What’s included for design-build firms
Design-build firms collapse the architect-builder relationship into one team, one contract, and one experience for the homeowner. The snapshot is configured for that collapsed workflow:
- Discovery-call qualification — every inbound is screened against the firm’s project-type filter (whole-house, addition, major remodel, ground-up) and budget threshold before booking the discovery meeting, so the design team’s calendar fills with the right conversations.
- Feasibility-study delivery flow — the deliverable that bridges discovery and design retainer signing — packaged, delivered, and tracked through homeowner review.
- Schematic and design-development review gates — schematic design and design-development reviews are gated milestones with homeowner-portal upload, review windows, feedback intake, and sign-off requirements before the next phase begins.
- GMP and construction-phase transition — the moment the design phase closes, the construction-phase workflows fire: sub solicitation, permit, mobilization, and the homeowner construction-onboarding sequence.
- Combined design-and-build communication thread — the homeowner experiences one continuous conversation from first call to warranty walk. No “now you’re talking to the construction side” handoff.
- Internal team coordination — architect, project designer, project manager, and superintendent are assigned to every project with role-specific task views and notification rules.
- Punch-list and as-built delivery — pre-drywall walk, pre-close walk, and final punch-list, with as-built drawings delivered as part of the closing-day homeowner manual.
How it differs from generic construction CRMs
Buildertrend, JobNimbus, and CoConstruct were built around the GC who buys plans from an outside architect. The design phase, in their data model, happens before the project exists. That breaks for a design-build firm where the design fee is the firm’s first revenue event and the schematic design review is one of the most important homeowner milestones in the engagement.
The snapshot’s design-build variant treats design and construction as two phases of one continuous project, not two separate things stitched together. The homeowner-portal shows design phase progress with drawing uploads and review windows. The CRM shows construction phase progress with milestone photos. The team uses one task system across both phases. Stop running design in one tool, construction in another, and communication out of email. Every handoff between phases is a leak point, and every leak point is where homeowner anxiety and team-coordination errors live.
Design-build firm-specific edge
Design-build firms compete on the unified experience. The homeowner who hired you to handle everything from concept through completion expects everything from concept through completion to feel coordinated. They notice the first time the construction team says “the designer didn’t tell us that” or the design team says “you’d have to ask the construction side.” Every disconnect between design and construction is a referral you lose, and design-build firms get the bulk of their next projects from referrals.
The snapshot’s edge is making the team look as coordinated to the homeowner as the marketing promised. The communication thread is one thread across both phases. The project-status update reflects both design and construction state. The internal teams see the same task system, the same homeowner notes, and the same review history. In 6 months you’ll have a documented unified-experience score, a documented per-project margin separated by design and construction phases, and a documented referral velocity that confirms which project types fuel the next 12 months of work.
The transition from design phase to construction phase
Design-development review signed off → architect celebrates → project goes quiet for 5 weeks while construction does sub solicitation, permit, and mobilization → homeowner emails 'is anything happening' → construction PM calls to introduce themselves → homeowner has to re-explain the project they already explained 12 times
Design-development review signed off → automated 'transition to construction' sequence fires → construction PM introduction video sent to homeowner with project recap from design phase → sub solicitation tracked in homeowner-visible status → permit-submitted milestone SMS → homeowner never wonders what's happening
Compliance, by default
Design-build firms carry both architecture-licensing and construction-licensing compliance:
- TCPA SMS consent — captured at discovery booking and re-confirmed at design retainer signing.
- Architectural license and contractor license display — both license numbers appear on contracts, change orders, and email footers as required by state.
- Drawing stamp tracking — every set of stamped drawings is logged with stamp date and discipline so the documentation exists if questioned.
- Lien waiver workflow — partial waivers on construction-phase draws; final waivers at substantial completion.
- Right-to-cure and warranty disclosures — state-specific language built into the construction contract and surfaced at the 11-month warranty walk.