Residential construction has shifted from paper-based progress charts to on-demand digital collaboration. The most successful builders now give their clients instant visibility into job status, selections, and costs. That level of transparency starts when you let them access client portal information directly from CountBricks.
The CountBricks Client Portal is a secure, web-based dashboard that connects your team, subcontractors, and homeowners to the same live project data. Because it is powered by CountBricks’ AI estimating engine, every update you make in the field—voice-captured measurements, material substitutions, labour hours—automatically flows into the portal.
• Real-time estimate revisions
• Live Gantt or calendar views of the build schedule
• One-click invoice approvals and online payments
• Selection sheets that track allowances versus actuals
• Centralised messaging with read receipts
1. Fewer unscheduled calls: Clients can self-serve answers instead of chasing your site supervisor.
2. Faster approvals: Digital sign-off on variations compresses your timeline.
3. Reduced disputes: When every change order is time-stamped, you eliminate “he-said-she-said.”
4. Stronger referrals: Transparent builders win more word-of-mouth leads.
1. Open the project in CountBricks Estimate Manager and click “Invite to Portal.”
2. Enter the homeowner’s email and select their permission level—View, Comment, or Approve.
3. Hit “Send.” CountBricks emails a secure link that walks the client through password creation.
• Schedule a five-minute screen-share to walk the homeowner through the dashboard.
• Pin a welcome note at the top of the portal explaining how often you will post updates.
• Upload progress photos at least twice a week; visuals build trust quicker than spreadsheets.
• Use the “Ask Question” feature instead of email so all communication stays with the job record.
Because the portal feeds off the same database that powers your AI voice estimates, you never have to double-enter data. Update a line item on-site with your phone—“Add 12m of 90x45 MGP10 studs”—and the homeowner sees the cost impact within seconds. This end-to-end loop eliminates the classic Office-to-Site delay that plagues many small builders.
• Multi-factor authentication and SSL encryption on every session
• Role-based permissions that keep supplier pricing hidden from clients
• Audit logs that track who viewed or edited each document
“My clients aren’t tech-savvy.” — CountBricks uses a mobile-first design with large buttons and plain language. Most homeowners login from their phone without guidance.
“I don’t have time to manage another tool.” — If you already use CountBricks for estimating and invoicing, you are 90 % set up. Granting portal access is a one-time click.
“What if clients see my margin?” — By default, mark-ups are suppressed. Clients see only retail totals, never your supplier rates.
• Create milestone folders (Slab, Frame, Lock-up, Handover) so clients find photos fast
• Automate SMS alerts when a new document is uploaded to boost engagement
• Use the variation template inside CountBricks to prefill scope, price, and schedule impact—clients approve with one tap
Ready to boost transparency, speed approvals, and finish projects faster? Activate the Client Portal on your next job by visiting CountBricks.com/services or book a live demo through CountBricks.com/consultation.
CountBricks partnered with Blue Cedar Construction on a $680 k heritage renovation in Auckland. By inviting the owners to access client portal data from day one, the site team eliminated approval bottlenecks that usually stall mid-project variations.
• 14 variation requests approved within 24 hours, saving an estimated six on-site days
• Zero billing disputes—every cost update was visible in the portal timeline
• Client satisfaction survey scored 9.7/10, generating three referral leads in the same suburb
1. Voice-captured measurements fed directly into CountBricks AI, updating the budget in real time.
2. Homeowners received push notifications each time a milestone photo was uploaded.
3. Online payments cleared 48 hours faster because invoices were issued through the portal with embedded pay-now buttons.
Site supervisor Josh Ng noted, “The portal turned our clients into informed partners instead of nervous bystanders. They could see why a beam upgrade added cost and signed off before the engineer left the site.”
• Set portal expectations at contract signing—show a live demo so clients know where to look for answers
• Post a weekly wrap-up video summarising cost and schedule movements; video builds trust quicker than PDFs
• Leverage CountBricks templates for selections and allowances so overages are flagged early
Ready to deliver your own ahead-of-schedule success story? Explore implementation packages at CountBricks.com/consultation and join other residential pros who have made real-time transparency their competitive edge.
