The production management capabilities of Sage Timberline Office allow Turner Heritage Homes to automate the process by creating “master houses,” which can then be tweaked for customer-chosen options.

“Under the old system, we’d find the last house—in a completely different subdivision—that was close to the one we were going to build and copy it. Then we’d try to modify the estimate to reflect the differences, but it was very time-consuming,” says Frank Richardson, estimator for Turner Heritage Homes. “The manual process of trying to remember exactly which items went into all of the options and to establish their true costs was very challenging.”

Automation Doubles Volume
Sage Timberline Office has allowed Turner Heritage Homes to double its workload to 300 homes per year.

“Three years ago, before we started using Homebuilder Management System, it was more like 150 homes a year. A big part of the reason we’ve been able to increase our business is because of the production management suite,” Richardson says. “If it weren’t for Sage Timberline Office, I’d be working 80 hours a week. With just one other person working with me, we’re able to keep up at 300 houses a year.”

Turner Heritage Homes uses Estimating, another Sage Timberline Office application, to set up its master model homes, which include all the available options to make it easy to customize for each client. The Homebuilder Management System then is used to manage vendors and subcontractors. “It’s a more efficient system,” Richardson says.

Compare Prices Between Vendors and Subs
Homebuilder Management System also helps Turner Heritage Homes easily compare prices between vendors and subcontractors. “When a sub wants a price increase, I can pull up their price and their competitors and know if their increase is a legitimate one or if they’re going to be the most expensive sub I have,” Richardson says.

Sage Timberline Office cuts Turner Heritage Homes’ estimating time in half, Richardson says. “It’s just a more efficient use of time,” he says.

Technical support keeps the system running smoothly. “If I have the slightest problem, I usually call and they walk me right through it,” Richardson says.

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