7 Best Apps to Spur Growth for Your Southwest Washington General Contractor Business

Yes, it’s possible to manage your daily construction duties without accessing apps on your smartphone or tablet. But it’s much more difficult and will probably keep you a step behind your competitors. These days, many apps can help general contractors stay organized and productive on the job site. 

Don’t let your construction team fall behind! The Southwest Washington Contractors Association has sifted through the many contractor apps on the market and listed eight of our favorite kinds here:

1. Roof Estimating      

First, consider investing in software for estimating roofing costs. There are several top-notch products on the market that will allow you to estimate the costs of job materials and labor based on local cost data. The right solution will also make it easy to calculate complex roof areas and measurements; some will even let you send professional, branded roofing estimates to your customers via email.

2. Gas Price Locator

If there's ever been a time to strategize your commute around the cheapest gas available, it's now. With the average price of regular gasoline exceeding $5 per gallon, every construction team can benefit from using a gas price locator app. The best apps stay loaded with up-to-date information on gas stations, prices, and distance, ultimately helping your workers find the least expensive places to fill up your trucks.

3. Time Tracking

Gone are the days when you had to manage physical timecards. Now, you can use a simple GPS time tracking app to painlessly and accurately record your team's work hours. 

Connected World explains that the right solution will show you how your team members are spending their time while automating some of the most time-consuming, mundane tasks. Leave inaccurate, laborious paper timesheets in the past, and invest in a time tracking solution that provides additional features like attendance scheduling, reporting, invoicing, and expense budgeting.

4. Project Management

Every business can benefit from using an intuitive and powerful project management app. The right software will help your team stay up to date on project details and deadlines while fostering healthy collaboration and minimizing miscommunication. Many platforms will put your tasks and due dates in a fully visible interface and let you automatically email deadline reminders to your workers.

Take time to research the various project management solutions on the market. Several are specifically designed for construction teams.

5. CAD Drawings     

If you have any experience designing blueprints for offices, bridges, or mechanical components, you’ve probably used CAD software on a computer. Today, there are mobile construction apps that allow you to create and access CAD drawings on your smartphone. The best part about these solutions is that they facilitate both 2D drawings and 3D models while letting you download plans and models via all the major cloud storage services.

6. Floor Plan Design

There are also apps that allow you to quickly make floor plans on your mobile device. Several solutions use augmented reality to take area measurements and develop room plans in a matter of seconds. And you can export your plans in PDF, DXF, PNG, or any number of other formats. You can also use an online tool to convert to PDF for free if your employees or customers need a different file type. These apps and tools make it easy to communicate however - and in whatever format - is needed.

7. Project Calculating

Finally, every contractor needs a professional calculator app designed specifically for general contractor teams. Whether you're a carpenter, roofer, or brick mason, accurate calculations are critical for ensuring success. And simple mobile and hand calculators don't always get the job done. Look for an all-in-one construction calculator app that’s easy for your team to use.

Use Tech to Succeed

Managing your daily construction duties using traditional methods is possible, but it won’t help you stay a step ahead of the competition. To position your construction team for long-term success, find digital tools that make your jobs easier. The ideas above will get you off to a great start, but keep researching the market to discover specific apps that will spur growth for your construction company.