Recommended Document Flow on Houzz Pro
Houzz Pro allows you to easily create connected, or linked, documents which will help streamline your workflow and allow you to track products and services across the entire lifecycle of the project.
Note: This document flow is only a recommendation. Please check with your accountant for guidance on financial documentation steps that best fit your specific business needs.
- Source products, finishes, and use visuals to present your ideas to your client
- Easily convert those selections into an estimate or proposal
- Once selections are approved, create purchase orders to manage your outgoing expenses and ensure you convert your estimate or proposal to invoice(s) for payment
- Make price adjustments as needed for any changes that arise
The beauty in starting with sourcing and designing then converting from document to document is that you can easily track items, along with their linked documents, in the Selections Tracker. In the screenshot below, you’ll see the items reflected as one line item, and in the Status column will be any relevant documents linked to the item. Click any document to be taken directly to it.
Source Products and Design Project
Start the process by sourcing selections through the Clipper tool, or manually adding items to your project, and using said selections in our design tools to present your ideas and concepts to your client. You can mock up a space using our 3D Floor Planner, create multiple design options with our Mood Board tool, and utilize our Selection Boards to help narrow down products and materials. Starting your project with finalized construction plans? Upload them into our Takeoffs tool to quickly take measurements for materials.
Create an Estimate or Proposal
Once you and your client have decided on a design direction, move into a proposal (for Designers) or estimate (for Builders) where you can get your client's approval and/or signature, take a deposit and set a payment schedule. This allows you to collect any money you need upfront and set clear expectations for the project before ordering any products or services. You can also collect a retainer before sending an estimate/proposal, which can be applied to financial documents as the project progresses.
You can easily create estimates and proposals by converting a takeoff or selections board directly to a financial document, or you can create a standalone document from scratch. Then, when the time is right, you can convert your estimate/proposal to invoices and purchase orders, creating linked documents — any payments made on the estimate/proposal will automatically transfer over.
Create Purchase Orders
Once you get sign off from your client on an estimate/proposal, you'll want to create purchase orders to purchase approved products and materials from your vendors. You can convert to purchase orders directly from existing document(s) (estimate, proposal or invoice) in order to create linked documents. Purchase orders are recommended even if you don't submit them directly to vendors, as they help keep track of your expenses and order status of items.
Note: You can also convert your estimate/proposal to an invoice first, collect payment, then create purchase orders directly from the paid invoice. Both methods will create linked documents.
Purchase Order Resources:
Convert to Invoice(s) for Payment
When you're ready to collect payment on the project, you can convert your estimate/proposal to an invoice. You have the option to convert the entire document to a single invoice, or only convert select line items. Any payments made and/or scheduled on an estimate/proposal will transfer over to the invoice, and you can make adjustments to the invoice to bill your client for any difference. If you have not yet created purchase orders, you can easily do so directly from any invoice.
Time & Expense entries can also be logged throughout the project and invoiced to the client. You can even add time entries to existing invoices to help keep all billable items in one invoice.
Make Price Adjustments
At this point in a project, you might need to account for increases/decreases in prices quoted on estimates/proposals, adjusted project scope, or for clients changing their minds. For decreases in price or returned items, you'll want to create a credit.
For increases in prices, Builders can use change orders and Designers can add the price difference as a new line item on an invoice or adjust the existing line item and make note of the change in the description field or memo section.
Price Adjustment Resources: