. Techniques and more demonstrations on product capabilities and link-able aspects of the program.

Pros

I like that Buildertrend brings together all aspects of residential construction - homeowners, sub-trades, vendors, internal users, and allows everyone to see the information they need to see, as well as provides them the ability to upload photos, documentation and even provide comments to certain areas within the program. This gives everyone an overall sense of what is happening within the project.
Having everyone tied into the program eliminates a lot of extra searching for information, as well as lessen the overall messages one needs to send out to verify parts of the projects - selections, drawings and pricing can be Approved or Declined. This also helps to eliminate outdated/non-approved details from occurring.

Cons

The program has a lot to take in, which I suppose is expected, but for me, knowing how things affect something else is really important, as we are a Canadian company trying to work with an American program and American terminology. I have had to experiment a bit with how best to enter information, and sometimes redo it altogether.
I do not like how often I have to press on users to be entering information and using the platform for communications, but that does not have anything to do with the program itself.

Pros

The customer service is surprisingly amazing. Anytime I have a question, I am able to reach someone by phone or email very quickly. The integration with Quickbooks Desktop is almost flawless. We use the daily logs quite regularly. These logs allow the entire team to remain up to date on the jobs and their progress. We've also found that the homeowners are reassured by these daily logs. The bids section has saved us tremendous time and increased our estimating accuracy. The ability to be able to template jobs, bid packages, and so many other items saves us a ton of time.

Cons

The software seems to be most suited for a cost-plus project. As we bid jobs on a fixed price, we have found a few of the features less useful. We are only using about half of the features. I can't fairly say that these unused features are not good, but we do want to use some of these features, and the fact that we have been unable to implement them causes me some frustration. These features include the selections and the warranty sections.

Pros

What I like most about BuilderTrend is it's ease of use, the customization ability of the software, and the ease of edit/revision. We can design the program to where our PO generate directly off of selections, separate by trip, and include whatever options may have been chosen. From selections, I can easily edit budgets and generate estimated sales cost for each individual job.

Cons

The only drawback I can come up with is in direct correlation to one of their strengths. The company updates daily instead of doing batch updates periodically. As a result, they shut down part of their servers to perform their updates which can bog down and slow the program while they are doing this. This is usually no more than an hour or so and usually around the same time of the day. Knowing the benefit of doing this, it's a tolerable inconvenience.

Pros

I like that it is one platform for our staff, our clients and our subtrades. I like the ease of the change order approval and decline, and the change orders are interactive with the appropriate vendors and subtrades. The schedules are so helpful to keep everyone apprised of the sequence of events. We use the daily logs to record our field visits and items that need to be actioned from those meetings. The To-Do tab keeps everyone on task and on time. We also enjoy the lead opportunity to make sure we are following up with all our potential clients.

Cons

The inability to hide non pertinent information from the client view. We like to keep things as simple as possible for clients, so they are not confused. We would like the ability to hide columns that the client is not required to action. e.g. selection, change orders.

Pros

There are many aspects that I love about it but I'd have to say that the best one I use everyday is the client portal and how easy it is to interact in live time with them either about budget, product selection, invoicing, daily logs and record keeping. It keeps everyone up to date without actually having to update everyone individually and it keeps clients in the loop of day to day or week to week activities whether they are around or not.

Cons

The first time we used the software, it had some bugs to be worked out with how it interfaced with other programs and ease of use. They seem to have worked these bugs out and are continually enhancing it by listening to users input and how their individual needs can be met.

Pros

I like very much that BuilderTrend makes all operations and procedures of the project clear to all parties, which enables us to implement the work within the specified budgets. It is great that BuilderTrend allows us to organize communication channels with stakeholders so that we can follow up on all project submissions and obtain approvals within the times specified in the contract, and it is good that all submissions can be accessed through records and their status is easily known. With BuilderTrend, we can collaborate with other stakeholders by preparing purchase orders, variation orders, and progress invoices, which shortens a lot of procedures and keeps all project activities on track.

Cons

I did not find many problems with BuilderTrend, but consideration must be given to training all members to perform the tasks correctly, as the ignorance of one of the members may cause a major defect, and the permissions system must be properly prepared so that only authorized persons have the ability to modify according to their specialization.

Pros

Buildertrend has been exactly the product we needed to allow our field supervisors to actually be in the field instead of in the office. Our supers are able to easily schedule their crews on the go and also keep all of their job notes in the Daily Logs. This keeps everyone on the same page and allows those of us in the office to see real-time what's happening in the field. We also use the system to track upcoming houses, safety meetings, and warranty issues. It is very user friendly.

Cons

I only have very minor complaints: I wish we could merge multiple lead opportunities together. Also, pulling reports from the schedule is ok, but we have to drop everything into Excel and create our own reports to pay our subcontractors.

Pros

By far, the best thing about Builder Trend is its people. I have interacted with a lot of the staff and they excel in getting issues resolved.
This Online Software has everything that you need to manage a large variety of construction projects, Vendor/Contractors, and Customers
They continually update their program and it keeps getting better and better
They take great care in listening to their clients when making improvements
You can easily access the system using Desktop, Tablet or phone

Cons

They are working to address these issues, but one of the main issues is that it tends to not be as user friendly as other software, there are many times that they use 4-5 steps to accomplish tasks, when 1-2 would be better.
There are several bugs anytime that you use something that is internet based. Some of these issues have been addressed, others (like window scrolling) Still need to be corrected.

Pros

The best part about BuilderTrend is that we were able to apply our own processes we have established throughout the 38 years we have been open on a cloud based platform.

Cons

BuilderTrend is a very powerful tool. There is nothing about the software I particularly dislike, but I will say that it takes a lot of time to implement and understand the software. There are several areas that need improving/changing, however, the people at BuilderTrend are so quick to adjust. It is amazing