The bad version of this post
The bad version of this post is a "5 things to look for in construction software" buyer's guide that ends with "and that's why you should buy Solvyr" even though Solvyr isn't what most shops need.
So here's the honest version instead. This is the framework we actually use when someone asks us to help them decide between Procore, BuilderTrend, Foundation, a custom build, or staying on spreadsheets. Most of the time, the answer is not what they were hoping.
The decision tree, out loud
Three questions decide almost all of it.
Question 1: how big are you, honestly?
Not "where do you want to be in three years." Where you are today.
- Under 10 people, under $1M revenue: Stay on spreadsheets. Spend any budget on a better accounting setup and maybe a simple AP tool like Bill.com. Construction management platforms are built for shops larger than yours and will drown you in complexity.
- 10–30 people, $1–5M: The sweet spot for deciding. SaaS, custom, and spreadsheet-with-duct-tape are all viable. The answer depends on the other two questions.
- 30–100 people, $5–15M: You need a real system. Spreadsheets are costing you more than you realize. Question is which one.
- 100+ people, $15M+: You're in Procore / Foundation territory. Enterprise tools exist for you and the cost pencils out. Custom doesn't make sense; at that scale you need an in-house engineering function, not a studio.
Question 2: how weird is your workflow?
Every business owner thinks they're a special snowflake. Most aren't. Here's the honest test: would you describe your process differently than a contractor down the street in the same trade?
- "No, we basically do it like everyone else." Buy SaaS. Procore or BuilderTrend for full-platform. Foundation for accounting-focused. Stop building and go run jobs.
- "Yes, we have this specific thing." Describe it. If it's "we split invoices across jobs weirdly" or "we track subcontractor performance in a way nobody else does" or "we bill clients on a model SaaS doesn't support," you're a candidate for custom.
- "Yes, everything is different." You think that, but probably half of it's just habit. Get a custom-build studio to listen to your workflow for an hour. They'll tell you which parts are genuinely custom vs. which parts would fit standard software.
Question 3: what happens when the tool is wrong?
This is the question nobody asks and it's the most important.
- "We live with it and grumble." Buy SaaS. You'll adapt.
- "It costs us real money every month." Custom is worth the upfront investment because the "wrong tool" tax compounds.
- "We can't grow past this." Pay whatever it costs (custom, enterprise, whatever) to remove the ceiling. Ceiling problems don't get cheaper to fix.
What does each option actually cost a 15–40 person shop per year?
Rough numbers for a typical 15–40 person shop, all-in annualized (verify against the published rate cards linked here; pricing changes faster than blog posts):
- Spreadsheets + QBO: $0 in software. Hidden cost in staff hours: $30K–$80K/year depending on AP volume and scheduling complexity. The hidden math of manual AP post breaks down the per-invoice piece of that.
- BuilderTrend or similar: $300–$600/mo flat = $3.6–7.2K/year. Works well for general contractors. Thin on subcontractor workflows.
- Procore: $500+/user/mo at enterprise. For a 20-user shop that's $120K/year. Full-platform but overkill below 50 field workers, and the AGC tech-adoption survey repeatedly flags this scale-mismatch as the #1 reason small shops abandon enterprise platforms.
- Foundation: $10–50K first year, then hefty ongoing. Accounting-first, strong for AP-heavy shops.
- Custom build with ongoing engineering: a fixed-scope build the first year, then a flat ongoing engagement that usually lands well under one developer's salary. Bespoke to your workflow. Best when you're somewhere between "generic GC" and "full enterprise." The third-option post breaks down what the ongoing engagement covers. For a real example see the WorkForce XL case study with RLS Construction, LLC.
The cost comparison only matters if you're comparing apples to apples. A $600/mo SaaS that does 70% of what you need is more expensive than a custom build that does 100% of what you need, if the 30% gap is costing you real operational time.
Our biases, disclosed
We run a custom-build studio. We have a financial interest in you choosing option 3.
We also tell probably 60% of the people who email us that custom isn't right for them and they should go buy a SaaS instead. Not because we're noble, but because the 40% where custom is right is plenty of business and the other 60% would hate the engagement.
If you're in the middle of this decision and want a sanity check, email us (contact@solvyr.tech) or book a 30-minute call with a paragraph about your shop. We'll tell you which of the three options we think fits and why. No pitch. Worst case you get free advice; best case you save yourself $50K in the wrong direction. (Some of the most common follow-up questions live on the FAQ page: pricing, timelines, ownership, continuity.)
The one-line summary
Small shop, normal workflow: spreadsheet or SaaS, in that order as you grow. Medium shop, weird workflow: custom-built, with a team behind it. Large shop, any workflow: enterprise tool, and budget accordingly.
Everything else is noise.
Written by Shawn Stevens, Founder & Principal at Solvyr. If you want the studio to build the version of this you actually need, book a 30-minute fit call.