Client Selections · One module of the operating system
Let clients choose online.
Track every allowance automatically.
Clients pick their finishes online, and each choice is tracked against its allowance as they go. No selections spreadsheet, no manual calcs, no nasty surprise at the end about what blew the budget. Client Selections is one module of the construction operating system, so an allowance set in the estimate flows straight here, and a choice made here flows straight to the budget.
7 days free · $299 first month · $555/mo after · Month-to-month
01 / What it does
What this feature does
Client Selections is the module where owners choose the finishes and fittings for their build (tiles, tapware, benchtops, the lot) and where those choices stay tied to the allowances you set. Because VIABUILD is one connected operating system, the allowances aren’t re-typed here: they come straight out of the estimate, so the numbers a client chooses against trace back to how the job was priced in build cost feasibility and estimating. Instead of a selections spreadsheet that someone has to keep up to date, clients make choices online and the running total against each allowance updates automatically.
That keeps everyone honest. The client sees when an upgrade pushes past the allowance, and you have a clear record of what was chosen and what it means for the contract sum. Where an over-run needs to be formalised, it flows into a variation rather than getting lost. Selections carry the most weight for custom home builders, where the client keeps choosing for a year after the price was agreed.
02 / Why it matters
Why builders need it
Selections spreadsheets rot
A shared sheet of finishes goes stale the moment someone changes their mind. An online process stays current by design.
Allowance over-runs hide
Upgrades quietly blow allowances. Tracking each choice against its allowance makes the over-run visible when it happens.
Manual calcs cause disputes
Re-adding allowances by hand invites mistakes and arguments. Automatic tracking removes the maths and the friction.
Clients want to feel in control
Choosing finishes online, at their own pace, is a better experience than a folder of forms and back-and-forth emails.
A clear record protects you
When the chosen items and their cost impact are recorded, “I didn’t pick that” conversations get a lot shorter.
Selections feed the whole system
Choices and their cost impact aren’t trapped in a document. Entered once, they flow through the operating system, so what the client picked is reflected in where the budget sits, with zero double entry.
03 / The VIABUILD way
How VIABUILD handles it
Online choices, automatic allowance tracking.
Set up the selection items and the allowance for each. Invite the client to make their choices online. As they select, VIABUILD tracks each choice against its allowance and shows the running impact, so an upgrade that pushes past the allowance is obvious to both sides.
The selections sit with the job, giving you a clear record of what was chosen and what it does to the numbers. Because every module shares one data model, that same cost impact feeds your cost control, so the budget moves with the choices. No spreadsheet to maintain, no manual reconciliation at the end, no double entry.
- Clients select finishes online
- Each choice tracked against its allowance
- Over-runs visible as they happen
- No selections spreadsheet to maintain
- A clear, recorded selection history
- Selections connect to the job
04 / The workflow
How it runs, step by step
- 01
Set allowances
Define the selection items and the allowance amount for each.
- 02
Invite the client
The client gets access to make their choices online, at their own pace.
- 03
They choose
Finishes and fittings selected online, with no folder of forms.
- 04
Allowances track live
Each choice is measured against its allowance automatically.
- 05
Over-runs surface
Upgrades that push past the allowance are visible to both sides immediately.
- 06
Record stays with the job
Selections and their cost impact connect to the job for a clear history.
05 / FAQ
Common questions.
You set up selection items with an allowance for each, then invite the client to choose their finishes online. As they make choices, each one is tracked against its allowance automatically, so over-runs are visible immediately and there’s no spreadsheet to maintain.
Yes. Each choice is measured against its allowance as the client selects, and the running impact updates without anyone re-adding figures by hand.
The over-run is shown against that allowance, so both you and the client can see the cost impact of the upgrade when the choice is made, not as a surprise at the end of the build.
Yes. Client Selections is one module of the VIABUILD construction operating system, where every module shares one data model. Selections and their cost impact flow to cost control and the budget automatically, entered once, so what the client chose is reflected across your records rather than living in a separate document.
06 / Keep reading
Related features & guides
Give clients a selections experience that adds up.
Start with 7 days free: the whole operating system, real data. $299 for your first month, then $555/mo. Set up allowances on a real job and let a client choose online, with every choice flowing through to the budget.