Industry
Real Estate / Construction
Company
Homebound
Year
October 2023
Automating a transparent homebuilding journey
As Homebound shifted to curated design packages, the v0 platform couldn't scale, requiring manual updates of ~40+ hours per project instead of being automated via the backend construction software (Blueprint). HOP was only used on one project, and its key features like real-time updates, financial info, and documents were never fully realized due to limited integration with Blueprint.
Problem
Disconnected, outdated and unscalable
Since HOP had been the first product Homebound had created when it started as a strictly custom homebuilder and was sitting unused for 3 years, I wanted to do a thorough audit from different ops areas (finance team, architecture, construction, design, etc) within Homebound to help determine what should or should not be visible to homeowners? What are current shortcomings or known issues with HOP today?
Process
6 Discovery workshops with engineering & stakeholders
Since HOP had been the first product Homebound had created when it started as a strictly custom homebuilder and was sitting unused for 3 years, I wanted to do a thorough audit from different ops areas (finance team, architecture, construction, design, etc) within Homebound to help determine what should or should not be visible to homeowners? What are current shortcomings or known issues with HOP today?
Solution
Creating connected construction ecosystem
After mapping data points, we automated HOP by linking Blueprint project data—financials, documents, selections, and status. To deliver real-time updates, we designed a new workflow that pulled from Blueprint job logs (daily photo and progress updates from trades and crews) and enabled customer experience reps to select photos and add personalized notes, giving homeowners a more accurate and engaging experience.
IMPACT
From no projects on HOP to 300+ with system driven updates
Expanded Blueprint homeowner portal from 0 to 100% project coverage — full construction updates in Colorado and Florida, and warranty access in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Homebound customers were able to follow along with their build from anywhere, receiving real time financial invoices, build progress updates, and direct communication through the new Homeowner Portal.
