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Interactive example · Builders

A client portal that answers "how's the build going?" before the phone rings

A new home takes most of a year, and for the family paying for it, every quiet week feels like something's wrong. Supervisors lose hours to calls and texts, variations get agreed in passing, and selections run late. Below, a fictional Woodend builder puts all of it in one portal. Try it as the homeowner, then look from the builder's side.

Try the demoGet one built

In short

A builder's client portal gives homeowners one place to follow their build: stage progress, site photos from the supervisor, variations to approve and sign, finish selections with deadlines, progress claims to pay and documents to keep. The builder sees every approval, selection and payment as it happens, with a record of who agreed to what and when.

Interactive demo: Client portal for builders

Live demo · Whitford Building Co., Woodend is a fictional business with sample data. Nothing you do here is saved or sent.

Whitford Building Co.

18 Forest St, Woodend VIC 3442

Your build · WBC-1842

Lock-up stage reached

The house is weathertight: roof, windows, external doors and cladding are all on.

Week
23 of 38
Est. handover
Contract sum
$687,200
Weather days
4 claimed
Build programme61%
Front elevation · 1:100

Stages & payments

$205,200 of $684,000 paid

  1. Deposit 5%$34,200

    Paid

    Contract signed

  2. Base 10%$68,400

    Paid

    Footings and slab poured

  3. Frame 15%$102,600

    Paid

    Frame up, inspected and approved

  4. Lock-up 35%$239,400

    Claim issued

    Roof, windows, doors and cladding on

  5. Fixing 25%$171,000

    Upcomingest.

    Plaster, cabinetry, doors and trims fixed

  6. Completion 10%$68,400

    Upcomingest.

    Handover, keys and occupancy permit

Typical Victorian new-home stage schedule. Variations are claimed with the next stage.

Latest from site

Tom Whitford

Site supervisor ·

Lock-up reached: the house is sealed

Whitford Building Co. · Registered domestic builder · Woodend VIC

Stage percentages in this demo follow the typical Victorian new-home schedule under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 and are shown for illustration, not legal advice. Your contract sets your own stages. No payment is taken in the demo.

Built for custom home builders and renovators

Three people it has to work for, and what each is hiring it to do

  • BuilderFewer "how's it going?" calls, and variations signed instead of argued
  • Site supervisorPost an update once and every client sees it, photos and all
  • HomeownerKnow where the build is up to, approve changes and pay claims in one place

What you just used

How Whitford Building Co. runs, screen by screen

  1. Try this step in the demoProgress postedBuilderPhotos from site, dated
  2. Client sees itHomeowner
  3. Try this step in the demoVariation approvedHomeownerSigned on a phone
  4. Try this step in the demoSelection madeHomeowner
  5. Try this step in the demoClaim raisedBuilderStaged to the contract
  6. Paid and recordedSystem

How the work moves through Whitford Building Co.: who does what, and where the software takes over. Steps with a mint mark are ones you can do in the demo above.

  1. Progress people can see

    Where the build is, what happened this week and what's next, with photos from the site. Most "just checking in" calls come from not knowing, and this is where they stop.

  2. Variations agreed in writing

    Each variation has its reason, price and time impact, and the homeowner signs it in the portal. Victoria's domestic building rules expect variations in writing; this makes that the easy path rather than the paperwork.

  3. Selections with deadlines

    Benchtops, tapware and colours chosen against a due date, with a preview of how they look together. Late selections are a common cause of delay, so the portal chases them before the trades need them.

  4. Claims tied to real stages

    Each progress claim matches a contract stage, with the work that's complete listed alongside. The homeowner pays against something they can see, which is how disputes about claims get avoided.

  5. Documents in one place

    Contract, plans, permit, engineering and domestic building insurance, kept where the homeowner can find them years later, not in a buried email.

  6. The builder's view of every job

    Approvals, selections and payments land on the builder's side as they happen, with signatures and times recorded, across every active job.

Built for you

Your rules, not a template's

Built for your business, the portal follows your contracts and your jobs:

  • Your contract stages and payment schedule, including renovation and extension contracts
  • Your variation process, with approval thresholds and who signs on your side
  • Your selections schedule by supplier, with allowances and upgrade pricing
  • Supervisors posting updates and photos from their phones on site
  • Claims raised from your accounts and marked paid automatically
  • Your branding on your own domain, so homeowners trust every notification

Connects to what you already use

Where a tool offers an API or a calendar feed, the build talks to it directly. Your data stays in accounts you own.

  • Xero
  • MYOB
  • Buildxact
  • Stripe
  • Google Drive
  • SharePoint
  • SMS
  • Email

Email and texts, construction software, or a custom portal?

Construction platforms such as Buildertrend and Buildxact include client portals, and they suit many builders. Custom work fits when your process or your brand doesn't.

CriteriaEmail, texts and callsConstruction platform portalCustom client portal
Homeowner experienceScatteredFunctional, the platform's lookDesigned around your clients, your brand
Variation approvalsOften verbalBuilt inBuilt in, with your thresholds and wording
SelectionsSpreadsheets and showroom visitsVaries by platformYour suppliers, allowances and deadlines
Fits your contract stagesNot applicableUsually configurableExactly
Ongoing costSupervisor timePer-user or per-project feesHosting and support
Best whenA few builds a year, with close clientsYour process fits the platform you already useYour clients expect a premium experience and your process is your own

How we'd build yours

Fixed price, agreed before we start

  1. Follow one build, start to handover

    We map how clients hear about progress, how variations and selections happen now, and where they've caused delays or disputes.

  2. Fix the scope and the price

    Stages, variations, selections, claims and integrations in the first version, with one fixed price you approve before we start.

  3. Pilot it on a live job

    One or two current clients use the portal while supervisors post updates from site. We tighten the wording and flow on what they actually ask.

  4. Roll out to every new contract

    New clients start in the portal from signing, and existing jobs move across at a sensible stage.

What moves the price

Custom work is quoted individually, at a fixed price, once the scope is written down. These are the things that make the biggest difference.

Contract types
New homes first; renovations and extensions add their own stages.
Selections
A simple checklist is quicker than supplier catalogues with allowances.
Accounting link
Raising claims from Xero or MYOB needs an integration.
Supervisor app
Posting photos and updates from site needs a good mobile flow.
Australian app build costs, published openly

When you shouldn't build this

If you build a handful of homes a year and speak to every client weekly, a portal adds a system to maintain without saving much. If your construction platform's client portal already works and your clients use it, improve how your team uses it first. A custom portal pays off when you're running several jobs at once, supervisors are losing hours to calls, and the client experience is part of why people choose you.

Want this, with your name on it?

Tell us how the work runs today. We'll reply within one business day with what we'd build first, what we'd leave out, and whether an off-the-shelf tool would serve you better.

Email

jayson@pixelapps.com.au

Location

Macedon Ranges, Victoria

Serving clients across Australia

Only if a quick call would be easier than email.

What are you after?(optional)
Rough budget(optional)

A range is enough. It helps us recommend the right approach, not the biggest one.

We reply within 24 hours. No obligation, and we never share your details.

Common questions

A private website or app where a homeowner follows their build: progress by stage, site photos and updates, variations to approve, selections to make, progress claims to pay and documents to keep. The builder sees every action in real time.

For a typical new-home contract under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995, the deposit is capped at 5 per cent for contracts of $20,000 or more, followed by base 10, frame 15, lock-up 35, fixing 25 and completion 10 per cent, and those are maximums; a contract can claim less.

Yes. Each variation shows the reason, the price and any time impact, and the homeowner signs to approve it. The signed approval is stored with the time and the signatory, which gives both sides a clear written record.

Yes. A mobile-friendly supervisor view lets them add photos and a short note from the job, which appears on the homeowner's portal straight away. A minute a week per job replaces a lot of phone calls.

If it fits, you should. Those platforms are capable and include client portals. A custom portal makes sense when you want the client experience to carry your brand, your contracts and selections don't fit the platform's model, or per-project fees add up.

More examples to try

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