“I'm on site till five, then I'm pricing jobs and working out the subbies' money until gone ten.”
Builder software for the office work nobody sees. Get your evenings back.
Quotes, variations and CIS handled by a system, not by you at 10pm, and a firm that keeps going while you're away.
I'm Daniel Andrews. I run a law firm in East Sussex, and I put its office work on systems I built. If you're sharp on site but swamped by paperwork afterwards, I'll help you set up builder software that fits how you work.
A typical evening, after a day on site
- 7pmPrice the Hailsham extensionRough measurements, last month's timber prices, an old spreadsheet.
- 8pmWrite up the day's extrasA moved doorway and two sockets, agreed on the drive.
- 9pmChase a stage paymentThe roof's on, the invoice went on Friday, still no money.
- 10pmDo the subbies' CISMaterials off, 20% off the labour, three statements to send.
- 11pmBed, with the plasterer's text unansweredCan he start Tuesday instead? The week's order hangs on it.
Three jobs on the go, and the office is the front seat of the van
Said in plenty of vans, usually after dark.
“A big quote costs me a whole Sunday, and half of them I never hear back about.”
“The kids are asleep by the time I've finished the paperwork. Weekends go on pricing.”
“The customer swears the extras were included. I've got nothing in writing to show they weren't.”
“The CIS return is due on the 19th, and I always remember on the 18th.”
When the building firm only works while you do
Most builders go it alone to pick their jobs, set their hours and be at the school gate when it matters. Then the work comes in, and the paperwork comes with it. Now the site takes the day and the office work takes the rest. If the firm stops the day you stop, you've built a job, not a business.
I've been there. For years I worked 60 to 70 hours a week, often until 2am. Putting the firm on systems changed that, and it's now four to five times the size it was when I started.
The same system works for a building firm: see where the time goes, put the repeat work on systems, and spend the hours you win back on the business. For you, that means enquiries, quotes, variations, payments and CIS off your evenings, with your numbers on one screen. Write down how you run a job, and a site manager could cover a fortnight without anything stalling. The bigger idea is on my page for tradespeople who want a business, not a second shift.
What should builder software do for a small building firm?
It should turn a site visit into a priced quote quickly, record every variation with the customer's approval, and keep each job's costs, stage payments and photos together. If you pay subbies, it should also verify them with HMRC and work out CIS deductions, so month end isn't a late night.
| Job | How it often works now | Set up properly |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries | Voicemails heard at the end of the day. | An instant text reply and a site visit booked. |
| Quotes | Built from scratch on a Sunday. | Drafted from your price book, checked and sent by you. |
| Variations | Agreed on the driveway, argued over at the final invoice. | Priced on your phone and approved before work starts. |
| Diary and subbies | Plasterer, sparky and skip juggled by text. | One job calendar, with subbies told when dates move. |
| CIS | Deductions worked out by hand. | Deductions calculated and the monthly return ready to check. |
| Invoices and chasing | Stage invoices sent when you remember. | Each stage invoiced as it's signed off, then chased politely. |
| Reviews and repeat work | A thank-you if you remember. | A review request at handover, and a check-in a year later. |
What should a builders quote template include?
A builders quote should say exactly what's included and what isn't, the price and whether VAT is added, how long the price holds, the start date, the payment stages, and how extra work gets agreed. If you agree the job at the customer's house, include their cancellation rights.
Citizens Advice tells homeowners that a trader can't charge more than the quote unless the customer asks for extra work, or agrees to pay more once told it's needed. A written record of every variation protects you both.
- The work in stages, with exclusions such as making good spelled out.
- Who supplies which materials, and the price with VAT shown.
- Payment stages tied to milestones the customer can see.
- For contracts signed at the customer's house, the 14-day cancellation information the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 require.
If you make a lot of bespoke joinery yourself, my page for joiners and carpenters covers drawings and cutting lists.
What does CIS mean for a builder who pays subbies?
If you pay subcontractors for construction work, HMRC says you must register as a CIS contractor, verify each new subbie before paying them, and deduct 20% from the labour part of a registered subbie's invoice, or 30% if they're unregistered. Monthly returns are due by the 19th, and records are kept for at least three years.
HMRC sets out the Construction Industry Scheme in what you must do as a CIS contractor. Deductions come off the labour, not off VAT or materials the subbie bought directly. Each subbie you deduct from gets a statement within 14 days of the end of the tax month.
HMRC's CIS 340 guide says that from 6 April 2026, a contractor who pays no subbies in a month must file a nil return or tell HMRC they're inactive. A late return costs £100 from the first day. If you also sub for other firms, my page for roofers covers CIS from the subcontractor's side.
CDM 2015 on domestic jobs
Under CDM 2015, if you're the only contractor on a homeowner's project, the client's duties pass to you, and you need a construction phase plan before you set up the site. The CITB's free CDM Wizard app builds a plan from tick-box answers.
- Subbies verified once, and statements emailed from each payment without you touching them.
- A reminder on the 15th with the return, or a nil return, ready to check.
- A construction phase plan started from a template when each job is booked.
- A waste transfer note for every skip or van load, kept for the 2 years GOV.UK asks for.
Please note: this is general information from HMRC, HSE and GOV.UK, not legal or tax advice. Your accountant, the CIS helpline or a solicitor can advise on your particular firm.
Which part of the month do you dread most: pricing, subbies or chasing? That's where we'd start.
Book a free 30-minute callWhat I'd set up first for a builder
These four touch your money every week.
A price book and quote template
Your rates and standard wording in one place, so a big quote is an hour's checking, not a lost Sunday.
Variations with a sign-off
Every extra priced on your phone, approved before you start, and added to the next invoice.
CIS that runs in the background
Deductions worked out from subbies' invoices, statements sent, and the monthly return waiting for your approval.
Stage payments that chase themselves
An invoice raised as each stage is signed off, with reminders that stop the moment the money lands.
How do I choose builder software?
Start with your biggest time drain, not the longest feature list. For many small builders that's quoting, variations and CIS. Try each option on a real job from last month, on your phone, and check it handles subbies, stage payments and your accounts before you commit.
- Verifies subbies, works out deductions and produces CIS statements.
- Prices from your own rates, with stages, exclusions and variations.
- Works on a phone on site, even with poor signal.
- Ready for Making Tax Digital, which reaches sole traders with qualifying income over £30,000 from 6 April 2027.
- Lets you export your jobs and customers if you ever move on.
Examples, not recommendations: Buildxact, HBXL and Fergus all sell to UK builders. I have no affiliate deal with any software company.
A law firm has the same paperwork problem
A law firm has the same split as a building firm: the work that pays, and the paperwork around it. I'm Managing Partner of a two-office law firm in East Sussex, with around 30 people. I built its live figures dashboard and its one-click hand-offs between colleagues, which work much like a variation approved on a phone.
I'm also a practising solicitor, so I'm used to getting the facts straight and the detail right. This consultancy doesn't give legal advice and isn't regulated by the SRA.
The consultancy is new, so I've no builders' case studies yet. What I do have is 20 years in BNI, alongside other local owners. Read more on my background and how I work.
Other trades I help
PlumbingPlumbers
Call-outs answered, quotes built from your price list, parts matched to jobs and notifications tracked, so the van isn't your evening office.
For plumbers
ElectricalElectricians
Certificates written up on site, EICR recalls sent to landlords, remedials quoted and invoices chased, so testing days don't become writing-up nights.
For electricians
Gas and heatingGas and heating engineers
Every landlord check and boiler service on one due-date list, records sent from site, and boiler quotes followed up, so winter weekends stay yours.
For gas and heating engineers
LocksmithingLocksmiths
Lockouts caught while you're mid-job, key and job records kept straight, and the invoice sent before you've left the doorstep.
For locksmiths
GardeningLandscape gardeners
For gardeners and landscapers juggling a maintenance round, bigger landscaping quotes and green waste records through a long summer of late nights.
For landscape gardeners
RoofingRoofers
Rained-off jobs rebooked, quotes built from roof photos and CIS statements kept straight, without giving up your evenings to do it.
For roofersQuestions from builders
What's the difference between a CIS return and a CIS tax return?
The monthly CIS return is what you file as a contractor, listing payments to subbies and deductions. A "CIS tax return" usually means a subbie's Self Assessment, where deductions are set against their tax bill. If you do both, keep the records apart.
Can builder software file my CIS return?
Some can. HMRC accepts monthly returns from commercial CIS software as well as its own free online service, so test a month with your accountant first.
Is a quote sent on WhatsApp good enough?
Citizens Advice says an accepted quote is binding whether or not it's written down. A proper written quote makes it far easier to show what was agreed. This isn't legal advice.
I'm not good with computers. Is that a problem?
No. If you can use WhatsApp on site, you can use this, and I write every step down in plain English.
Finish on site, then finish for the day
A free 30-minute call. No jargon and no hard sell. Walk me round a typical month of jobs, and I'll say plainly which evening chore I'd automate first.