Contractor Software for GCs and Remodelers

The call: "We want to redo the kitchen"

Remodel leads are long sales. The first call is a homeowner with a Pinterest board and a rough budget, and the job may not start for months. What matters is answering fast, getting the walk-through booked and keeping the lead warm.

The SWITCHBOARD AI receptionist answers in your company's name and books the walk-through while the caller is on the line. It asks the questions your office would: which rooms, rough timeline, own or rent, any plans or photos. You teach it what you do not take on. When it does not know, it takes the name, number and project for a callback. Calls, texts, email, Facebook messages, web chat and lead forms all land in one inbox, and website tools like the instant estimator and the 3D planner bring in leads that already know what they want.

The walk-through and the room-by-room estimate

With Job Walk you walk the house area by area on the phone: photos, video, voice notes and a room scan of the kitchen, the hall bath, the primary suite. Lines come from your own Price Book as you walk, and it works with no signal.

Back at the office, the custom project estimate is laid out room by room. Finish ladders let the client step up from standard to mid to premium cabinets, counters or tile in each room, with pictures. Live margin and markup sit against your target, and missing costs are flagged, never guessed. For how to present the choices, see good, better, best options.

3D Room Planner and Showroom

Clients buy what they can picture. The 3D Room Planner lets you and the client lay out the room, and the Showroom shows the finishes. That turns "I'm not sure about the island" into a decision at the table, not three more site visits. When they are ready, they sign the contract with e-sign and pay the deposit.

Bids to subs and suppliers

Your estimate is only as good as your sub numbers. SWITCHBOARD sends a bid request to subs and suppliers by private link. You compare the bids side by side and award the work, and the project's budget vs actual shows how the awarded numbers hold up.

Change orders and progress billing

Every remodel finds something behind the wall. A change order in SWITCHBOARD is written, priced and signed by the client before the extra work starts, then billed on the same job number. Deposits and staged progress invoices live there too. As an example for a kitchen: a deposit at signing, an invoice at demo and rough-in, one at cabinets and counters, and the balance at the final walk. Customers can pay by card online, bank, cash or check with a photo, or over time when you turn financing on. Read how much deposit a contractor should take before you set your stages.

Budget vs actual

Projects carry a budget and track actual cost against it: labor clocked from the job, parts and materials, sub costs, and overhead from receipts. You see which jobs are drifting while there is still time to act, not at tax time. Invoices and payments sync to QuickBooks Online. For the method, see job costing for contractors.

The crew and the client

Every crew member can have a login with no seat fees, with roles that control what they see. Crew chat is tied to the job, photos are time-stamped, and safety checks come first. When the project wraps, the client gets a Google review ask, and before and after photos can become social posts. Comparing tools? See the best field service software for general contractors guide and SWITCHBOARD vs Jobber or SWITCHBOARD vs ServiceTitan. Pricing is quoted per company on a 30-minute walkthrough.

The tools contractors and remodelers use most

Job Walk goes room by room with photos and builds options with live margin, staged invoicing keeps deposit, milestones and final on one job number, and Live Job gets added work signed as a change order on the spot. See how to handle change orders on the job and how to walk a job before you quote.

Contractors and remodelers in California

What running a shop looks like city by city: climate, utilities, permit offices and the local license count.

Questions people ask

Can SWITCHBOARD send bids to my subcontractors?

Yes. You send bid requests to subs and suppliers by private link, compare what comes back and award the work.

Does it handle change orders?

Yes. Change orders are signed by the client before the work starts and billed on the same job number as the original contract.

Can I do progress billing on a remodel?

Yes. Deposits and staged progress invoices all sit on one job number, and payments sync to QuickBooks Online.

Can clients see the remodel before they sign?

Yes. The 3D Room Planner and Showroom let clients see the layout and the finishes, and estimates can be built room by room with finish options.

Does it show budget vs actual?

Yes. Projects track actual labor, materials, sub costs and overhead against the budget.

Field service software for general contractors and remodelers