Running a construction business can feel like trying to juggle a dozen things at once—deadlines, budgets, subcontractors, client expectations. It’s tough, right?
A lot of contractors spend more time dealing with miscommunication, missing paperwork, and unexpected costs than they do actually growing their business. If that sounds familiar, you’re definitely not alone.
The good news? You don’t have to do it all manually anymore. Tools like Buildertrend and JobTread are helping contractors regain control of their time, reduce mistakes, and boost profits.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how these tools work, their differences, and which one might be a better fit for your business. By the end, you’ll have a clearer idea of how to make your workdays smoother and your business more profitable.
Before diving into the tools, let’s talk about why running a construction business can be such a headache. These are the top four issues most contractors face:
Think about all the moving parts of a single project—contracts, material orders, labor schedules, change orders, client approvals. If just one document gets lost in an email thread or buried in a stack of papers, it can mess up your entire timeline. Delays lead to paying workers longer, renting equipment for more days, and draining cash flow. It’s not just annoying—it’s expensive.
I knew a contractor who had to dig through hundreds of emails whenever a subcontractor needed approval. Sometimes it took days to find the right document. That’s days of stalled work, extra costs, and frustrated clients—all because there wasn’t a simple, central place to track documents.
Miscommunication is one of the most expensive problems in construction. Imagine a client asks for a change to the kitchen layout, but the email gets buried in someone’s inbox. The team doesn’t get the update, and by the time it’s caught, it’s too late. Cabinets have to be ripped out and replaced—money down the drain.
When there’s no single, reliable way to share updates, it’s easy for important details to slip through the cracks. If your team is constantly dealing with mistakes from mixed messages, it’s time to consider a solution.
Ever agreed to a small change on a job, like upgrading to better countertops, but then forgot to update the invoice? Those little “no big deal” moments add up fast. The average construction business loses about 9% of its potential profit because of poor change order management. That’s real money you’re losing.
Plus, late invoices and over-ordering materials can quietly drain your profits. If you’re not tracking every dollar, it’s tough to know where the leaks are.
If you’re still managing projects with spreadsheets, texts, and paper notes, scaling up can feel impossible. Handling five jobs might be okay, but try ten, and it quickly turns into chaos. Growth should be an opportunity, not a liability.
Buildertrend has been around since 2006, helping over 840,000 contractors. It brings scheduling, budgeting, and communication into one spot—no more jumping between apps or losing track of details.
A pool construction company scaled from 15 to 70 projects because they finally had a system that could handle the workload!
JobTread focuses on keeping your budget in check. If tracking every dollar matters to you, this tool is solid.
Most contractors see a 4:1 return on investment within six months—so every $1 you spend on JobTread can bring in $4.
When selecting Project Management Tools for Construction, consider the following:
So, in a nutshell, here is how to choose Project Management Tools for Construction. If you’re managing large projects and multiple subs, Buildertrend is a strong choice. But if tracking every dollar and controlling budgets is your top priority, JobTread is your tool.
Both offer free demos, so why not give them a try? Get your team involved and see which one fits your business best.
