CoConstruct > Case Studies > Restoring Historic Home: A Case Study of Brush Arbor's IoT Implementation

Restoring Historic Home: A Case Study of Brush Arbor's IoT Implementation

Applicable Industries

Buildings
Cement

Applicable Functions

Procurement

Use Cases

Building Automation & Control
Smart Campus

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Brush Arbor is a custom home builder based in Ashburn, Virginia. The company specializes in building single-family custom homes in the Northern Virginia area. Over the years, Brush Arbor has built a reputation for its beautiful craftsmanship and excellent customer service. The company is known for its high-quality work and has a strong network of people who connect them with properties in need of renovation. Brush Arbor is also committed to giving back to the community through its nonprofit partner, Buy One Build One, which builds a home in a Third World country for every custom home they build in Northern Virginia.

The Challenge

Brush Arbor, a custom home builder based in Northern Virginia, was tasked with the restoration of Frederick Douglass’s first home in Washington D.C. The company, known for its high-quality work and excellent customer service, faced a unique challenge in preserving the historical integrity of the property while bringing it up to modern standards. The property, which had changed ownership several times and expanded to include several nearby properties, needed to be restored to its former glory. The challenges included dealing with the physical and engineering properties of the old home, replicating the scrolling exterior embellishments on the third-floor windows, and dealing with the interior renovation as the historic property did not come with modern framing. The company also had to ensure that the building was brought up to code while maintaining its history.

The Solution

To overcome these challenges, Brush Arbor brought in a custom woodworker to replicate the exterior embellishments and worked in collaboration with their architect partners and the realtor group representing the property. They incorporated steel and new wood to make the house new on the inside while maintaining the exterior shell. During the renovation process, Brush Arbor also integrated CoConstruct, a construction project management software, into their building process. By connecting their CoConstruct account to their QuickBooks account, Brush Arbor was able to track their actuals throughout the life of the renovation to stay on budget and protect their profit margins. The software was used for estimating, budgeting, setting margins, invoicing clients, and watching the numbers. The clients could also see the progress through the software.

Operational Impact

The integration of CoConstruct into Brush Arbor's building process has significantly improved their operations. The platform has proven to be user-friendly and effective in bringing all aspects of the project together. It has allowed the company to estimate, budget, set margins, invoice clients, and monitor the numbers in one place. This has not only streamlined their operations but also improved transparency with their clients, who can now track the progress of the project through the platform. Furthermore, the successful restoration of the historic Frederick Douglass home has further solidified Brush Arbor's reputation for high-quality work and excellent customer service.

Quantitative Benefit

The main house property, including 6,150 square feet, seven bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, and four one-car garages, sold for $4.9 million after the renovation.
Brush Arbor was able to stay on budget and protect their profit margins by tracking their actuals throughout the life of the renovation using CoConstruct.
Brush Arbor is using 80% of CoConstruct’s features in their processes, improving their efficiency and project management.