GC software for change orders and draws.
The homeowner OK'd an extra window standing in the framing. Two months later, nobody remembers the price. Redline puts the change order on the job the day it happens, bills it with the next draw and keeps the whole project from deposit to final in one place.
Framing passed, bill the draw
Invoice drafted for Paul Castellano: $48,850, "Draw 2, framing complete (25% of $186,000, $46,500) plus change order 1, added egress window ($2,350)". Approve?
Approved, and the pay link is live. An email to Paul about the draw and the Monday drywall start is drafted. Copy the pay link from the invoice in Money, paste it in, and tap Approve & send when it reads right.
Invoices are on Solo and up. Emails go out from your own Gmail after you review them.
How Redline fits a GC's projects
Draws as milestones are hit
Deposit at signing, then a draw at framing, at drywall, at final. Each one is an invoice you draft by message when the milestone is met. See GC invoicing.
Change orders the same day
Note the change order on the job when it's agreed, with a photo if it helps, and bill it with the next draw, named in the description with its price.
Homeowner updates
"Draft Paul an update: inspection passed, drywall Monday, tile selections due Friday." Redline writes it, you check it, it goes from your Gmail. See email.
Inspections and selections
Date reminders for the rough-in inspection, the window order and the tile selection deadline land in that day's morning push on the iPhone app, so nothing waits on you.
Your crew on the board
On Team and up, your in-house carpenters and laborers see their jobs and job notes (punch list included) and tap their status. They never see the contract price.
Profit per project
File lumber, dumpster and supply receipts against the job and Reports shows profit after materials. On Solo and up. See expenses and reports.
What the job actually needs from a small GC
A small general contractor runs a handful of long projects at once, each with a deposit, a string of progress payments, a permit file, a dozen subs and a homeowner who wants to know what's happening. The work happens on site. The money gets lost in the gaps: the change order agreed in the driveway, the draw that should have gone out the day framing passed, the update email nobody sent.
Redline handles the money and the communication side well. Draws and change orders are invoices drafted by chat, homeowner updates go out from your Gmail, and reminders keep the inspection and selection dates in front of you.
It isn't a construction management suite. There's no Gantt chart, no sub scheduling, no lien waiver tracking and no job costing with labor. Plenty of small builders run those on paper or a spreadsheet and use Redline for the billing, the follow-up and the crew.
Plain answers for GCs
Redline does
- Draft deposits, draws and change orders by chat (Solo and up)
- Keep homeowners updated by email from your Gmail
- Remind you about inspections and selection deadlines
- Put your in-house crew on a board (Team and up)
- Show profit per job after materials (Solo and up)
Redline doesn't
- Build Gantt schedules or sequence subs
- Track lien waivers, sub insurance or retainage
- Do job costing with labor (no time tracking)
- Take bank transfers or checks on the pay link (card only)
- Produce AIA-style pay applications
Questions contractors ask
Will clients pay a large draw by card?
Some will. The pay link takes cards only, on your own Stripe account with Stripe's normal processing fee, so many GCs use it for deposits, change orders and smaller draws and collect the big ones by check outside Redline.
Do my subs need accounts?
No. Each person on the board uses a seat, so plenty of GCs keep subs off it and call them with one tap. Team includes 3 seats and Team+ includes 10.
Can I bill retainage?
Redline doesn't track it. You can note the held amount in a draw's description, then bill it yourself at completion.
GC paperwork and tools
- General contractor invoice templateProgress draw with change orders and deposit applied
- General contractor estimate templateFixed bid with allowances and permits
- GC invoicing softwareDraws and change orders in detail
- GC estimate appSubs' numbers, markup, allowances and contingency in one bid
- GC dispatch softwareYour own crew moved between projects when inspections slip
- Markup vs margin calculatorCheck your overhead and profit on a bid
Keep reading
- General contractor invoicing softwareDeposit, milestone draws and change orders billed by chat, each draw tracked.
- Remodeling softwareQuotes with allowances and finish options, long-cycle follow-up and milestone billing.
- Invoicing and card paymentsInvoice from the job in two taps or one message. Customers pay by card.
- Concrete softwareQuote flatwork by the foot and the yard, check the forecast before a pour and take a deposit.
Run your business by chat.
Redline is free to start. Tell it about the job and it handles the quote, the schedule, the invoice and the follow-up.