Custom Homebuilders
Building individual homes around each customer's plans, specifications, and selections.
Who we serve · Homebuilders
Accounting and Bookkeeping for Homebuilders
BuilderBalance provides outsourced construction accounting and bookkeeping for U.S.-based homebuilding entrepreneurs. We manage daily financial operations, organize your accounting systems, and help you understand the profitability of each home.
Your team may be waiting for your approval while homeowners choose upgrades and another client waits for construction of their home to begin. We explain the figures behind those decisions, so you can plan with reliable financial information.
Who this is for
Homebuilders we support
Semi-Custom Homebuilders
Offering established home plans that clients can personalize through their choice of layouts, finishes, and upgrades.
Spec Homebuilders
Building homes for sale and managing the costs and cash committed before a buyer closes.
Production Homebuilders
Managing multiple homes, repeatable plans, and construction schedules across lots or communities.
We also support developers building homes or apartment projects for sale or rental. Explore our accounting support for development projects, including the distinction between building for an owner and developing a project you own.
The problem
Can You See What Each Home Is Costing—and Earning?
You can see how construction is progressing, but it may still be difficult to tell whether each home is making a profit or a loss.
These are the details we follow through your records, so you can see what has changed and what needs attention.
Costs Reach the Books Late
Work is finished, but a subcontractor invoice or material bill is still missing. The reported margin looks healthier than it should.
Selections Change the Budget
A homeowner approves an upgrade, but the budget and billing records have not been updated to reflect the additional cost and agreed price.
Several Builds Need Cash at Once
Supplier payments and payroll fall due while you wait for a draw, customer payment, or home sale.
Challenges and support
Challenges You May Face—and What We Deliver
Challenge 01
Costs from different homes or lots are mixed together
What we deliver
Documented materials, labor, subcontractor, equipment, and allocated overhead costs are recorded against the correct home and cost codes. Project budgets compared with actual spending show where costs are exceeding the estimate.
Challenge 02
Allowances and homeowner upgrades reduce the expected margin
What we deliver
We follow approved selections and change orders into revised budgets, job reports, and billing records. The original estimate stays available for comparison, and pending changes remain separate. Billing follows the terms of your fixed-price or cost-plus contract.
Challenge 03
Draws and deposits are hard to match to the work
What we deliver
We reconcile construction loan draws, customer deposits, and outstanding balances to the relevant home and supporting records. Loan proceeds and customer advances are distinguished from earned revenue, so cash received is not mistaken for profit.
Challenge 04
Custom contracts and spec homes need different treatment
What we deliver
We review ownership, contract terms, and your reporting basis before determining how costs and revenue should be recorded. Contract WIP schedules and cost schedules for homes held for sale serve different purposes; we explain the distinction in your reports.
Challenge 05
Construction and accounting records disagree
What we deliver
We organize supported integrations, document handoffs, and approval steps across your systems. Missing, duplicated, or inconsistent entries go to the responsible construction accountant for review before they distort the reports.
Challenge 06
Company totals hide the performance of individual homes
What we deliver
Profit and loss by customer or home, together with budget-to-actual reports, helps you review each build. For unsold spec homes, accumulated cost schedules show spending that may not yet appear as an expense in the profit and loss report.
Your business, your stage
Find Your Fit
Explore the profile closest to your business for more detail on the challenges you may face and what we deliver. The platform options below help frame that discussion; we assess your existing setup before recommending a change.
Small Contractors
Under $2MBuild a stronger bookkeeping foundation. Keep records organized by home, follow unpaid balances, and understand what each build is costing.
- Platform Implementation / Migration
- QuickBooks Online.
- Supporting Software / Tools
- QuickBooks Payroll or Gusto; Buildertrend or JobTread when a construction management platform is needed.
Growing Contractors
$2M–under $8MKeep accounting organized as your build schedule grows. Bring home costs, homeowner-approved changes, draw records, and monthly reporting into a consistent process.
- Platform Implementation / Migration
- QuickBooks Online Advanced or Sage 100 Contractor.
- Supporting Software / Tools
- Buildertrend or JobTread for a suitable QuickBooks setup; Procore with a supported Sage connection. Payroll options include QuickBooks Payroll, Gusto, and ADP.
Mid-Size Contractors
$8M–under $20MMaintain financial oversight across more active homes. Review construction margins, costs held in unsold homes, cash commitments, and reporting responsibilities.
- Platform Implementation / Migration
- Intuit Enterprise Suite Construction Edition or Sage 100 Contractor.
- Supporting Software / Tools
- Buildertrend or Procore with the appropriate supported connection; QuickBooks Payroll or ADP, selected for your payroll needs.
Large Construction Companies
$20M+Bring reporting together across entities and communities. Understand the performance of individual builds alongside company results, intercompany activity, and funding needs.
- Platform Implementation / Migration
- Intuit Enterprise Suite Construction Edition or Sage Intacct Construction.
- Supporting Software / Tools
- Buildertrend or Procore with the appropriate supported connection; ADP or QuickBooks Payroll, subject to the accounting platform and payroll requirements.
Platform selection considers your entity structure, reporting needs, and operational complexity. Additional implementation or migration is quoted separately; software subscriptions are separate from our service fees. Supporting tools depend on compatibility with your chosen platform.
Our services
What BuilderBalance Manages and Delivers
Our accounting services for home builders bring daily records, home-level reporting, and financial planning together. We explain the results with you and follow up on the information needed to keep them reliable.
Your selected package and proposal define the work, reports and responsibilities included.
Monthly Construction Bookkeeping with an Audit Trail
Once your financial systems are established, we manage your daily accounting and bookkeeping operations. We maintain an audit trail that links transactions and reports to supporting records, approvals, and explanations of accounting adjustments. We also manage the tax preparation work included in your engagement.
Home-Level Job Costing Using the NAHB Chart of Accounts
Each home is tracked using consistent job and cost codes, with the NAHB Chart of Accounts adapted where appropriate. Reports compare original and approved revised project budgets with actual spending and committed costs. Approved selections and change orders flow through the budget and billing process, helping you investigate margin changes while work is still underway.
Explore Job Costing Services →US GAAP-Compliant Revenue Recognition and WIP Reporting
Incorrect revenue recording could distort profits and misguide decisions. We apply ASC 606 to your contracts, using an appropriate measure of progress, including percentage of completion, when revenue qualifies for recognition over time. Homes built for sale are assessed separately; revenue may be recognized at a point in time when control transfers to the buyer.
WIP schedules support the required revenue entries. We reconcile WIPRA and WIPAA analysis with the books using documented reporting definitions, alongside cost schedules for homes held for sale.
Explore Revenue Recognition and WIP Services →AI-Enabled Workflow Automation
AI-assisted tools and software automation accelerate document capture, coding, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll workflows. Construction workflows include draw requests, AIA G702/G703 progress invoicing where required, retainage tracking, and lien waiver administration. The responsible construction accountant on your allocated team reviews the work and resolves exceptions. Payments and releases follow your approval controls.
Construction-Specific CFO Advisory and Financial Planning
Your financial analysis passes through our construction CFO advisory team. Advisors contribute their findings and agree on recommendations before discussing them with you. We review home-level profitability, pricing, and KPIs, supported by a rolling 13-week cash flow forecast, cash burn-rate analysis, and situation-dependent daily cash monitoring.
Planning can include owner, lender, and board reporting, along with multi-entity, intercompany, and joint venture accounting.
Explore Construction Accounting and Bookkeeping Services →Read how construction purchase orders and remaining commitments affect the cost picture, or explore contractor and developer accounting workflows. For reimbursable work, our guide explains cost-plus billing records.
Reporting
Financial Reports for Your Homes and Business
Start with the performance of each home, then review the business as a whole. We agree on the reports you need and explain how the figures relate to your construction activity.
Report
What it helps you assess
Profit and Loss by Customer / Home
Recorded revenue, costs, and margin for each customer or build.
Project Budget vs. Actual Cost Report
Actual spending against original and approved revised budgets, with committed costs reviewed alongside it.
Revenue Recognition and WIP Schedule
Contract values, completion estimates, earned revenue, billings, and required adjustments, supported by documented WIPRA/WIPAA analysis.
Home / Lot Cost and Inventory Schedule
Accumulated costs for homes and lots held for sale, reconciled to the books.
Construction Draw, Deposit and Loan Balance Schedules
Draw receipts, customer advances, amounts billed, and loan balances by home; these are tracked separately from revenue.
Rolling 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast
Expected weekly receipts, payments, and cash balances, with daily cash monitoring when needed.
Cash Burn Rate and Runway Analysis
The rate at which cash is being used and how long it could last under the forecast assumptions. Burn-based runway is not meaningful for every business.
Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable Aging Summaries
Overdue customer balances and unpaid supplier or subcontractor bills.
Payroll Reports and Approved Time Records
QuickBooks Payroll, Gusto, or ADP records and time-clock reports supporting payroll preparation and home-level labor allocation.
Company Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement
Business-wide results, assets, liabilities, and actual cash movements.
Retainage Receivable and Payable Reports
Amounts held by customers or retained from subcontractors, with outstanding release items.
Why choose us
Why BuilderBalance?
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Dedicated to Construction
We work exclusively with construction businesses and organize the accounting around your jobs, billing, and project records.
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CPAs on Our Team
Our team includes CPAs and construction accounting and bookkeeping professionals, with clear responsibility for preparing records, reviewing work, and providing advice.
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Construction Accountants Review AI-Assisted Work
The responsible accountant checks the output, resolves exceptions, and records the follow-up required.
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A Shared Portal for Your Team and Ours
Your shared BuilderBalance portal shows tasks to do, work in progress, completed work, outstanding requests, and deadlines. You can see scheduled report delivery dates and which reports are ready for review. Your team members receive free user accounts with access rights based on their roles, so they can coordinate directly with our team. We schedule financial reviews and meet when questions need attention.
Our process
How We Work
01 — Revamp | Months 1–3
Clean books. Stronger financial foundation.
We understand your business and restructure your financial systems around your processes. Regular bookkeeping continues while we clean up historical records, make any necessary migration, and establish job costing and reporting.
02 — Stabilize
Consistent processes. Reliable financial reporting.
We standardize reports, improve AI-enabled workflows, and resolve outstanding issues. Ongoing bookkeeping, monthly close, and financial reviews keep the process working.
03 — Expand
Financial guidance for the business you want to build.
We use your financial results to assess profitability, plan cash, and evaluate upcoming decisions. The work we agree with you begins when needed; the stages do not require you to wait for support.
Packages and pricing
Compare Your Accounting Support Options
Explore Essential, Plus, Premier, and Signature to compare monthly services and pricing, including packages with CFO advisory. Historical cleanup and additional platform implementation or migration are assessed separately, so you can review the ongoing work and one-time costs before deciding.
Common questions
Questions Before We Begin
How do you track costs and profitability separately for each home or lot?
Each home or lot has a separate project record. Documented costs are assigned to the relevant project and cost codes, then compared with the budget. Customer or home-level profit and loss reports show recognized results; cost schedules show amounts still held in unsold homes. We explain how the schedules reconcile with your company accounts.
Do custom homes and spec homes need different accounting treatment?
They can. Ownership, contract terms, and the transfer of control affect when revenue is recognized. Custom construction may qualify for recognition over time; building a home for sale does not automatically qualify. We assess the arrangement before establishing its reporting treatment and coordinate with your tax preparer on tax reporting.
Can you help with construction draws, customer deposits and outstanding balances?
Yes. We prepare draw support from approved project information, reconcile receipts and balances by home, and follow up on unpaid customer invoices. We distinguish loan proceeds and deposits from revenue and track applicable retainage. Your lender or customer retains responsibility for approving and releasing funds.
Would I need to change my existing software?
We assess your systems, reporting needs, internal processes, and expected growth. If the existing platform can support them, we may improve its setup, job codes, and workflows. If migration is needed, we explain the plan, budget, timing, and staff training before work starts.
Can you clean up earlier records while keeping ongoing bookkeeping up to date?
Yes. Part of your accounting team handles historical records while other members maintain ongoing bookkeeping. Shared records and review steps coordinate the work, and your portal shows progress, outstanding requests, and deadlines. If tax returns are overdue, we prepare the accounting data for your existing CPA or discuss filing support and fees separately. Explore Historical Bookkeeping Cleanup →
What information will you need from our team?
We arrange system access and a process for receiving contracts, home budgets, approved selections and changes, supplier bills, subcontractor invoices, time records, and lender statements. Your team approves project information and payments. We manage the accounting, follow up on missing records, and explain what the reports show.
Let's talk
Is Your Accounting Keeping Pace with the Homes You Build?
If more homes are moving forward while your financial questions remain unanswered, let's talk. We’ll discuss the records, systems, and reporting your business needs.
- 1Tell us what needs attention
- 2Choose a meeting time
- 3Talk with a construction accounting specialist
The introductory call is free. Complete a short form by typing or leaving an optional voice message of up to five minutes. Our team reviews your information before the meeting. You do not need to share financial files for this conversation.