Buildertrend Reviews

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.

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.

I like the sense of security it provides to our customers since they can log in and see how their job is doing.

It does everything, but it doesn't do everything WELL. For instance, it does time tracking and GPS tracking.... but it only tells us where our guys are when they clock in and out. It doesn't give us a map of where they went the whole time like T-sheets did, so we have no way of knowing if someone went to the job site, clocked in and then left. It sync's to Quickbooks for payroll, but not correctly. It sends over all of the guys time as Regular time. I have to manually input their hours if I want to pay them for their overtime. It has this Buildertrend Flat Rate Code that nobody can edit or delete and it causes a lot of problems for us. The list goes on..... Whenever I ask them if they can help, I'm told, "Well it doesn't have that feature." Then I ask if they can put in a tech request, but they go on telling me how I should do it online, it will be more effective. That's not right. They should be able to put in a tech request for me and have it be just as effective as if I did it online.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

It covers all the aspects of managing a job; from when the lead is created, to when the job is done. It gives you the power to customize, to a point, the program to fit your company and allows you to make changes on the fly. We keep up on the schedule daily but the schedule keeps our jobs running smooth. The time-clock is top notch and it communicates with QuickBooks. Overall, its the whole package and it all is two thumbs up.

The ability to customize certain things, like tabs or change the wording. All other items Builder Trend fixes as we bring them to their attention.

A great construction management tool. Offers flexibility in formatting of different components within the program. Leads are easily tracked with notifications, summary page is very thorough and useful, job info, templates, scheduling, daily logs, To-Do's, Change Orders, time clock c/w geo-fencing, docs & photos, surveys, estimates, bills & PO's, Budget and owner invoices all flow well and again are customizable to fit individual company needs. Owner view is a great option and allows for owner participation and information flow.

No tax module is addressed within the system. This adds a lot of steps and confusion to make sure taxes are added independently in QuickBooks Online (QB). It also confuses the customer on their Buildertrend site. We send all invoices out of QB for contract invoices and change order invoices. A big negative. A great management tool but weak on the interface with QB.

BuilderTrend offers a comprehensive approach to managing customer interactions, project development and construction management. Implementing BuilderTrend will help you define processes for the key elements of your business - the processes that help you make the most money!

BuilderTrend integrates with QuickBooks desktop but the interface can be a bit clunky. It does work but requires a bit of patience, as do all things QuickBooks.

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.

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.

I like the ability to get notifications for a variety of transactions, the ability to log in & see things from a variety of devices, the tracking features for every transaction, and I love the amount of storage space for documents & photos that it has.

I wish it was more affordable to purchase more jobs so that we could use the system for our remodel projects, currently, we do not enter them in as many of them are small projects and do not warrant the expense it would cost us to have that many jobs. It is unfortunate because it puts us with two different processes for selections, budgets, docs, etc. depending on what type of project it is. I wish it was also possible to mark a selection as "Ordered," much like you can mark it as "Approved" it would help the designer & client know when it is absolutely too late to make changes. Lastly, I wish the transition to QB was more efficient. If you are using a desktop version of QB, which is the only way to have the contractor version, when PO's are pushed to QB, they do not populate the customer's job to the items on that PO even though it is tied to that job. I am not even sure what the point of tying the jobs together is as it does not seem to connect them at all in the transfer process.

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.

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.

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.

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.

- We can upload all project-related documents, photos & videos under the customer folder.
- We can update daily logs, which helps the team members to be on one page.
- To-Dos helps us a lot in completing our task by time.
- The schedule section helps a lot to keep a track record of projects.
- We can send messages to our customers, and other team members can also view it using the global tab.
- Under the financial tab, it gives us various categories which help a lot to our finance team.

- It takes time while loading.
- Daily logs can be edited by any team member without edit history.

Simple display options and excellent user interface
The system flows as per the workflow on site and the calendar works excellent in managing multiple jobs
All information in one place is excellent, and all available to supply chain and clients at the click of a button.

Our international clients love this software.

Would be good to have a clear guide as to how to use the POs, payments & COs and how they interact.
Doesn't transfer data correctly to Xero - double data entry
Does not do payroll, this would be a fantastic addition (understandable that it is complicated)
More flexibility required for estimates in BT. Lacks the functionality of Excel so forces us to use another system for this.
Clearer explanation of selection budgets and how they can be incorporated into the estimate would be beneficial.
Not been able to use the email link successfully to date.

Further guidance on how to link Xero tracking and BT cost codes would have been a huge help during setup.
It is still a challenge to get our supply chain to use the system with us.

Can be complicated to use based on the number of settings available to users and

The interface is user Friendly and the tutorials easy to follow for all levels of our team. The cloud based system with live updates has allowed for all team members to access live data, Photos and videos no matter were they might be working.
Our clients have an interface and capability to be a part of the construction process and see live updates of what is happening on their new home.
Buildertrend has allowed us to implement systems and checklist all in one place available to everyone., We are now in the process of scaling our Company to build in outer regions. All easily controllable from the head office.

- Some of the windows and drop down categories don't have the flexibility to change what text is fixed by Buildertrend internally.
- Not having tax inclusive and exclusive in the owner invoices and the Purchase orders (Australia 10%GST)
- Using the selections window we have had to set up a work around to show the client a cost difference between the base item and the item they select. This results in not being able to use the selection as part of the estimate and the item selected has to be carried in from elsewhere.