Managing Addresses
Addresses in Readybuild are stored as house records — shared data that can be linked to multiple contacts and projects. Understanding how this works prevents accidental changes that ripple across your system.
How Addresses Work
When you enter an address for a contact or project, Readybuild doesn't store that address directly on the contact or project. Instead, it creates (or links to) a house record, and the contact or project points to that house.
This means a single house record can be shared:
In this example, editing the address "123 Oak Street" would change it for the Smiths, the Johnsons, and all three projects simultaneously.
Two Ways to Change a Project's Address
When you need to change the address on a project, you have two options. Choosing the right one matters.
| Operation | What It Does | What's Affected |
|---|---|---|
| Select or Create Address | Changes which house record the project points to | Only this project |
| Edit Current Address | Modifies the house record itself | All contacts and projects sharing this house |
Select or Create Address
Use this when the project needs to point to a different location. This operation changes the link — it doesn't modify any address data.
When to use:
- The project is at a different location than what's currently shown
- You need to correct a wrong association (the project was linked to the wrong house)
- A customer has moved and the project should reflect the new address
Edit Current Address
Use this when the address itself needs to be corrected or updated. This modifies the house record, so the change is reflected everywhere that house is referenced.
When to use:
- The street name has a typo
- A street was renamed by the city
- The zip code or other details need updating for everyone
Before editing a house record, consider whether other contacts and projects share it. If only this project needs the change, use Select or Create Address instead.
Changing a Contact's Address
When you click the address on a contact's detail page, you can update or change the linked house. The same shared-record behavior applies — if you edit the address fields, you're modifying the house record, which can affect other contacts and projects linked to that same house.
If the contact has moved to a new location, select or create a new address rather than editing the existing one. The old house record stays intact for any other contacts or projects still at that location.
Common Scenarios
"I need to fix a typo in the street name"
Use: Edit Current Address. The typo exists in the house record and should be corrected everywhere. Editing the house fixes it for all linked contacts and projects at once.
"This project is actually at a different location"
Use: Select or Create Address. The house record is correct — the project was just linked to the wrong one. Change which house the project points to without modifying the original address.
"The customer moved to a new house"
Use: Select or Create Address on the contact to point them to their new location. Then decide what to do with existing projects:
- Active projects at the old address should probably stay linked there (that's where the work is happening)
- New projects should use the customer's new address
"I accidentally changed everyone's address"
If you edited a house record when you should have used Select or Create:
- Use Select or Create Address on the affected project to link it to the correct (new) address
- Go back and fix the house record you accidentally modified — restore it to the original address so other contacts and projects are correct again
How to Tell What's Linked
Before editing a house record, you can check what else is connected to it. Open the house detail page to see all contacts and projects that share that address. This helps you understand the impact of any changes before you make them.