Fewer Site Visits, Faster Builds

Company Overview:

Moser Homes is a semi-custom home builder based in the suburbs of Philadelphia, specializing in upscale single-family homes with an average size of 4,300 square feet, priced between $1.5 and $2 million. The company has been in business for more than three decades, with Paula Angiolillo serving as Customer Liaison for 20 years and AJ Gavetti managing Construction Operations for 30 years. With 13 to 15 homes built annually, Moser Homes manages 8 to 10 projects at any given time, supported by a small team of six core employees and various contractors.

Challenge:

Before adopting Digs, Moser Homes relied on an ERP software to manage construction operations. However, the team found it slow, cumbersome, and lacking in intuitive features for tracking pricing, documentation, and communication. The field teams struggled to access critical project details, and information was scattered across different platforms, causing inefficiencies in collaboration. Given the level of detail involved in their homes, the Moser Homes team needed a central resource where house plans and visual project details could be easily accessed. The lack of a unified, visually-driven platform also made communication with our trade partners difficult, forcing AJ to make multiple site visits daily to ensure everything stayed on track.

Solution:

Moser Homes discovered Digs at the International Builder Show in Las Vegas and was immediately drawn to its simplicity, real-time collaboration capabilities, and 3D modeling features. After transitioning to Digs, Moser’s field teams began accessing critical project information directly from their iPads, reducing their dependence on Operations Manager, AJ,  and allowing for faster, more efficient operations. Digs provided a centralized platform for all communication and documentation, streamlining workflows and preventing miscommunication with a single source of truth. 

Results:

By implementing Digs, Moser Homes has experienced significant improvements in project management and collaboration:

• Enhanced Communication: "The biggest thing for all of us, including vendors, is communication," says Paula. "We can all look at the same plan, the same documents, make notes, and communicate within the Digs environment, which is huge." Digs has allowed the team to consolidate conversations and tag specific people in comments directly on the plans and documents, reducing the need for excessive emails and phone calls. According to AJ, “We no longer email back and forth, all comments and communication are handled in Digs. This way, when I walk into a house, I open the Digs project and read every conversation right there in one place.”
• Improved Information Access: All necessary project information is now stored and accessible in one place. "The information I have stored in Digs is the biggest thing. It’s so easy to access," says AJ. Specific details about rooms or features, such as the location of pot fillers or showers, are easy to find, saving time for both the Moser team and their vendors. 
• Reduced Errors and Faster Completion: At the end of pre-construction and before starting construction, Moser Homes thoroughly reviews each project in Digs, identifying an average of 4 to 7 mistakes or missing items per house, preventing costly rework and ensuring smoother project execution. "I went from visiting each job site 2-3 times a day and now, I could not come to the site for a week, sit at home on my iPad, and everything would run right.” explains AJ, “The information is at my fingertips, and I can figure out any problem that arises because we’re tracking everything in Digs.” This not only saves time but also reduces the trickle-down effects of errors, ultimately accelerating project timelines and reducting costs.
• Vendor Satisfaction: Vendors like their plumber, John, have praised Digs for making project details accessible and clear, leading to more efficient and accurate work on site. “Our plumber loves it because everything he needs is in Digs—where to put the handheld in the shower, the rain head, pot fillers—it all comes down to time management," adds Paula, highlighting how the software simplifies vendor tasks.

Key Takeaways:

Moser Homes now relies on Digs as an indispensable tool for their building process. By consolidating all communication, documentation, and design elements into one platform, they have reduced the time spent on-site, minimized mistakes, and improved vendor collaboration. AJ, who used to visit each house three times a day, now estimates that with Digs, they could "go an entire week without visiting a job site," and all necessary information would still be easily accessible via iPad.  This allows the team to better use their time for other urgent matters or client satisfaction.

"You have to get this tool," insists AJ, while Paula adds, "We can’t imagine building a house without Digs now." The benefits of Digs have revolutionized Moser Homes' approach to construction, making it an invaluable asset for managing their luxury projects with precision and efficiency.