Remote site walks by video: when they can stand in for a visit
A phone video can show a site far better than a description, but it cannot replace a check on work that is about to be covered. This guide sets out where the line sits and how to file the walk.
11 min read
Blog
Construction Technology
The technology changing how houses and small commercial jobs are designed, built and managed, judged on one question: does it save a builder time, money or a defect?
Remote site walks by video: when they can stand in for a visit
A phone video can show a site far better than a description, but it cannot replace a check on work that is about to be covered. This guide sets out where the line sits and how to file the walk.
11 min read
Digital handover packs and maintenance records for owners
A handover is where the job becomes the owner’s to maintain. This guide sets out how to structure, name and store the records so they still work years later.
12 min read
Digital hold-point checklists: setting up the gate for pours and inspections
A digital hold point is only worth having if it stops the next step until someone signs for it. This is how to build the gate, the sign-off and the time stamp so the record holds up.
11 min read
QR codes on site: linking materials and inspections to records
A QR code on a pallet or a wall is only useful if the record it opens is the current, correct one. Labelling discipline and record control matter more than the technology.
11 min read
Ordering materials through supplier portals: the checks that matter
A supplier portal is quick, but it moves the checking that a counter sales person used to do onto the builder, and the mistakes it hides are expensive.
12 min read
Data ownership and exit terms in builder software contracts
Your quoting and job software holds years of pricing, variations and photos. The contract decides whether you can take that record with you when you leave.
11 min read
Setting out a slab with digital layout tools
Digital layout tools place a slab faster than tapes and string, but a layout is only as reliable as the reference it was built from. This article sets out the checks that confirm the layout against the surveyor marks and the approved plans before the concrete goes in.
11 min read
Choosing drafting software for residential plans
A drafting package is a daily tool, so judge it on the files it opens, the drawings it produces and the skills your people already have, not on the feature list.
11 min read
Backing up job files: a practical recovery system for small builders
A lost job file can cost a builder a variation, a defence and a client. This guide sets out a recovery routine for a small business, separate from the wider cyber security questions.
11 min read
Site cameras and time-lapse: setup, privacy and neighbours
A time-lapse camera records progress well, but aimed carelessly it also records the neighbour’s yard and the workers. Set it up for the job, not for the street.
11 min read
Digital timesheets and site attendance: matching pay to who was on site
A timesheet app that does not match the site roll or the pay run creates more disputes than it solves. This article covers how to reconcile attendance with payroll and with who was actually on site.
12 min read
Working offline on building sites when coverage drops
Many house sites have patchy coverage, and an app that fails halfway through a form is worse than paper. This guide sets out how to prepare for offline work and how to check that entries reach the office.
11 min read