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How Your Data Connects

Understanding how information flows in Readybuild helps you get the most out of the system. This guide explains the key pieces of data and how they relate to each other.

The Core Building Blocks​

Readybuild organizes your business around three main concepts:

ConceptWhat It Represents
ContactsThe people and companies you work with
HousesThe physical properties where work happens
ProjectsThe jobs you do for your customers

Everything else in the system connects to these three building blocks.

Contacts​

A contact is any person or company you do business with. Contacts can be:

  • Leads - Potential customers who have shown interest
  • Clients - Customers who have hired you for work
  • Vendors - Suppliers and subcontractors you work with

Primary and Secondary Contacts​

For customers (leads and clients), each contact record actually holds two people:

RoleDescription
Primary ContactThe main decision-maker or point of contact
Secondary ContactA spouse, partner, or co-decision-maker

This is designed for situations where two people are involved. For example:

  • A homeowner and their spouse
  • A business owner and their office manager
  • An elderly parent (primary) and their adult child who handles decisions (secondary)

Both the primary and secondary contact have their own name, phone numbers, and email addresses within the same contact record.

tip

Vendors only have a primary contact since they typically represent a single business relationship.

What a Contact Can Have​

  • Multiple projects - A customer might hire you for several jobs over the years
  • A primary address - Where the contact lives or operates
  • A billing address - A different address for invoices, if needed
  • Phone numbers and emails - Separate contact info for both primary and secondary contacts

Houses (Properties)​

A house record represents a physical property address. This is where the magic of tracking happens.

Key Points About Houses​

  • One house, many contacts - Multiple contacts can be connected to the same property over time (like previous and current owners)
  • One house, many projects - The same property can have multiple jobs over time
  • Property details - Includes address, square footage, year built, and more

Why This Matters​

When you add a new contact with an address, Readybuild automatically creates a house record (or links to an existing one). This means you can always see the complete history of a property.

Projects​

A project is a specific job for a customer at a property. It's the central hub that connects everything together.

What's Connected to a Project​

Connected ItemWhat It Is
EstimatesYour pricing proposals for the work
ContractsSigned agreements with the customer
InvoicesBills for work completed
PermitsBuilding and work permits
ActivitiesMeetings, calls, inspections, daily logs (can be linked to the project, the contact, or both)
Team MembersSales, design, and production staff assigned

The Financial Flow​

Projects follow a natural progression from estimate to payment:

  1. Estimate - Build your pricing and proposal
  2. Contract - Customer signs and work begins
  3. Invoice - Bill for work completed
  4. Payment - Receive payment from customer

A project can have multiple estimates (for revisions or different options), multiple invoices (for progress billing), and multiple payments.

Real-World Examples​

The Repeat Customer​

The Smiths hire you for a kitchen remodel. Two years later, they want a new deck.

What happens:

  • Same contact (The Smiths)
  • Same house (123 Oak Street)
  • New project (Deck Installation)

You can see both projects when you open the Smiths' contact record. The house record also shows both projects - the complete history of work at that address.

When a House Changes Owners​

You remodeled a kitchen for the Johnsons at 456 Elm Street. The Johnsons sell the house. The new owners, the Williams family, want a bathroom remodel.

What happens:

  • New contact (The Williams)
  • Same house (456 Elm Street)
  • New project (Bathroom Remodel)

When you look at the house record for 456 Elm Street, you see:

  • The Johnsons' kitchen project
  • The Williams' bathroom project

This is valuable for understanding property history, especially for warranty questions or understanding previous work.

The Busy Homeowner​

Mr. Thompson is renovating his kitchen but travels frequently for work. His assistant, Linda, handles day-to-day communications.

What happens:

  • One contact record with Mr. Thompson as primary and Linda as secondary
  • Mr. Thompson's cell and email for important decisions
  • Linda's contact info for scheduling, deliveries, and routine updates
  • Both are kept in the loop as needed

A Contact with Multiple Properties​

The Hendersons own their primary residence and a vacation home. They want work done at the vacation home.

What happens:

  • The Hendersons' contact record has their primary residence as the address (where they receive mail and invoices)
  • You create a separate house record for the vacation home
  • The project is linked to the vacation home - that's where the work is happening
  • Invoices still go to the Hendersons at their primary address

Later, they want work at their main house too:

  • Same contact (the Hendersons)
  • New project linked to their primary residence
  • Now you can see both properties and all projects when viewing their contact

Quick Reference​

When You're Looking At...You Can See...
A ContactAll their projects, addresses, activities, and communication history
A HouseEveryone who has lived/worked there and all projects at that address
A ProjectThe customer, property, estimates, invoices, permits, team, and all activities
An EstimateWhich project and customer it belongs to, all line items and pricing
An InvoiceThe project, customer, what's been billed, and payment status