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If you’re a home builder, you are constantly getting asked…

🟦The Reality Most Home Builders Live In

If you’re a custom home builder, you’re constantly being asked for answers:

• YOU want to know where costs and profits are headed on each job.

  • Are we over budget in this cost code center?

• Customers want cost updates.

  • How much is left on this contract?

  • Can you show us the detail of costs behind this draw request billing?

• Project managers want to know who, what, when, and where.

  • Who will be pouring the slab on this job?

  • What is the scope of work and timeline for pouring the slab?

  • How much have we paid the slab contractor so far on this job?

• Bookkeepers want you to cost code and approve bills to pay.

  • Which bills are approved for payment by the PM OR by the ‘big boss’?

• Various types of insurance agents want audited numbers.

  • General Liability Auditor - Please give me the answers I need for general liability.

  • Builders Risk Auditor - I need the total project costs - summed by hard and soft costs.

• Bankers & CPAs want financials AND current WIP reports.

  • Banker: Send me your latest Work In Progress (WIP) report on all you active projects.

  • CPA: I need to know how much is in each GL account for every active job at year end.

• and so much more.

🟦 The problem isn’t lack of effort.

MANY HOME Builders Use Accounting Software That Was Not Designed For Construction!

So—in that case, accounting lives in one system, and project management lives somewhere else, and spreadsheets try to reconcile everything. So, every time someone asks a question, the answer has to be reconstructed after the fact. The delay isn’t because people aren’t working hard—it’s because the systems used are separate ones.

And IF a system calls itself construction accounting but still relies on connecting to QuickBooks, then accounting lives elsewhere—and answers will always take longer to retrieve or update.

CHS is a fully-featured construction accounting system built with a focus on custom home builders.

CHS includes its own project management features. CHS was built to replace your generic accounting software. Its purpose is to bring construction accounting and project management data together to live in one system, so answers are immediate and accurate.

CHS IS the “work-around” the home building industry keeps trying to create with too many spreadsheets. CHS IS purpose-built construction accounting that replaces guesswork and spreadsheets with structure.

👥 CHS! Where Your Entire Team Works Together — Based on assigned permission levels!

“I built CHS so that a builder’s estimate, change orders, and purchase orders could live in the same system as all the job costing accounting data—because that’s what it takes to get instant cost comparisons and accurate profit projections.” Carol King, Founder of Custom Homebuilders’ Solutions (CHS)

CHS isn’t just accounting software—it’s a collaborative platform that brings your entire team together while keeping financial control in the right hands. From the office to the field, CHS gives every key player the tools they need to make smart, timely, and financially sound decisions—with permission levels set by you.

Say goodbye to time-eating spreadsheets and scattered systems that cause you to wait for answers you need now. CHS gives you one unified platform, full of instant answers that make you and your whole team feel confident and in control.

From estimating to project tracking to financial statements, your numbers live in one place—working together in real time—to show you exactly where each project stands at any moment.

🟦 WHY CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE MUST BE DIFFERENT

Construction accounting is fundamentally different from general business accounting.

Home building requires different accounting procedures than other businesses because….

• Original Contract Price can change due to:

  • Change Orders

  • Job Costs Over or Under Allowances

• Different Types Of Contracts can be used for each job:

  • Lump Sum Fixed Price contract

  • Costs Plus A Markup contract

  • Costs Plus A Builder Fee contract

• The IRS allows 2 timing choices for recognizing Revenues for each job:

  • Complete Contract Method

  • Percentage Of Completion Method
    

  Most generic accounting software simply was not designed to handle construction-specific accounting requirements, like the above, properly.

And because these concepts are not typically covered in standard accounting courses, bookkeepers are often forced to create workarounds inside software that was never built for builders. Over time, those workarounds can distort job costing, complicate WIP reporting, and create financial statements that are difficult to explain to banks, CPAs, or auditors.

CHS is construction accounting software designed specifically to eliminate those workarounds — giving custom home builders, bookkeepers, and CPAs the tools they actually need. And while Carol King, the founder, cannot be your accountant, she likes to help guide you through the best methods for setup and use of CHS to accommodate your specific needs!

BUILDER: “The software works so well that I have only had to reach out to Carol and her team a handful of times over the entire 12 years. That speaks volumes! By far, the best feature of this software is the ability to have the job cost/profit management and the accounting all in the same place. No need to sync with, or export to another accounting software. I have searched over the years and I have not found another software that can singularly provide both of these functions. As an experienced controller for home builders, I am sure Carol had this in mind when she created this software.” —Kraus Associates See more…

BOOKKEEPER: “Carol has thought of everything. I love it when CHS protects me from making date errors and watches for possible accounting mistakes. And when I don’t know how to do something, her detailed tutorial videos teach me how to do everything in CHS, with many tips about Construction Accounting!'“

That’s intentional.

CHS was built specifically for luxury and semi-custom home builders who need accurate financial reporting, job costing clarity, and reliable numbers for banks, insurance audits, and homeowner transparency.

🟦 CLOSE THE DEAL! SHOW your prospects your accountability! show them sample CHS Reports.

🧾 Transparency Your Clients Can See

Your clients are investing in more than just a home—they’re investing in you. With CHS, you can give them the transparency and professionalism they expect at every step.

When your accounting, job costing, and project management are all in one software, your office can run like a well-oiled machine, inspiring your clients to recommend you with enthusiasm.

Impress Your Prospects by showing them:

• Professional Job Proposal - Based on selected Contract Type & your own header & footer

• Stage-based weekly job status updates.

• Sample Change Orders and how they can approve them online.

• Sample Allowances status reports

• How you can provide clear, itemized Billings (aka Draw Requests) for cost-plus or fixed-price jobs. Present up-to-date contract balances due, automatically calculated based on the contract type—whether fixed-price or cost-plus.

• How you can use CHS’s tools to auto prepare billings & recalculate Contract Price & Contract Balance based on contract type, revenues received, and changing estimated costs, to do away with clunky Accounts Receivable and over/under billing entries!

“We have been working with CHS for years and it has been a great product for us. It offers a very stable financial and job costing platform and works great for fixed price, fixed fee or cost-plus. It's comprehensive and scalable.” Phillips Homes

“We have really liked using CHS. I love how we can give a Costs Plus home buyer access to see their actual job cost vendor invoices when we do a Draw Request Billing using CHS, and that we don’t have to spend time making copies of vendor invoices for the customer anymore.” —Todd at Todd Homes

🟦 CHS: CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE IN ONE SYSTEM

CHS is not an add-on to QuickBooks.

It replaces generic accounting software with a fully integrated construction accounting and project management software platform built specifically for custom home builders.

Accounting and project management live in one system.

When job costs are entered in payables, Estimated Costs at Completion instantly recalculate AND Estimated Profits AND Cash Available per job update in real time.

When Change Orders are approved, contract prices, estimated profits, and contract balances adjust automatically.

No syncing between systems.
No duplicate data entry.
No spreadsheet reconstruction.

Just real-time construction accounting that reflects reality.

🟦 WHAT WE MEAN BY PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project management inside CHS is not just task tracking.

It is financial and operational control — working together.

Budgeting & Estimating

• Create detailed budgets and estimates
• Monitor expected costs and projected profit
• Track Estimated Cost at Completion
• Compare budget to actual in real time

Purchase Orders & Vendor Control

• Issue and track purchase orders
• Check off completed work
• Document retainage
• Monitor vendor insurance expirations
• Track compliance documentation
• Request updated certificates

Change Orders & Contract Control

• Create and approve change orders
• Update contract values automatically
• Track allowance adjustments
• Maintain accurate contract balances

Monitoring Costs & Profitability

• Monitor projected overages early
• View cost code variances
• Add notes explaining changes
• Protect margin before it disappears

Schedule & Field Management

• Maintain the list schedule
• Post daily job logs
• Prepare weekly status reports
• Document field progress

Communication & Documentation

• Message team members inside jobs
• Communicate with customers
• Store invoices and bids
• Maintain waivers of lien
• Prepare insurance audit support

🟦 THE BOOKKEEPER BECOMES THE HERO

As payables are entered, CHS alerts the bookkeeper to:

• Budgeted Cost code overages

• Purchase Orders overages

• Vendor insurance expirations

• Missing compliance documents

• Potential accounting errors

From the payables window, they can:

• Drill down to related purchase orders.

• Auto fill payables data by selecting a related PO.

• View uploaded vendor bids.

• Upload and attach copies of the vendor invoice.

• Send & store notices to team members about overages.

• Send & store questions to the vendor about their invoice.

• Lookup all past invoices from vendor, paid or unpaid.

• Request updated certificates from vendors.

Bookkeeper can select various ways to mark an invoice as paid.

• Post as PAID via an ACH debit or check

• Post as PAID by a selected credit card

• Post as PAID by an outside party (CHS handles the proper posting )

• Post as UNPAID to pay later

THEN it’s time for the bookkeeper to let the big boss and/or project managers know that they can log onto CHS and open the tool to approve posted unpaid invoices. AND that they should review the Estimated Costs At Completion for their jobs and make notes about any overages.

Now the bookkeeper is not chasing paperwork.

They’re protecting the company.

That’s not burnout anymore.

That’s leadership.

That’s when the bookkeeper becomes the hero.

🟦 THE PROJECT MANAGER BECOMES THE JOB COST PROTECTOR

Project managers don’t just manage schedules.

They also manage profit margins by monitoring job costs.

CHS gives them visibility into the following data for their assigned jobs:

• Estimated Cost at Completion for every cost code
• Projected overages in real time
• Variance notes explaining why costs are trending

With assigned permission for the job, the project manager can:

• Correct miscoded job costs and write notes explaining overages.
• Drill into invoices and related POs.
• Review unpaid posted job costs.
• Approve costs after reviewing documentation.
• Check off completed purchase orders as Work Done.
• Alert bookkeeper about any deductions that should be taken from a Purchase Order.

And beyond cost control, with assigned permissions, project managers can:

• Maintain list schedules
• Post daily logs
• Prepare weekly status reports
• Document field progress inside the job

They’re no longer reacting to accounting after the fact.

They’re managing financial and operational performance together.

That’s when the project manager becomes the hero.

🟦 WHEN CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT WORK TOGETHER

🟦 WHAT CHANGES….

The questions don’t stop.

But no one is waiting.

The bookkeeper catches financial risk early.
The project manager protects job margins and schedules.
The owner sees accurate, aligned numbers.

Accounting and project management live in one system.

🟦 FULL CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING CAPABILITIES

CHS supports:

• Completed Contract accounting
• Percentage of Completion accounting
• Accurate Work in Progress (WIP) reporting
• Real-time Estimated Costs at Completion
• Contract balance calculations
• Financial statements by company, job, or department

All designed specifically for custom home builder accounting.

🟦 WHY CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS STAY WITH CHS

There are multiple reasons why so many builders renew for a full year — even though they are free to renew month to month.

Because when your construction accounting software and project management tools finally work together…

You don’t want to go back to disconnected systems.

Testimonials…..

🟦 Ready for Real-Time Job Costing and Construction Accounting Built for Custom Home Builders?

If you’re searching for construction accounting software that delivers real-time job costing, construction accounting, WIP reporting, and integrated project management — CHS was built for you.

⚠️ WHY YOU SHOULDN’T QUICKLY DISMISS CHS

Just because you already have accounting software doesn’t mean you have the right solution.

CHS doesn't do away with accounting—it gives you a smarter, construction-ready way to manage it. It has your financials, estimates, change orders, purchase orders, actual job costs, customer billings, contract balances due, document storage, and more, all in one software—eliminating sync issues, duplicated data, and costly guesswork.

If you're serious about building luxury custom homes, don't overlook the software built for exactly that. For example, CHS has instant reports like:

• TRIAL BALANCE GROUPED & TOTALED BY JOB (totals each General Ledger account BY JOB)

• TRIAL BALANCES & CASH FLOW FOR WHOLE COMPANY, EACH JOB, or EACH DEPARTMENT

• CASH BALANCES & UNPAID PAYABLES for EACH JOB

• OUTSTANDING JOB COSTS TO PAY for EACH JOB

• PROJECTED GROSS PROFITS for EACH JOB.

• CURRENT CONTRACT BALANCES FOR EACH JOB

• WIP REPORTS FOR ALL ACTIVE JOBS

• BALANCE SHEET FOR WHOLE COMPANY As of Selected Date

• INCOME STATEMENTS FOR SELECTED RANGE OF DATES - For Whole Company, Job, or Department (aka Profit & Loss Statements)

And, most importantly, CHS instantly calculates WIP earned income for you BY JOB, using Percentage of Completion, and helps create the POC Journal entries, if needed, for you at the click of a button….all these things, and more, means greatly reducing the year-end scramble by your CPA.

Click this for more info AND a video about WIP & Percentage Of Completion!

🗓️❌ NO LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS

Stay because CHS works—not because you’re locked in.
We believe software should earn your loyalty, not demand it. CHS offers flexible subscription options with no contracts or long-term obligations. New customers start with a one month term, and once they see the results, they often choose to stay longer—on their own terms. Renew for 1 to 12 months as needed. Renewals are easy to manage from your own dashboard and CHS never requests or stores your payment credentials.

View Fee Structure and/or Sign Up.

⚡Best of all, CHS helps prevent surprises with instant answers!
Buyers, trades, suppliers, AND your team stay informed as the job progresses, which means fewer questions, fewer disputes, and no last-minute sticker shock. You’ll build trust, protect your margins, and maintain a professional image from the first draw to the final closeout.

Proven and trusted. CHS has been in use by several hundred professional home builders for over 2 decades. They say, “CHS is our best kept secret!”

🟦 VIDEO: Introduction to CHS Founder AND A SUMMARY OF CHS FEATURES

💼 Step Into the Role of the Professional Builder

You’re not just building homes. You’re building a business that lasts. The builders who choose CHS are stepping into the role of business owner, —not just managing job sites, but building a company.

• 👷 Builder Leadership

• 📊 Professional Financials

• 🤝 Client/Vendor Trust

CHS builders are the ones who:

• Know exactly where every job stands, in real time

• Present confident, accurate numbers in every meeting with clients, bankers, staff, etc.

• Grow their companies without losing financial control

• Are respected not just for what they build—but how they run their business

By centralizing your operations, CHS enhances communication, reduces errors, and streamlines project management from start to finish.

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💬 A Couple of Our Builder Testimonials

Luxury custom builders trust CHS to simplify their accounting, protect profits, and impress their clients. See more testimonials..

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See CHS Team Collaboration in Action:

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🧭 DIVE IN TO OUR FEATURES & TUTORIALS

Yes, there’s a lot on this page—because custom home building isn’t simple.
You're not just managing projects—you’re coordinating with clients, project managers, bookkeepers, lenders, insurance agents, trade partners, suppliers, your client’s banker, AND your internal team of estimators, PMs, and accountants. CHS is built to support all of them—while keeping you in control. So yes, this page is long. But every part of it is here because building high-end custom homes takes more than just basic tools.

Click a link to go to learn more about some of our features!
Job Budget Estimate

Change Orders & Allowances

Customer Selections - Handle Them The Smart Way!

Estimated Costs At Completion (ECC)

Purchase Orders & Other Project Management Features

Vendor Management

Financial Clarity

Document Storage

FAQs

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📊 Estimated Costs At Completion (ECC)

• CHS’s Real-Time Visibility!

⚠️ Why Estimate vs. Actual COSTS Alone Isn’t Enough

A lot of builders think comparing estimated costs to actual posted costs is all they need to see how a job is going. But here’s the problem: That comparison is mostly meaningless—until the job is complete.

Why? Because many of your biggest expenses—like cabinetry, final trim, or appliances—may not have happened yet, OR committed costs (POs) have been issued for higher or lower than the original estimated costs, OR Change Orders may be in the works. So simply comparing what you originally estimated to your actual posted job costs so far doesn’t show the whole picture.

To really understand where a job stands midstream, you need tools that help you forecast what’s coming—not just measure what’s already happened.

That’s why CHS goes beyond actual costs. It brings all the following together on one Estimated Costs At Completion window that has the following (and more)…

• Shows the original Budget / Estimate numbers.

• Includes Purchase Orders to capture committed costs

• Tracks Change Orders to adjust both budget and contract price

• Lets you mark cost codes as complete so you know when a budget line is fully used

• Continuously calculates your projected final costs (or Estimated Costs At Completion - ECC)

• Shows Paid cost amounts…

• So that it can calculate total amounts Remaining To Pay

• Calculates Cash Balances and current bills due BY job, showing current Cash Available.

• The instant calculation of the current ECC Total allows CHS to update the current Contract Price, based on whether it is fixed or costs plus, resulting in a Contract Balance Due Report that includes Job Revenues received. The current ECC total is then instantly grabbed for each job in order to calculate WIP, Earned Revenues, and Percentage of Completion totals.

That’s how you avoid surprises—and stay ahead of budget overruns before they happen.

See where every dollar stands—live, by cost center.

The CHS Estimated Costs At Completion (ECC) window is the hub where your estimate, change orders, purchase orders, manual revisions, and actual job costs all automatically come together—side by side—to instantly calculate what your completed job costs are currently expected to be when finished.

🔍 For every cost center, you get:

• Original Estimate

• Approved Change Orders

• Issued Purchase Orders

• Manual Revisions

• Actual Incurred Costs

• Real-Time Difference (Over/Under)

• Paid to Date & Outstanding Payables

And because CHS keeps it all linked, every number has a drill-down—so you can click into any amount to see exactly where it came from.

📊 Real-Time Job Costs & Variances Tracking

Track and compare estimates, POs, change orders, builder revisions, and actual job costs—instantly.

CHS pulls detailed data from your estimates, purchase orders, change orders, and incurred job costs to deliver precise variance results—showing you exactly where you stand against your budget at every phase. These insights feed into polished, professional-grade financial reports that help you stay in control and build confidence with your clients.

CHS totals up all of the over and under amounts right on the ECC window, and gives you a summarized list of just those cost centers that are over or under so that you do not have to scroll to see them on the ECC worksheet.

💰 Stay on Top of Profit and Cash Flow FOR A JOB

On the same ECC window, you’ll see:

• Current Estimated Gross Profit for the Job

• Job Cash Balance (Calculated from actual cash flow: monies in less monies out)

• Current Cash Available (Cash Balance Less Posted Unpaid Payables for the job)

• Outstanding To Pay (ECC total less total PAID amounts for the job)

No spreadsheets. No syncing. No surprises. Just real-time clarity—on one screen.

👉 This is job costing done right—because your profits depend on it.

🚫 STOP MOVING Overages to a Contingency Cost Code & SAVE TIME! no need with CHS clarity!

WHY?? BECAUSE CHS HAS THE ESTIMATED COSTS AT COMPLETION WINDOW THAT CLEARLY SHOWS OVER & UNDERS AND TOTALS THEM UP FOR YOU AND YOUR COSTS PLUS CUSTOMERS!!

It might be tempting to move overages from a specific cost code into a general contingency code—but doing that can actually create more problems than it solves. Click this to see why we recommend leaving the overages in their original cost code.

📊 Free Tool: Find the Right Markup!

Confused about markup vs. margin? You’re not alone.
Click below to use our free calculator that shows you exactly what markup percentage you need to hit your desired profit margin—and finally understand the difference between markup and margin once and for all.👉 Click here to try the free markup tool now!

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📈 Financial Clarity REPORTS at Your Fingertips

🧾 Clean Financials, Clear Job Costing

• Clean Chart Of Accounts - keeping Cost Codes separate

  • CHS keeps your financial Chart of Accounts clean and organized by separating it from job codes and job cost codes. Instead of mixing job details into your Chart Of Accounts structure, CHS uses job codes and cost codes separately from GL Accounts within accounting records—keeping financial accounts focused and easy to read.

    This structure allows you to:

    • Maintain a streamlined, clutter-free Chart of Accounts

    • Use detailed cost codes and job codes within accounting records to track and compare job costs

    • Produce all kinds of financials by job, including a drill-down Trial Balance grouped and totaled BY JOB!

    • Run powerful, targeted searches in the General Ledger—by cost code, job, vendor, or a combination of them

    The result? Clean financials for your accountant, and detailed job costing for your team—all in the same system.

• Full Financial Statements

  • Real Time Income Statements, Trial Balances, & Cash Flow Statements:

    • For Entire Company

    • For Jobs

    • For Departments (ie Divisions)

• Job Cash Balances and Detail Behind Them

• Job Cost Variance Reports

• Job Cost Detail Reports

• Outstanding Job Costs

• Profit Projections By Job

• Contract Balance Reports

• Draw Request Billings- CHS prepares Draw Request Billings, tracks Revenues Remaining To Receive, and produces Contract Balance Reports that can replace the need for traditional Accounts Receivable! The CHS process for tracking what is due eliminates confusing over/under billing adjustments or year-end AR reversals.

• Percentage Of Completion Calcs & Easy Resulting POC Journal Entries

• Work In Progress (WIP) Reports

• Year End CPA Reports

• and so much more— all based on smart filtering tools for confident, real-time decision-making.

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📉 Reduce Year-End CPA Costs
Save on CPA fees—and avoid the year-end scramble.

CHS supports multiple accounting methods, including Percentage of Completion, giving you and your CPA the flexibility to choose what works best for your business.

If you use Percentage of Completion—the method the IRS generally requires and prefers for home builders—CHS makes it easy to apply throughout the year, not just at tax time. That means your revenue, job costs, and contract balances are always aligned and audit-ready.

Your CPA won’t have to spend hours reconstructing job income or sorting out expenses. CHS tracks earned revenue in real time, by job, with no guesswork and no last-minute cleanup.

And because CHS helps you apply the method consistently, there’s no need for your CPA to reverse accruals or rework your books at year-end. Everything stays organized, accurate, and in sync with how your business truly performs.

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🧾 Take Control of Vendor Management

CHS makes it easy to manage trades, suppliers, and subcontractors—all in one place.

Whether you’re working with dozens of vendors or hundreds, CHS helps you stay organized, compliant, and on track—without the paper shuffle.

Here’s what you can manage inside CHS:

✅ Insurance Expirations & Alerts

• Get proactive notifications before coverage lapses.

• Track expiration dates for liability, workers comp, and more.

📁 Central Document Storage

• Subcontracts

• Certificates of Insurance

• W-9s

• Waivers of Lien

💬 Vendor Communication Tools

• Send bid requests to vendors—including itemized lists, plans, and uploaded docs.

• Send purchase orders to be signed online.

• Send Waivers of Lien for digital signature.

• Send requests for insurance certificates and other required documents.

• Message vendors directly from CHS to ask questions (e.g., overages, scheduling, missing items), and store all communications with each vendor or PO.

🧾 Purchase Orders & Bill Alerts

• Issue, track, and update POs by vendor, fully integrated with job and cost code tracking.

• When entering vendor bills, CHS provides instant alerts if they exceed the PO or the budget—so nothing slips through.

📊 Vendor Ledgers with Smart Search

• Search across jobs, codes, POs, invoices, payments, and waivers.

• See a complete history of what’s been paid—and what’s still owed.

💼 Default Settings to Save Time

• Assign default GL accounts and Cost Codes per vendor.

• Automatically prefill new entries with the right settings.

🧾 1099 Reporting

• Stay tax-compliant with built-in 1099 tracking and reports.

👉 Professional vendor management, done the way builders need it.

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💳 pOST & PAY your costs & bills using Payment Choices That Match Real‑World Construction

Post money the way you actually pay it—without messy workarounds.
CHS gives you clear options at the moment you record a cost, so vendor ledgers, job costs, and cash stay accurate.

✅ Choose How to Post Each Cost:

• 📝 Post as Unpaid (to pay later)
  Record the bill now; cut the check or pay later. Keeps cash accurate and A/P clean.

• 🖨️ Post & Print Check
  Enter and pay in one step—or print the check immediately from CHS.

• 💳 Post as Paid by Credit Card
  Pay a vendor with your card and post the payment directly to that vendor.
  You do not need to post to a separate “credit card vendor” until you make the lump payment to the card.

• 💼 Post as Paid by Voucher (When the client pays directly)
  If your client pays for a job cost, use Paid By Voucher so that your cash account balances are not affected, but the job costs ARE.
  CHS posts job cost on one side and Revenue from Client on the other—no impact to your cash account.
  → Result: your WIP and revenue remain correct without skewing your bank balance.

Why Builders Like This

• Complete vendor history: All payments appear on the correct vendor ledger.

• Accurate cash & A/P: No premature or duplicate cash hits.

• Cleaner month‑end: Card detail stays with the vendor; the card statement is reconciled as a single lump payment.

• Client‑paid items handled properly: Voucher method keeps your cash clean and your revenue accurate.

👉 With CHS, you post costs the way you pay in the field—while the accounting stays buttoned up in the background.

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👷 Payroll & Employer Burden, Handled Right

Track labor costs the way builders actually work.
With CHS, you can post payroll expenses and job costs at the same time—cleanly and efficiently.

🧮 WHAT CHS WILL DO FOR YOU:

When you post hours worked:

• The employee’s regular wage is recorded as a payroll expense.

• A marked-up amount is posted to the job cost to cover the employer burden (payroll taxes, workers comp, etc.).

No confusion. Just clean job costing that reflects your true costs.

🛠 Self-Performing Labor? CHS Handles That Too.

If your team performs work in-house—like finish carpentry, cabinet installation, or framing—CHS can post:

• The labor cost with markup to the job

• And have that amount automatically included in your Draw Request billings

That means your client is billed correctly, and your reports reflect real profit.

🔍 Easy to Track & Report

• Search payroll by employee, job, or labor category

• Review payroll and job costs in the same system

• Track self-performed labor across all jobs

• Avoid over- or under-reporting labor burden

👉 With CHS, labor costs aren't just an expense—they’re a fully integrated part of your job cost and billing strategy.

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📁 Organized Document Storage, Built In

Store everything where it belongs—securely and professionally.

CHS includes built-in document storage powered by AWS (Amazon Web Services), so you and your team can keep critical files exactly where you need them—without relying on scattered folders, inboxes, or shared drives.

🧷 Attach Documents Where They Matter

• Link plans, specs, PDFs, and photos directly to:

  • Estimates & Budgets

  • Change Orders & Purchase Orders

  • Vendor & Client Records

  • Bid Requests & Status Reports

  • Job Logs & Weekly Updates

🔐 Secure Cloud Storage via AWS

• Hosted on Amazon’s industry-leading infrastructure

• Fast, reliable access from anywhere

• Scales with your business—no extra file-storage system required

📂 Stay Organized Automatically

• Files stay attached to the exact cost center, job, PO, or vendor record they belong to

• No more wondering “where did we put that?”

• Everyone on your team sees the latest version instantly (based on permission levels)

👉 Professional builders need more than email attachments and folder chaos. CHS keeps your documents clean, connected, and accessible.

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💡FAQs

Does CHS Support Cash, Accrual, or Both?
Short Answer:
CHS is built for accrual-based job costing, the professional standard for construction accounting. It supports both of the IRS-approved methods of revenue recognition for construction:

📘 Learn More: Why CHS Focuses on Accrual

Do You Offer a Free Trial of CHS?
No. CHS setup is personalized, and rushing through a trial undermines your foundation. CHS is a long-term investment in the strength of your business.

How Do I Set Up CHS?
There is an on-screen step-by-step setup guide and tutorial videos. Each team member (builder, PM, bookkeeper) is involved in setting up their own part—ensuring your system is built right from the start.

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🎯 Built for Custom Home Builders

SO there are some things we do NOT include ….

BECAUSE CHS IS based on our extensive experience with custom home builders.

At CHS, our mission is clear: we don’t try to be all things to all people. Both our founder and resident builder bring decades of custom home building experience—combined with decades of input from many other builders—and that collective knowledge has guided us on what to include and what not to include. We’ve learned that stability and clarity come as much from what you leave out as from what you build in.

That’s why CHS is:

• Designed specifically for luxury custom home builders, not every type of contractor.

• Clean and uncluttered, without the gimmicks, add-on apps, or third-party gadgets that break down over time.

• Extremely stable, because every feature was chosen with intention, not bloat.

🛠️ Examples of Our Clean Philosophy OR Things We Do Not Include

• Provide An Alternative to Customer Online Selections: Instead of managing endless “selection lists” inside the software, CHS is built for the real-world approach—sending customers directly to vendors. Vendors know their own product lines best, and CHS makes sure costs still get tracked where they belong. More…

• No bank feeds: They sound convenient, but they’re a very poor fit for job costing. Builders need costs posted where they belong—not dumped in from a bank feed that hides the detail. CHS is designed for accurate posting tied to vendors, cost code centers, jobs, cost types, stages, AND of course, general ledger accounts . More info…

• We Do Not Recommend On-Site Time Tracking: Some systems encourage builders or project managers to log their time on each job—to “prove” what was spent where. But that approach doesn’t fit custom homebuilding, and it often backfires.

  Here’s why we skip it:

  • It creates unnecessary friction with buyers.
    Tracking and charging builder or manager hours can make clients feel nickel-and-dimed—especially when they’re already paying a markup designed to cover overhead.

  • It adds needless data entry and adjustments.
    Recording, categorizing, and applying time to job costs takes hours each week—and leads to reconciliation headaches.

  • It complicates job cost reports.
    When you mix wage costs into job data, it blurs true profitability and inflates direct job costs.

  CHS keeps it simple.
  Instead of tracking hours, you use our Markup Tool to determine the right percentage to apply across your jobs—covering your overhead, including salaries and wages.
  That approach keeps reporting clean, pricing consistent, and buyer relationships positive.

  ✅ No timecards.
  ✅ No awkward cost justifications.
  ✅ No double entry.
  Just straightforward, accurate pricing that covers your business expenses and preserves your professionalism.

• No quick switch to Cash method: CHS is a true job costing program. That means accrual accounting—because only accrual shows your real profit and contract position as jobs progress. CHS instantly calculates Work in Progress (WIP) and Percentage of Completion, and it includes the tools to manage both Completed Contract and Percentage of Completion methods of accounting with ease. And, pssst, if you ask us, we will give you a hint about using Percentage Of Completion, and then quickly reversing it at year end, and un-reversing it the next day, if needed, for cash basis.

• No Gantt Chart Schedules: Some software sticks in Gantt charts because they look impressive on a demo. But in real custom builds, in our experience, they quickly become cluttered, rigid, and out of date. CHS uses simple List Schedules instead—because they:

• Give clear visibility into what’s due and what’s behind.

• Are easy to update when plans shift (as they always do).

• Match the way builders and project managers naturally think—by tasks, not abstract bars.

👉 Bottom line: CHS reflects decades of hands-on experience and builder feedback—stable, practical, and intentionally focused—because we know what actually works for custom home builders.

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Monitor & Predict where all of your job costs, gross profits, & contract balances are heading every day for every project. CHS keeps your entire team AND your customers informed in real-time! High end custom builders rely on CHS for clarity, control, and client-ready financials.

CHS can be a trusted partner, keeping you informed, delighting your customers, and driving your business forward! Help your accounting team become major players in Shaping Your Business Towards Success.

Carol King, the founder and developer of Custom Homebuilders’ Solutions (CHS).

Why Watch The Video Below?

The hour-long “Why CHS?” video is your inside look at how CHS actually works—built by someone who’s been in your shoes. It’s not a sales pitch. It’s a walkthrough of how CHS gives builders, accountants, and field teams the tools they need in one place. You’ll see how it replaces spreadsheets and disconnected systems with one smart, streamlined solution built specifically for custom home builders.

If you're serious about controlling your job costs and protecting your profits, this is the hour that could change how you run your business. Understand the nuts and bolts of our approach. No more spreadsheets!

Feel free to call us at (512) 971-1069 or reach out to our On-Staff Builder at (512) 788-1333. For a full review of all of our features in your own time, don’t miss our Free Seminar tutorials. Check out our affordable fees with no locked-in contract, take your time to ensure CHS is a good fit, and SIGN UP when you're ready!

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