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A builder who isn’t stressed is so unlikely you could be forgiven for thinking there’s no such person. There’s nothing good about the heart-racing reaction to excessive pressure and all the demands that come with running a small residential building firm. It’s tough. And most builders experience it – every now and then – if not daily.

On this page, you’ll find some suggestions for reducing those stresses. It’s all part of our Building Firm Foundations initiative. I hope you find it helpful.

So what causes stress in construction?

As the owner of a building firm, you can feel seriously stressed as a result of too much work or too little. There’s rarely anything in between. Long hours can add to the anxiety. Then there are the tight deadlines and jobs that over-run. Plus, cash flow problems. Add in slow payers. Not forgetting legal worries, like health and safety and contracts. The list goes on… It’s a wonder there are any residential building firms out there!

Working in isolation is also a significant factor. We talk to plenty of builders who feel lonely. It’s a common scenario when you’re running a small building firm, with no staff, just subbies. You’re often making big decisions on your own. That’s a huge pressure.

HBXL understand

We get it. That’s why we’re here. That’s what prompted our founder, Adrian, a builder himself, to start HBXL Building Software in the first place. The pressure to get the numbers right, to follow all the safety procedures, to keep the order book full. It made him want to make life easier with software doing the leg work. And not just for him – all UK builders.

Solutions for the stressed builder

In the Building Firm Foundations section of the HBXL website you’ll find a number of helpful articles and tools to overcome the pressures that bring about the stress in the first place. Let’s look at a few here…

Managing projects efficiently

It’s an obvious one. When jobs don’t go according to plan you feel stressed. It’s all about planning, timing and co-ordination. So, let’s look at how you can do everything you can to give each job the best chance of success. And you’ll soon be a less stressed builder.

BuildProjex

Planning. Imagine being able to see on one screen – the stage of every job, who’s working on what, when plant and materials need to arrive, where the pinch points could be, and more. Well, that’s what you get with our new cloud-based job management tool. With a click of a button you have a build programme, with everything on display. If something changes you

Collaboration. But it has to be done well. And that’s where our new cloud-based BuildProjex comes in. The job management tool allows you to list tasks and assign them to people. You then get to see them ticked off. Everyone can act on the tasks and find the documents, all in one place. And all the messaging is in one place. Can you feel your blood pressure coming down already?

Customers. Before your blood pressure rises again, know that we can help you manage your customers in a way that makes everyone happy. You can give the customer access to BuildProjex (only the bits you want them to see). They can then monitor the job without troubling you directly every five minutes. Share progress photos here. Upload the style of taps for them to choose from. You get the idea. And you can ask questions and get replies all in one place.

I should add, that BuildProjex was created with EstimatorXpress in mind, and I explain more about our estimating software below. For now, all you need to know is that if you drop your EstimatorXpress estimate file into BuildProjex, it will automatically create the build programme, the calendar and so on. It’s the dream!

Finding a work-life balance

You need to put some space between you and work every now and again. When you’re self-employed it can be all-consuming. Estimating seems to be the biggest block here. It ends up being an evening or a weekend job.

EstimatorXpress

EstimatorXpress does virtually all of the leg work for you. The accuracy is taken care of. The quantities are sorted. Labour hours are nailed. The material prices are kept up to date. It does the wastage and wear and tear calculations for you. What’s not to like? It will turn days of quoting into hours if not minutes.

It also gives you a whole bunch of reports to make your life easier, like automatic material schedules.

Reducing money worries

Many builders feel like they’re one job away from serious financial problems. All you need is for one or two jobs to go bad and any spare money you’ve squirrelled away soon gets swallowed up. It’s scary. Quoting accurately is the starting point for reducing those money worries. Next is having the courage of your convictions to charge what you deserve. Watch the HBXL podcast episode with building mentor Simon Lazarus, entitled Simple changes to your quoting that will make you more money.

EstimatorXpress, which I mention above, is your absolute best partner for estimating your renovation, retrofitting, extensions, loft conversions and new builds. That’s if you want to ring fence your profit. And you’ll find more reasons here.

ContractsXpert

Our ContractsXpert software makes sure that builders don’t get caught out by cowboy customers or even your basic troublesome customer. It helps avoid awkward conversations, goal posts moving, and final payments being argued about. Everyone knows where they stand, from stage payments to the parameters of the job. The software produced with legal experts, automatically produces the contracts from the information you provide. One big stress taken away. Oh, and if you drop your EstimatorXpress estimate file into ContractsXpert it will write most of the paperwork for you.

Relieving compliance headaches

Non-compliance of your CDM 2015 duties is a criminal offence. So too is not completing a Construction Phase Health & Safety Plan. And the laws apply whether you’re fitting a bathroom or building a house. So, you could be forgiven for being stressed about your obligations.

Health & Safety Xpert

Aside from keeping everyone safe on site, you also want to avoid a fine or fee at all costs. Health & Safety Xpert identifies the relevant documents for each job and inputs all the necessary information for you. And our Premium edition, also sets out when you’ll need the documents. If you drop your EstimatorXpress estimate file into the software, it’ll work out which documents you need automatically!

Stressed builder? What next?

This is where it gets tricky. You’re stressed partly because you’re short of time. How on earth have you got time to learn any software? What can I say. You won’t learn it overnight but you’ll certainly have it sussed in a matter of weeks. And it’s about the long term benefits – including your health!

And we’re here to help, every step of the way. So give us a call on 0117 916 7898 or complete the short form to try the software of your choice for free. And instead of being the ‘stressed builder’ look forward to being the ‘under control’ builder.