As the largest privately-held homebuilder in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania region, W.B. Homes knows effective project management is vital to their success. W.B. Homes typically has about 10 projects ranging from 25 to 150 lots going on at a time. Each year they complete around 150 custom homes. With so much going on, it can be very difficult to keep up with the progress of each project.

Proactive Dirt Balance

Managing dirt balance on homebuilding projects is often overlooked, leading to scheduling delays and expensive imports/exports at the end of the project. W.B. Homes is using TraceAir to track 30,000 yards of dirt moving from one project to another. Tracking this dirt is important for checking progress and billing. TraceAir makes this easy by providing accurate cut/fill data with a few simple clicks.

Using TraceAir also helps W.B. Homes confirm that the dirt being moved is delivered to the correct location. Dirt delivered to the wrong location on the job site could easily cause delays later on when it needs to be moved again. By tracking their dirt balance regularly, W.B. Homes is able to identify problems early and correct them before they become expensive. 

Benefits for the Whole Team

“TraceAir is very popular within our company,” shared Steve, Director of Land Development. W.B. Homes field staff, project managers, and superintendents all benefit from using TraceAir on site, in the office, and in meetings. Even the marketing team at W.B. Homes likes to check out the high-resolution 3D scans and progress of projects within TraceAir. With everyone having access to the data, users can find the answers they need without having to wait for subcontractors or surveyors — saving valuable time and money. 

We don’t always have to go out to the project site, have the surveyor measure something, and then wait a week to get the results. We can use TraceAir to measure much faster. With multiple projects going on this has been very helpful.”
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— Steve Shaffer, Director of Land Development, W.B. Homes

TraceAir provides users with unlimited licenses to projects so that the data can be accessed by everyone involved with the project. By providing their contractors with login access, everyone on the project at W.B. Homes is looking at the same data, drastically reducing the chance of errors. TraceAir makes it easy for users to collaborate by adding notes, drawings, export screenshots, and more.

Additionally, W.B. Homes staff and contractors love how easy it is to use TraceAir. “Even our least tech-savvy employee was able to pick it right up and use it,” said Steve. “TraceAir is really easy to learn. It’s straightforward and intuitive.”

Staying on Schedule

Staying on schedule in today’s homebuilding industry is hard enough. Small setbacks can quickly turn into major delays. W.B. Homes uses TraceAir to keep an eye on progress and identify potential issues early so they can be avoided.

With multiple projects in motion, the ability to access their TraceAir data from anywhere, anytime has been especially beneficial to the W.B. Homes team. For project managers to be able to visit each project everyday, answer everyone’s questions, and conduct the necessary measurements to ensure everything is going to plan is unrealistic. With TraceAir, project managers at W.B. Homes are able to get the answers they need and keep projects moving.

It’s interesting to see the progression over time. TraceAir creates a really nice record of the progress for each project.”
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— Steve Shaffer, Director of Land Development, W.B. Homes

A Proven Solution

If you're considering a tool to help improve your project management, track progress, stay on schedule, and achieve site balance you’re in the right place. Already used and loved by many of the top home builders and land developers, TraceAir has proven to be effective, easy to use, and easy to implement. TraceAir is a turnkey solution, no downloads or lengthy set up processes. Request a demo to learn more.

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