CoConstruct Reviews

CoConstruct is excellent at linking all phases of building, and it assists us in staying on time. We know when a project is lagging behind and may make adjustments as necessary. The estimation tool's usability might be enhanced, therefore larger firms may wish to seek other higher-cost choices that provide greater flexibility.

It was a little complicated, but so is running a business. CoConstruct goes above and beyond to help you learn how to use it. There are multiple ways to set up your system. Customer service knows the software and will answer your questions completely. You have to figure our exactly how to use it to best suit your needs.

Overall experience has been great. I have to say that every time I call into Tech Support, the tech who answers has always been able to solve my issue or answer my question without passing me to someone else. Rare in this software-driven world of foreign tech support/passing down the line.

We were completely satisfied with CoConstruct! It is a really well thought out program with great support. If it made since for us to keep the software during our transition we would have!

We use this mainly for client communication, daily log and picture and document distribution.

We are a small custom home renovator & home builder and co-construct allows us to compete with larger companies for the same projects. Gives us a professional foot forward with proposals and gives clients access to the project via job logs.

I am able to provide my potential customers with a quote fast and that was the biggest problem we had and now it is easy and in timely manner, which helps us get more projects. I can track my Trade partners and change schedules efficiently.
The best thing is being able to track the project expenses and change orders by the client.

The support team was great and understanding of our issues. I'm glad we tried CoConstruct as it helped us figure out what was most important.

CoConstruct has automated a lot of processes for us. Some of which we were doing on paper. Some we weren't doing and now can do because CoConstruct makes it easy. It has made our business better. I don't really want to imagine running our business without it.

Co Construct has improved operations efficiency in several of the companies I have worked with. Co Construct is able to take a project from the first contact all the way through completion and provides an accountability for the client and the contractor which has been a big support gap in the past decade. Co Construct improves the builder and sub contractor experience as well with features that provide a daily log of comments and photos from the subs to the contractor in one place that is stored for record. Co Construct has also made keeping track of financials much easier and creating and facilitating change orders from the field. All of the features of Co Construct are streamlined in the mobile app for easy to train functionality with employees, subs and vendors. Overall I just cant express enough how Co Construct continues to improve the Remodel and Custom home sector of Residential construction.

Here at Summit, we construct custom and build-to-suit homes that can start from an on-line Southern Living Plan or a gleam in the client's eye. With the variation and choice that falls within that range, it becomes a real chore to track all the information and communication required to deliver what the client expects and a product we can be proud of.

At least, it was before Co-construct. Before Co-Co (I am copywriting that nickname so Donny can't take it), we used a combination of spreadsheets, Everynote, and accounting software to manage client and field communication. In addition to this, each member of the team for any project kept their own side documents. Then came Co-Construct. Before I dive in, let me first explain the Co-Construct does not end the need for paperwork and organization. It just makes it simple.

The learning curve for this software is easy because of the extensive video tutorials provided. All told, it took us about a week to get the system up and running, and here is how it broke down: two days to populate our selection items in the master template, two days to enter the data from the current jobs, and one day to train the management team, review for accuracy, and drink coffee. That's right, all it took was one person, one week, and all of that without disrupting the course of business. Once everyone had their email linked in, we were off to the races.

But what does Co-construct really do for us? Co-construct is a premier information and communication organizer. By keeping all the communication separated into the relevant Selections/Building Phases, everyone stays focused and can find the relevant information at the proper time. From the time the prospect is started up, we upload details, bids, pictures, emails, etc. to the appropriate phase. This way, the client can constantly see the progress of the project and the field manager always has access to the same information that we have in the office. No more side documents. No more lost information.

What does Co-Construct NOT Do? Co-Construct does not do your work for you. We call those 'Employees'. Co-Construct does not fully integrate with accounting software easily. However, it is my understanding they are currently working on developing export formats for some of the more common systems. This creates a small double entry required to reconcile the state of the budget with our in house accounting. However, from an auditor's point of view, I don't mind this, as it provides an inherent data review point. And, in fact, once exporting things into Excel, it is an academic exercise to check it against accounting.

What does Co-construct do for the client? In our case, we are an 'Open Book' company so we find the various sharing features of this software to be indispensable. Clients can see the impact of every choice/request that is made during the course of the project in real time. We find that giving the client the tools to go through and make selections - essentially letting them value engineer their own project - helps them to realize that they are in control of their project. Not only that, they never get that end of project 'Suprise!' when we reconcile the contract.

Finally, Co-construct has been the core element for generating, tracking, and processing change orders. With all the specifications and communications on line and permanently displayed we have been able to vastly improve Client satisfaction while increasing revenues.

In conclusion, Co-construct helps us:
Improve our bidding process
Organize Information
Communicate clearly with the Client
Track the project budget
Capture revenues due to project changes

I WAS TOLD I HAD 90 DAYS TO GET A FULL REFUND. I WAS PRESSURED RELENTLESSLY(WHICH ACTUALLY WAS THE FIRST REASON WHY I WANTED TO CANCEL) TO SIGN UP FOR THEIR SEMINAR OUT IN VIRGINIA, WHICH WAS FREE BUT AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR ANY OTHER PERSONNEL YOU WANT TO ATTEND(2 NIGHTS IN A HOTEL AND THE SEMINAR). WE ARE A SMALLER GC FIRM, THE SOFTWARE HAS MANY GENERIC LINE ITEMS THAT YOU CUSTOMIZE FOR YOUR COMPANIES NEEDS, WHICH I ALREADY HAVE IMPLEMENTED AND HAVE BEEN USING FOR 5 YEARS ON MY OWN PRICING AND CONTRACT SPREADSHEETS. THEY DO NOT HAVE DATABASE UPDATES FOR MARKET PRICING(LABOR OR MATERIALS)
I EXPLAINED IT TO THE REP AND REQUESTED A REFUND, I WAS TOLD "WELL BEING THAT YOU DIDN'T CORRESPOND WITH 5 PEOPLE WE CANT GIVE YOU A REFUND. THAT IS TOTAL BS. IF YOU ORDER SOMETHING AND DO NOT LIKE IT OR IT DOESN'T FIT YOUR YOUR COMPANY'S NEEDS, THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR THE EXPECTED REFUND. I ORDERED IT ON 10/17/17 AND REQUESTED THE REFUND ON 11/9/17, WAY BEFORE THE 90 DAYS. SO WE SAID WE WOULD SEND 4 MORE OUT(1 WAS ALREADY SENT AND WE DID NOT GET THAT JOB). THEY SAID WE ALREADY EMAILED TO CANCEL AND WOULD RESERVE A CREDIT ON FILE FOR US FOR FUTURE USE. AGAIN BS. BEWARE USING THIS COMPANY ITS A REFUND SCAM JOINT...

Wasn't pleasent at all ! I payed a up front fee and never used co construction again !! They wouldn't even refund anything

CoConstruct has allowed us to integrate all project related information in one, web based platform that can be accessed from anywhere, including a fantastic mobile application for use in the field. Not only are we providing our clients with greater communication and visibility to the progress of their investment, but internally everyone has access to all the information relevant to a job, in one location. As a result, we have become more efficient and more profitable.

As a very hands on in the field Contractor I have trouble finding enough time to write bids and estimates. The templates and spreadsheet style estimating really streamlines the process and can ultimately give you your life back.

Our organization prides itself on building quality custom homes, considering affordability and budgets. We truly offer a one of a kind experience through the building process, and something fairly new we offer is an on-staff Interior Designer and Selection Coordinator (me) to help our clients every step of the way - specifically on making all the decisions. Craig Fairbanks has used this program before and hasn't found anything more user friendly or more organized than Co-Construct.

He particularly was interested in continuing this program due to issues with the selection process, where notes and written approvals are very important, and without them, can be confusing and costly. With clients always changing their minds it's important that they can see exactly what is selected every step of the way so they can't blame someone else for their own mistakes. It's a great way to show your clients their options and to keep track of everything.

Not only is this program great for our clients, but it's also a great way to keep all your communication in one place. Besides being able to message your clients and comment on selections, you are able to send to-do lists and work orders to your vendors. What an easy way for them to be able to schedule your project and also be able to see the timeline ahead and what was selected by the clients. With everyone being so accessible to email and text messaging these days, there's no ignoring your requests.

After purchasing Co-Construct, it was my job to set up the Master Selection Template, which is important to do first, so you're able to utilize it for every project. After several months of using Co-Construct, I'm still figuring out ways to improve our template, and jotting down notes on things that need to be changed or improved. I'm learning what the most effective way is to communicate with our clients, and continually finding better ways to present our selections. It is very easy to use and understand. I learned how to do it with some help from Craig, but I learned a lot myself, and watched several tutorials.

As you go through the process of building from start to finish, you will also understand how to manage Co-Construct better. I have used customer support a couple of times. I've both called in and also messaged, and had great support. The people who have helped me are quick to respond, and have found ways to effectively walk me through the process to answer my questions.

We have benefited in numerous ways, from organizing the selections so our clients know exactly what they are getting, staying on schedule not only on our side, but our vendors are utilizing the program and getting our messages. It has really strengthened our communication with everyone through the process.

Coconstruct has allowed us to maintain minimal staff while provide big company performance and results. We are continually learning new ways to make our business successful and Coconstruct has been the key component to this success.

With the ultra-competitive environment as a custom home builder in Chicago, we have continually focused on improving our construction management procedures. They evolved over time for the better and our abilities and capabilities grew with that evolution. We had spreadsheets, schedules, email, calendar, budgets and a high desire to achieve best practices through our experiences along the way. We had good, but not great systems. We felt that we hit our ceiling as far as how we used technology, so we set out to find a better solution. In our quest we found many well thought out programs and tried a few. They looked good but lacked the training required to reap what they advertised. Frustrated but not defeated, we came across Co-construct.

Co-Construct was everything we were looking for under one roof, but we had been here before with other products. What was and is different with Co-Construct is the support and training needed to get up and running quickly. Donny and his team behind Co-Construct do an amazing job here. Their program offers a library of instructional videos, one-on-one support or weekly webinars to educate the user (builder, client and sub-contractor) and give them the confidence to jump right in. The software has a modern intuitive user interface and, with being web-based, can be accessed anywhere.

In addition to excellent training the project management software is efficient and thorough. Covering all aspects of construction management, the customizable software can be utilized from initial client design all the way through the warranty phase. Co-construct provides the user the framework needed to successfully manage the very task intense processes of construction. Communication is at the core of this framework and nothing falls through the cracks.

The hidden gem we weren’t anticipating with Co-construct, though, is the success we have with the clients using the software. They love it. With our ability to dial up or down the amount of project transparency to the client, we can manage the client’s involvement in the process. Whether the client wants to be hands on, hands off or somewhere in-between, we can offer just what they desire. As a result, they feel that their finger is on the pulse of the project at all times giving them comfort and confidence in the process and us.

Co-construct has been a great partner and paramount in getting us to the next level as a builder. At the end of the day, Co-construct allows us to more efficiently and professionally deliver to our clients the home of their dreams on time and on budget. And a satisfied client always equates to a potential referral.

We are family run business that does all types of home remodeling, from kitchens and baths to whole house remodels. In this day and age, there are a lot of good remodelers out there who can do the same level of work as we can, but they may not have a lot of business sense. We have come to realize that homeowners are looking for home remodeling companies to come in and get out as quickly as possible.

Since we know this, we needed an edge on our competition and we looked at how we could improve our business. This meant reviewing the processes of the company and looking at where we could improve. The two main areas we needed to improve upon were scheduling and change orders. Both were done on pad and paper - very time consuming. We spoke to other remodelers in our peer group at Remodelers Advantage and searched online for software that could help us with those two areas. We purchased Microsoft Project and that worked well for us, but didn't help us with change orders. So we kept looking for a software product that would help us with change orders and finally found Co-construct.

I scheduled a demo with Donny and we went through everything. We couldn't believe the functionality that was included then, and so much has been added since we started in April 2011.

We were up and running on Co-construct in hours. Since it is all cloud based, we don't have to worry about installing software on our office computers and keep up with the upgrades.

Donny and his team have always been there when I have had questions, and their response is quick. Every month, open conference calls are available to members where you can dial in and ask questions or get assistance with using the program from Donny.

The software has made it so easy for us to get signed change orders. When the homeowner gets an email letting them know change order needs to be approved, he/she will log into Co-construct and click the button to accept the change order - that's it. It couldn't be any more simple. It saves my company hours every month and allows us to collect on change orders much more quickly.

The calendar/scheduling feature is really nice because I can make the schedule available to the homeowner and our trade contractors. Instead of giving the trade contractors a piece of paper, they can go on-line and see the schedule. The program also emails them when they are added to a project schedule and when their task is coming up.

The Co-construct team is always looking for software improvements which means they are always thinking ahead for the next great thing to add.

We are a home builder and we use this platform as our foundation with every client. We track the progress of construction from start to end along with all building documents, forms, pricing, quoting, plans, and more. We could not function the way we do without this software.

I have been using Co-construct for several months and it has been one of the Best investments I have made for my company. I tried much other scheduling, estimating programs and this one by far are the easiest to work with. Being somewhat of a Luddite, most applications are difficult to comprehend. I'm also from the old school-"if it works, don't fix it". In this case, it wasn't so much fixing as it was enhancing, making my work easier, like switching from hand tools to machine tools. The price? In my opinion, I have saved countless hours by not repeating the sequence of transferring information.

We are a custom home builder building high-end houses costing $700,000 on average. We are now starting to build more project homes and are attempting to build more volume into our business. Over the past four years it has been difficult to run a business in this economic environment. The upside of this is that it has forced us to look for new and streamlined ways to run and communicate within our business.

That is where Co-construct comes in. We purchased the software fifteen months ago and have never looked back. It was instantly easy to use. The online tutorials were easy to follow, but I like to tinker first and ask for help second. I found that within an hour I was using 60% of the functionality of the software. Our clients and team have had the same experience.

We have found that the software is a vital part of our organization that not only helps to capture and resolve any communication problems, but also to formalise and systematize our process. We use Co-construct as an internal system as much as a system to manage the client's needs by uploading purchase orders, plans, doing defects lists, and communicating with our trades. I particularly like the functionality where once I have completed a task, the appropriate people have instantly and automatically been notified to the change or task.

On the rare occassion we have had issues with the software (mostly user issues) we have always had a prompt response to the issue and had it sorted out within 24 hours of logging it into the system. We are now starting to expand our business, and with new team members coming on board I feel that we have a system that will help to create a similar experience for each client.

I suppose that the true measure of a software is to try to imagine what our business was like prior to getting it, or what would happen if we stopped using Co-construct. I dont want to contemplate it, as it has woven its way into nearly all aspects of our business and is now irreplaceable to us.

I have given a very high rating to Co-construct based on my previous experience using a CRM system where my experience has been the absolute opposite: difficult to use and little support by their customization partners.

Thanks so much Co-construct for the tool that has allowed me to confidently build my business.