Construction & Contractors
Job costing shows which projects make money. We track labor, materials, and subs so you can bid with real numbers instead of guesswork.
The True Cost Problem
A contractor finishes a $60,000 remodel. Materials cost $18,000. Labor ran $22,000. Permits and dumpster fees added $2,500. That should leave $17,500 in profit. But when the dust settles, the owner realizes they forgot their own time, the callback to fix the tile work, the extra trim the client requested mid-project, and the tool replacements from wear. Actual profit was closer to $9,000.
This is the reality of construction. Money moves fast across multiple jobs, with expenses hitting before payments arrive. Without tracking costs at the job level, you cannot tell which projects make money and which ones quietly drain your margins. The bank account goes up and down, but you lack visibility into why.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
General contractors, home builders, remodelers, and commercial construction companies. Any business in the Houston area bidding work, managing crews, and juggling multiple projects at once.
Why It Gets Complicated
Why It Gets Complicated
Progress billing and change orders. Material costs that need allocation to specific jobs. Subcontractor payments. Crew payroll with varying hours. Equipment expenses. The timing lag between when you spend money and when the customer actually pays.
Job-Level Tracking
We track every expense by project. Labor hours go to the job they belong to. Material purchases get coded to the right address. Subcontractor invoices are assigned to the correct project. This creates a clear picture of what each job actually costs, not what you hoped it would cost.
Beyond job costing, there is the administrative burden that comes with running a construction company. Payroll for your crew. 1099s for your subs. Quarterly tax estimates. These tasks pull you away from the actual work. We handle them so you can focus on the jobs.
Cost Tracking by Project
Cost Tracking by Project
Every dollar tied to a specific job. Labor, materials, equipment rental, permits, subcontractor payments. You see actual costs versus your estimate on each project. This data makes future bidding accurate instead of hopeful.
Compliance and Tax Work
Compliance and Tax Work
1099 forms prepared for all your subcontractors. W-9s collected throughout the year so there is no scramble in January. Payroll processed for your crew. Tax returns prepared with construction-specific deductions like equipment depreciation and vehicle expenses captured.
Where It Goes Wrong
Contractors who do not track costs by job cannot bid accurately. Every estimate becomes guesswork based on feel rather than data. You might think kitchen remodels are profitable because you stay busy, but without the numbers, you cannot see that callbacks and change orders eat half the margin.
Tax planning often gets pushed aside until April. A strong revenue year with no quarterly estimates leads to a bill you were not expecting. Deductions get missed because nobody tracked mileage or logged equipment purchases correctly. The IRS does not care that you were too busy running jobs to think about taxes.
Bidding Without Data
Bidding Without Data
You finished a similar job last year but have no idea what it actually cost. The materials and labor are logged somewhere, but not in a way that helps you price the next one. So you guess, hoping the margin is there, and sometimes it is not.
Tax Surprises
Tax Surprises
Profitable year, but no cash set aside. Equipment purchases that could have been deducted under Section 179 were missed. Vehicle mileage was not tracked. April arrives with a bill and no plan. This happens every year until someone fixes the system.
What Changes
You stop guessing on bids. Historical job cost data shows what projects actually cost, including the overhead and callbacks that always seem to surprise you. You know your floor rate and can walk away from work that does not hit your margin.
The administrative tasks stop eating your time. Payroll runs without you calculating hours on Saturday. 1099s go out on time. Tax estimates are set so April is not a crisis. You focus on running jobs and managing crews while the numbers get handled in the background.
Data-Driven Estimates
Data-Driven Estimates
You can look up what the last bathroom remodel actually cost before you price the next one. Materials, labor, subs, everything itemized. Your bids reflect reality instead of optimism. You take jobs that make money and avoid the ones that do not.
Clean Books for Growth
Clean Books for Growth
When you need a loan for equipment or want to expand, you have organized financials to show the bank. Clean books demonstrate your business is professionally managed. Growth decisions are based on real numbers, not just how busy you feel.
Greater Houston's Small Business Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A Quick Conversation
Tell us about your business and what you need help with. We'll listen, ask a few questions, and give you a straightforward quote.