Custom Homebuilders' Solutions - aka CHS

Marshall Durrett Durrett Interests, LLC	Carol's custom homebuilding accounting solution, CHS, is an excellent alternative to QuickBooks or other off-the-shelf software programs. It's so much more relevant to custom builders for job cost accounting and reporting, so we can keep a better eye on the numbers to make sure our projects are making money.
Matt Oliver Oliver Custom Homes, LLC	Carol King is a great accounting software developer, creator and a Friend. Carol has helped our business in so many ways. CHS has been a indispensable tool for our company, Oliver Custom Homes LLC. CHS is so user friendly that even I can understand where we stand financially. The home building process is a challenge in itself, CHS helps me become accountable to our clients and project professionalism and confidence. You Rock Carol!!!
Brad Trauth Trauth Homes, Inc.	I am a subscriber of Custom HomeBuilders' Solutions (CHS) software and highly recommend it to home builders small and large, custom or production. CHS is really the only complete accounting program out there specifically designed with a home builder's needs in mind. It is obvious Carol has experienced first hand the type of accounting needed by builders. She has taken her experience and developed a program that has streamlined our accounting from the budgeting/estimating phase through direct cost accounting. On one screen I can now view my budgeted costs next to my actual cost and compare my cost of completion to know where I am in real time. NO more double entering from my excel estimating into QB. It also produces purchase orders straight from the budget with a simple click so I can better control job spending. The price of CHS is reasonable. I used QB for years and had been searching for more than a year for a software like this. Similar software that you have to purchase and maintain on your server will cost $8-10K. For a smaller builder the monthly subscription works much better. I was initially concerned about the remote server hosting, but it has not posed a problem at all. Carol and the remote server staff have always been available to answer our questions and help us with the transition. And Carol has all of the training information you need online, easy to access. If you are a builder struggling to track your costs against your budgets you need to consider making the switch to CHS.
Scott Butler Butler Brothers Construction	CHS has helped to transform our business into a more efficient, profitable and successful enterprise. Butler Brothers Construction went from using a combination of Quickbooks and excel programs that did not work together and created a lot of work to have the kind of reporting we get very easily with CHS and so much more. I strongly believe that CHS has been the key to our company coming through the last couple of rough years in a strong position and we don't even use nearly all CHS's capability. I have been recommending CHS to everyone I know. You have to try it no matter how big your company is.
Derek Meier Meier Custom Built Homes, LLC	The CHS program that Carol provides is a top notch accounting program for home builders/remodelers. The program is extremely accurate for our day to day functions and helps us to get a firmer grasp on our spending on a project and how to budget more accurately for the next.
John Merritt Meier Custom Built Homes, LLC	The accounting software Carol provides is industry specific---and as home builders it is exactly what we were looking for. We love the program! And not only is the program great, she offers first rate customer support. If you are a builder, you need to check out her software program---you won't be disappointed.
Brent Pruett Pruett Homes, LLC	Carol has developed an easy to understand and use accounting software that I use for my development and home building business. She has been a great help in our business and I would not use any other accounting software but hers. She has great support for her software and has helped us out many times in our sometimes complicated situations. I highly recommend her business!
J. Sven Gustafson Stonewood, LLC	I am a custom home builder in Minneapolis, building 10-12 upper bracket custom homes per year, as well as several remodeling projects. CHS, Custom Home Builder's Software is simply a great product! I have been using this product for over 7 years, and have had no issues. Carol is a great developer and is passionate about her product. Support is fast and of high quality, but is not often needed. Well designed and often upgraded with new, relevant features. If you are a homebuilder or remodeler I highly recommend CHS and Carol King. Feel free to contact me directly with any specific questions.
George Mordecai Mordecai Construction Services, LLC	Carol developed a program for building contractors called CHS "Custom HomeBuilders' Solutions". We used a different program in our business for over 20 years and switched to CHS for 2011. What Carol accomplished with this program is amazing. It simplifies accounting and job costing so it is very intuitive and easy to use. The reports included with the package let you really understand the status of your projects as they progress so you can make decisions that help you remain profitable. Carol is always available and answers all questions almost immediately and in a very friendly and easy to understand manner.
Justin Walton JL Classic Homes dba Buildology Partners Bldg	Carol is a very knowledgeable and helpful. CHS has been a very useful tool to our Home Building operation that gives me the functionality of an enterprise solution at a fraction of the cost.
Shayne Schroeder Shayne Schroeder Custom Homes, LLC	Carol has developed an excellent software package for the custom home building market. I've been using her software since 2003 to run my business.....budgeting a job and keeping up with expenses is a breeze and my book keepers job is equally as easy to keep bills input and paid. When we need assistance of any type, Carol is just a phone call away and she goes out of her way to make sure all questions are answered to our complete understanding. The Remote CHS service allows me the flexibility of taking my work with me anywhere I go.....I highly recommend you consider this option of CHS.
Christy Smith Casas Del Oso	We purchased the CHS software originally because of the detailed job cost reports. Carol is available and great to work with. Last year Arizona changed the payroll withholding formula. Carol revised the software in a few days to accommodate us.
Kathie Maughan Francis Maughan Design, Inc.	My company has used Custom Homebuilders' Solution (CHS), the accounting program Carol King developed, to run our design / remodel business for three years. I am thrilled with it. Thrilled with an accounting program? Yes! This software is unique in the industry with its ability to gather all financial data for a project and give an accurate summary report of job costs, change orders, AP, AR, cash flow and profitability - one one page. No more gathering raw data and crunching numbers to come up with these answers. With CHS, a clear picture of every project's status is a few mouse clicks away. My CPA also reviewed the program before I purchased it and was impressed enough to recommend it to his other clients in the construction field. On a personal note, dealing with Carol has been a delight. She is readily available by email or phone to answer questions and has been impressively responsive to our couple of requests to tweak the ui - even once making a simple change for us within 24 hours. This is a high caliber program offered by a quality supplier.
Don Hooper HDS Investments, Ltd. Dba WesLynn Homes	Carol and the support group at CHS are responsive and helpful. The CHS software that they offer sets the standard for the industry.
Darlene Walker Construction Bookkeeping Solutions	Carol has helped builders solve many of their accounting and budgeting problems. During the past 8 years I've worked with the program, I've never experienced a down time due to problems with her software. She is very responsive to any questions or issues encountered and resolves them quickly.
Trey Garner Garner Custom Homes, LLC	I've used Custom Homebuilders' Solutions Accounting and Job Management Software for 10 years. It's highly specialized for Custom Home Builders. There is no other product more tailored to the small and medium sized custom home builder than this product. I highly recommend it.
Chelle Thomas Durrett Interests, LLC	Carol is very helpful any time I have a question about the CHS program. She returns my calls promptly, and works through the situation until I have an understanding of the problem.
Charlie Cooper Cooper Homes	I have used CHS for years and it has been a great asset to my company. Estimating, payroll, draws, accounting etc., it does it all. Carol has been a huge help and is always right there with support. I wouldn't consider any other software. Thanks for everything Carol! -Charlie
Richard Edgington Pinon Development Corp.	I have used Carol and her company for several years to provide accounting and construction management software for our company. Carol has always been available whenever a question or problem has arisen. She provides an excellent product at a great value.
Gery Wilde Wilde Custom Homes, Inc.	Carol created an amazing software for Home-builders that we have implemented for over 6-years. She is a hands-on professional and answers the phone almost anytime there is a support need. She works with us on a personal basis to make sure our software is performing as expected. She is a person of high integrity and knowledge. We highly recommend her software CHS.
Tony Holt Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes	We worked with Carol to implement CHS in our company. Carol was excellent to deal with every step of the way throughout the process. In many cases, its not only the product that one provides, but the people behind it that make the difference. This is absolutely true with regards to Carol. It's a pleasure to call Carol a partner and I give our full recommendation for Carol and CHS.
Greg Mangum Mangum Custom Homes, Inc.	We have used CHS software for the past 10+ years. I would recommend Carol and her team without hesitation to anyone considering a quality software tool for use in the construction industry.
Ed Hall Elegance In Design	Carol's forward thinking and creativity has established the Custom Homebuilders' Solutions Software as one of the premier pieces of IT that any home builder needs to have. Whether the home builder has extensive, or very limited, experience in varying business systems, Carol's program, methodologies, and ease of use will insure rapid assimilation of all new material and allow the home builder to improve internal quality as it pertains to scheduling, payroll, taxes, job costs, etc.
Randy Maas Maas Construction	I have used Carol's Custom Homebuilders' Solutions (CHS) accounting program for a few years now and I am extremely satisfied with the results. Carol is also very good at customer support and was quick to respond with any questions I had in transitioning from my former accounting program. I highly recommend Carol and her CHS software program as well as her CHS remote service. Earlier quote: As I was entering bids from trades and suppliers this morning into CHS, I was thinking that if I had known how many features there are for the builder to project and manage job costs in CHS, I would have purchased the program a lot sooner.
Nate Schoen Custom Builder Management Solutions	We have known Carol King for a number of years and many of our custom builder clients use her CHS accounting software. She has worked through many issues that are unique to the homebuilding industry and has packaged a VERY user friendly accounting program that makes sense to those of us not versed in the ways of the CPA!
Marty Hunter Marty Hunter Homes	I first contacted Carol to provide software and support for my company in 2001 and I can tell you; 1. She knows accounting for home builders and has developed a software program that works great for small volume builders. 2. Her software is very user friendly and takes very little time to learn and, 3. She was very helpful in implementing and updating the software. I would rate her and her software a 5 out of a possible 5 for her performance and professionalism.
Mark Farmer 4 Square Construction	Carol King of Custom Homebuilders' Solutions wrote and maintains the software program that we run our company with. Her attention to detail and her ability to program in a manner that works seamlessly for the home building industry is remarkable.
Joe Doherty Custom Homecrafters of Austin, LLC	I certainly love your program, and my customers are always impressed with the level of detail I am able to provide in a bid and with financial reporting.
Teresa Fransik Sierra Homes	Carol King offers extreme customer service along with an incredible software program that keeps my small custom home building business moving forward in uncertain times. By keeping all of my records in perfect order and sequence, I am able to astound banking professionals with the level of detail in my financial reports...for my company and my jobs. I have no concerns about insurance or financial audits due to the ease of producing meticulous reports at a moment's notice. Her level of personal service is rare and rewarding. She is always available to help...even updating or changing the software program if the situation warrants. Thank you Carol for all you do!
Tom and Pauline Jones Custom Crafted Homes, Inc.	The CHS Program for builders is the quality helper every builder requires for analyzing the costs for each new home in process and keeping up to date with costs every step of the way. Note: Tom won the Edmond Builders Award for the best houses and the least re-inspections than any other builder for the third year in a row.
Heather E. Walter, CPA, Russell Eppright Homes	"I have been very impressed with this software. It’s easy to learn, user-friendly, and has nearly every feature I need."
John Siemering, Builder Sheryl Steen, Office Mgr Siemering Homes	Sheryl: "We are a new CHS customer and I have to tell you how happy John is with CHS. He'll be in his office working on a proposal in CHS and I keep hearing him say, "I love this!". Today when I entered a bill from one of our subs and CHS instantly alerted me that we were about to overpay, I realized I probably wouldn't have known this in Quick Books unless I spent time looking through reports later."
Allan Edwards, Builder	"CHS is 100% geared toward contractors. One thing I like is that it has so many different reports that can be generated. The "logic" behind how it is written is parallel with "best practices" of running a successful home building or remodeling company. It’s written to help you make money! CHS is very strong in accounting. The job cost features and reports are great. It does the basics, like lien waivers or flag you when a sub’s insurance has expired, or you are about to go over budget on a particular cost. Change Orders and PO’s are a big part of CHS. You can do Variance PO’s too. There is a particular view called "Estimated Costs at Completion" that in one screen shot tells you an immense amount of information about a job. You see the budget, PO’s, variances, and actual costs for all line items, and can drill down to analyze them."
George Morio Morio Builders	"I switched to CHS a year ago. This is one of the best moves I made in the 18 years that I’ve been in business. I can really say it’s actually made me a better businessman."
Bill Furness Furness Builders	"AND CHS WINS BY A MILE: Without a doubt you would have to look very hard to come close to what CHS is offering at this price. I have been looking at construction specific accounting software on and off for about 4 years. (Procrastinating and still using Quickbooks). I finally make a decision. The reports are much better than a lot of other programs out there. The video tutorials are loaded with detailed examples navigating you through to the finish line. The tutorials are probably worth the cost of the software alone. You can use WIP or Cost of goods. Percentage of completion Method, and CHS does all the work for you. If you are thinking of a software change in your business you should take a real good look at this. Carols knowledge of job cost accounting is quite evident as you learn the program. Check out how well the video tutorials are structured, and you will notice very quickly that this is a well thought out piece of software."
Jason Peavy Peavy Homes	"Been using CHS for about the last year and its head and shoulders better than QB will ever be!"
Dan Colomb The Home Group	"We wouldn't be where we are today without the CHS program! I tell other builders about what it's done for us all the time. When we purchased CHS a few years ago, I hadn't used a computer very much and CHS was so easy to set up and use that we realized we should have been using it long before we bought it.!"
Jerry May May Custom Homes	"I really like the CHS program. My CPA accesses my books online and is very impressed with CHS. I would recommend it to anyone. Please use my name as a reference."
Builder in NC	"Kudos to you, Carol. I have been dealing with a complicated popular construction program, and CHS is much more intuitive. I am very impressed with it and enjoy using it. It's a product that has the features we will need as our company grows."
David Zawadski ParkWest Homes	"CHS has made home building fun again!"
Gabrielle Meunier The Retrovest Companies	"I just wanted to let you know that it is a pleasure to work with your software, CHS, and doing business with you. Your software is very nicely designed and user-friendly. Further, every time I call, you are readily available and always friendly. Thanks for making a great software, supporting it so nicely, and I look forward to working with CHS's newest product."
John Anderson, Treasurer Round River Builders, Inc.	"Thanks, in part, to your outstanding software our new company is doing well.... Thanks again for the excellent program."
Kevin Dixon Dixon Homes	"I don't know why every custom home builder doesn't have CHS. It has been a great program for us. Our bookkeeper, Dawn, raves about it! I would be happy to recommend CHS to anyone."
John Moore Old Stonecreek Homes	"Voluntarily, I'd like to compliment Carol on a good job done with CHS. I do everything by myself, and I've been able to figure out almost everything on my own. I've only had to call once or twice to ask questions since I purchased the program."
Bookkeeper in Houston, TX	"Carol, I wanted to let you know that I think that CHS is a more user friendly, productive, and information tool compared to other programs that I used."
Pauline Jones Custom Crafted Homes, Inc.	"There are 3 banks in Edmond that love CHS. They are very impressed with our "instant accounting ability on any job, any time"! We were frustrated with the QBPro and Master Builder programs. We now have CHS and our problems are solved. The one time entry for both accounting and job costing is simple and accurate. The program is flexible, easy to use and the support is first class. "
Barbara Allen Magnolia Homes	"We are so pleased with CHS. It works like it's supposed to. The customer support has always been very helpful, and cheerful. It's wonderful to instantly produce reports that compare and average costs between similar past jobs. This is a big help as we set up the budgets for the 30 new homes we are getting ready to build."
Tom Miller Baxter Meadows Development, LP	"I'm really enjoying CHS. You don't have to know a lot about accounting to produce accurate accounting reports. The fact that we can instantly get Payables reports by job has REALLY made a huge difference for us!"
Harry Deter Key Homes, Inc.	"We are really proud of having the CHS program. Sue says for the first time in 2 years, her checkbooks balance every month and the job costs are correct. And she is thrilled that the 1099's are correct to her satisfaction with little or no correction. Happy Sue is here again! Sure makes my life easier!"
Jim Neidner Neidner Construction / Remodeling, Inc.	CHS has completely filled our needs. We have found the support to be exceptional, second to none! One of our first needs was to prepare our General Liability audit. Before we knew it, we had our costs entered for the audit year, and produced the reports needed by the auditor. We have been so pleased with CHS that we have recommended it to others who have purchased the CHS program."
Alain Johnson Laurentian Development	"I think CHS is GREAT piece of software. I tell everybody I can about it!"
Jack Healy Healy Homes	I bought CHS as a result of going to the national trade show in 2001. Because CHS was new, I hesitated but bought it anyway and have not been sorry. Conversion was no problem, and we were using it within a week. Carol is very responsive to our questions and requests, and often includes requests in a new upgrade to us within a couple of weeks. It has been so easy to use. I talk to other builders who are struggling with more complicated programs like BuildSoft and Master Builder. I think how much better off they'd be if they were using a program that addresses the back office needs as easily as CHS."
Joyce Whitten Showcase NC, Inc.	When we decided to make a software change for our company, we reviewed many Builders software packages and CHS was by far the best choice. Most of the other software packages out there are very complex and you can get lost in the complicated details. CHS is user friendly, easy to install and they provide timely support and that’s very important when you have deadlines to meet. The price is right too! CHS constantly strives to provide updated enhancements that make the accounting process a little easier. We are very happy with the program.
Chris Travis Round Top Companies	"We are extremely happy with our decision to purchase CHS software. We are a high-end custom builder that does a lot of specialized projects. We needed software that was flexible, would operate on our small network, and would provide the reports we need to effectively run our business. We got that with CHS, and more! We thoroughly researched the market before we purchased, and were amazed to find construction-specific software that had everything we wanted...for a fraction of the cost of other packages with the same functionality. Even better, Carol King has proven very responsive and capable. Any construction professional who has spent time waiting on hold for marginal technical support from some geek who doesn't know a 2 x 4 from a concrete pour, will understand how great it is to be able to talk to a software developer who actually understands accounting and the construction business. We suggested some small improvements to her software that would help our business. Try that with one of the big software companies and see how far you get! Ms. King responded immediately, and made the changes within 30 days. Buying CHS was the best decision we ever made!"
Matt and Paul Oliver Oliver Custom Homes	"Easy to Learn, User Friendly. We really enjoy that we don't have to be an accountant in order to use the program and get the reports I need. Builders don’t know what they are missing if they aren’t using the CHS program. We didn’t have any idea how much we needed this software. It has saved us an incredible amount of time, and has lowered the stress level in our office enormously. Our level of professionalism has gone way up."
Jim Rutherford J. W. Rutherford, Builder, Inc.	"We were up and running on the CHS software in no time. Having little experience with computerized record keeping systems, we were thrilled that this software was so easy to use. The reports we began using right away are so helpful to us. We are a very small volume builder. Even so, this software has provided us with everything we hoped for. Since we don’t have much experience working with computers, it has been wonderful that the CHS software was so easy to learn and use."
Builder in Austin, TX	"I have loaded 2 years of data and it was so simple! I didn't even have to call with questions once! Now I'm really getting the information I need!"
Bob Pant Master Builders, Inc.	"Having made a decision to change from a DOS based NAHB approved software to a WINDOWS based software, we reviewed most programs recommended by NAHB. We found each of them to be lacking in one or another of the standards that our accounting department demanded. Custom Homebuilders' Solutions software is builder friendly. It tracks and reports everything that a builder, customer and banker needs, or might dream up. Because it is MS-ACCESS based, it is compatible with other Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, and Outlook, which provides many additional benefits to us."
D. O. Nilson, President Cullom Bookkeeping Service, Inc.	"The support is immediate, careful, and helpful. We are really enjoying this software. I recommend it to my clients."
Roger L. Singleton, Ph.D., Retired Senior Vice President For Finance and Administration, The University of Houston, Houston, Tx. , currently Financial Services Consultant, New Austin Homes, Austin, Tx.	"Beginning with the Demo of the CHS program, it was readily apparent that the designer of this software was an individual who had become frustrated with the various limitations inherent in all commercial software available to custom home builders and was convinced that a job-cost based program could be successfully designed to meet the unique needs of the custom homebuilding industry. In implementing CHS for a custom homebuilder client of mine, New Austin Homes, I continue to be amazed as to the capabilities of the software. Not only does this program overcome the limitations of other software programs that I had investigated for my client, but it also provides many processes, procedures, and reports that I had never expected to find in a commercial custom homebuilding program. Being a relatively new user of CHS, my client is already singing the praises of CHS in evaluating the costs and the benefits of this program."
Regina Polston New Austin Homes	"The Custom Homebuilders' Solutions software is fantastic! There are so many wonderful features (i.e. navigation keys, reports, multi-invoice checks, etc.) that have made our conversion run very smoothly. It is also a major plus to have the personal customer service and support. I am new to using software for home builders. I couldn't have survived without the CHS software. We love working with the CHS software. It gives us so much of the information we need and is easy to use. Things are running so smoothly that we find we aren’t even having to call for technical support any more. Thanks for the hard work and knowledge that the CHS software shares with us construction folks!"
Tim Hill Tim Hill, Builder, Inc. Past President of local Builders Association	“The CHS software has reduced our record keeping time by 75%. Everything is caught up and we have the answers we need to make decisions and work with our customers. CHS has helped me get sales. By taking samples of the reporting that we have done on previous jobs, I present a more credible and professional appearance to my prospects. CHS also has given me great peace of mind, because I know EVERY DAY where a job is at, and whether I can make promises OR NOT to my customers.”
Joel Katz Katz Builders, Inc.	“The conversion has been smooth. The data entry is so easy and does not require repetition. It keeps track of the jobs separately, and gives us so much information easily and quickly. The reports are very accurate. We spend far less time gathering information now.”
Judy Garrett R. J. Wachsman Homes	Working with this software has been a piece of cake. I love it!”
Barbara Donahoo Homes By Donahoo, Inc.	“We started 15 homes last year and now have over 40,000 records in the CHS Software. We rely on it every day and are very pleased with the results.”
Michelle Eppright, CPA Russell Eppright Homes	We have converted from BuildSoft to the CHS Program within a month. I am amazed every day at the reports that CHS produces for us. Our preparation time for meetings has been cut down tremendously!"
Glenn George George Custom Homes	We used BuildSoft for over 7 years and have been very pleased with the change to the CHS software. I am so excited about the reports that it produces for me that I plan to let all my fellow Builder 20 members know about this."
Susan Huerta Round Top Companies	"CHS has been so easy to use. There are so many ways to tie everything together and make sure things are posted correctly. I really enjoy that I can see the Job Budget the builder set up on the same screen that I enter Purchase Orders. It helps me know that I am putting them in the right place."
John Post Post Homes	"CHS is really quick to move around in. Even though it does so much, I can easily find what I'm looking for."