Modular sub-assemblies
Major systems are designed as self-contained assemblies that can be built and checked off-site, then installed as units.
Homebuilding, re-engineered · Bay Area
Build your home the way great products are built.
Build Smart Solutions applies the methods behind consumer electronics — modular sub-assemblies, precision component design and parametric scheduling — to residential construction, and connects ambitious builders with vetted experts, essential tools and flexible capital.
How we build
A manufacturing mindset, on your site
Traditional homebuilding runs one trade after another and absorbs problems on site. We design the house as a product first, so the build becomes assembly.
Precision component design
Components are specified to fit the first time — fewer field cuts, fewer surprises, less waste and less rework.
Parametric scheduling
The schedule is driven by the design itself, so a change updates materials, trades and timing together instead of rippling through by phone call.
Illustrative build schedule
SequentialRuns in parallel
Design & specification
Component engineering
Off-site sub-assembly
Site prep & foundation
On-site assembly
Finishes & handover
Our design/build process
From how you live to move-in day
Every project follows the same four phases. Each phase has defined workstreams, so homeowners, designers and trades always know what comes next. Open a workstream to see its activities.
01
Prototype
Define how you want to live in the home, turn it into a concept model, and agree on the vision before any design starts.
Use cases
- Property: location, existing space and how it will be used. Is this new land, a new build or a remodel?
- Work, entertainment and children
- Household: shopping and services
- Budget and timeline
Concept model
- Geography, if choosing a site is an option
- Shape definition, using comparable homes from Redfin and Zillow
- Space definition, using Houzz and AI tools
- Site definition: spaces mapped to use cases, with scan-to-CAD of existing structures
PRFAQ
- Confirm everyone is aligned on the vision: how would you describe your home to friends and family?
02
Design
Move from layout and budget to a permit-ready design, a selected site and a chosen contractor.
High-level design
- Home: layout, shape and materials budget
- Outdoor space: layout, shape and materials budget
- Budget and timeline
- Site shortlist, if needed
- Contractor shortlist
Detailed design
- Site selection and project plan
- Space design and infrastructure budget
- Materials budget
- Plan check for structural and permit compliance
Build preparation
- Site acquisition
- Structural design
- Material selection
- Final budget and timeline
- Permit approval
- Contractor selection
03
Build
Plan the build in detail, then complete infrastructure, finishes and outdoor spaces in sequence.
Detailed project plan
- Living arrangements during the build
- Material procurement
- Mock-up schedule
- Detailed infrastructure schedule
Infrastructure
- Site preparation: fencing, temporary power, utility marking and shut-off, removals
- Demolition, if required
- Foundation, with every mechanical run identified first
- Framing and sheathing, then slabs
- Detailed home finishes plan
Home finishes
- Roofing, windows and exterior doors, weatherproofing
- Rough electrical, plumbing and mechanical, indoors and out
- Exterior finish: stucco, siding, gutters and downspouts
- Insulation, interior door frames, drywall and backerboard
- Flooring, cabinets and countertops, tile and stone
- Finish carpentry and doors
- Finish electrical, plumbing and mechanical
Outdoor spaces
- Concrete: driveway, porch, paths, retaining walls and pads
- Decking, porches and benches
- Outdoor features, such as a kitchen
- Landscaping: paths, plants, trees, lawn and irrigation
Punch list and occupancy plan
- Punch list
- Occupancy plan, including furniture
04
Occupy
Close out permits and contracts, move in, and keep a record of what the home is made of.
Closeout and move-in
- Permit closeout
- Occupancy
- Sustainability plan, including a material passport for the home
- Contractor closeout, including a warranty review
Design tools
See it in 3D before you build
Working 3D design apps from our virtual showroom. Open one and orbit, measure and try changes, right in your browser.
Home Design
Plan a home addition. Switch between the house as it stands, the proposal and the surveyed scan, open the floor plans, walk through individual rooms, and adjust the roof pitch and time of day.
Open Home Design ↗
Rooftop Deck Design
Design a roof terrace on the house's Revit model. Jump to views from inside the house, measure anything with a tool that snaps to corners, and check the finish schedule and every dimension.
Open Rooftop Deck Design ↗Projects
From building model to budget, buy list and invoices
Proof-of-value apps that open a building model in the browser and turn it into a quantity takeoff, cost estimate, procurement schedule and what-if scenarios, all linked to the 3D model. They cover the core of VIM's Power BI template (category, type and level explorer, model-to-data cross-filtering and a BIM parameter inspector) and add cost and procurement logic on top. Built on the open-source VIM Web viewer.
POV 1
BIM Cost & Procurement
Open a Revit or IFC model and get an estimate you can click through. Every bar and table row isolates and frames its elements in 3D, and clicking any element shows its cost, quantities, materials and procurement line.
- Takeoff & cost: two-level grouping by category, type, level, package or material, with count, length, area, volume and cost, and CSV export
- Unit rates: editable rules by category and type, priced per each, length, area or volume, with waste, package, lead time and supplier. The most specific rule wins.
- Procurement: works back from need-on-site dates to order-by dates, with a Gantt of order windows, spend by month and late, order-now or on-track status
- Scenarios: escalation and package-level rate and lead-time levers, compared against a baseline, including how many orders go late
- Colour the model by cost, package, procurement status or quantity source, so you can see which quantities come from BIM data and which are measured from geometry
POV 2
Phase 2: model, drawings and invoices in one place
A real residential addition. The architect's IFC export had 1,736 unlabeled objects and no storeys or quantities. Our open-source ifc2vim converter added categories, levels and construction phases, flagging every inferred classification with its confidence.
- Edit the model: delete or reclassify objects one at a time or by type, add properties like a supplier SKU, or set a custom rate or a fixed supplier quote. Every change is logged and can be baked into a new model file.
- Design documents: links the permit and construction drawing sets, reads the door and window schedules, and maps the exterior-elevation tags onto the model. 81 of 84 tags are placed automatically, and each opening gets its mark, size, manufacturer, U-factor and SHGC.
- Invoices: import supplier invoices and sales orders from PDF, CSV or JSON, then link each line to the objects it paid for by schedule mark, size or selection. Linked objects are priced at their actual cost, with the variance against the estimate.
- Existing vs. new work: existing elements are priced at zero, and pricing follows a clear order: model edits, then invoices, then unit rates
Smart home systems
Homes that report on themselves
We're developing smart connected systems, custom hardware, software and data together, that make a home easier to run and easier to build the next one from.
- Energy and heat pump monitoring: see how heating, cooling and power use perform against the design
- Sensors that feed the material passport: a living record of what the home is made of and how it's holding up, from the Occupy phase of our process
- Connected product showcases: QR- and app-linked products in real homes, as debuted on the home tour
- Smart home packages for builders: vetted systems builders can offer with confidence, without testing every new technology themselves
- DesignBuild Smart SolutionsSpecified in the 3D model and process
- Install & supportJB's IT SystemsNetworking, cameras and managed support
- ShowcaseHome toursLive demos in real homes
Who we serve
One place for the people who build your home
Whether you're planning a new build or a major renovation, we help you make good decisions and find the right people to carry them out.
For homeowners
A clear plan and people you can trust
- Guidance from design through handover, from people who have done it
- Introductions to vetted trades and local businesses
- A schedule and scope you can actually follow
For trades & local businesses
Better-prepared projects, better clients
- Work that arrives well specified and ready to build
- Fewer change orders and less time lost on site
- Referrals from homeowners who value quality work
Event · May 16–17, 2025
2025 Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour
With the Modern Architecture & Design Society (MADs), producers of the Modern Home Tours, we opened our Campbell home to the public and hosted the tour's first VIP kickoff, where we launched the Trusted Advisor platform.
A proof of concept, open to the public. Set in Campbell's Pruneyard neighborhood, the home blends the organic forms of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West with the calm simplicity of Japandi interiors, with European oak floors, stone surfaces and natural light throughout.
It was built to show what's possible when architects, builders, trades and product makers collaborate from the start. On tour day, visitors used QR codes placed around the home to pull up product specs, and DeWalt demonstrated tools on the patio.
Partnership proceeds from the tour support the Ralph & Dee Bennett Foundation, which awards scholarships to students in Purdue University Northwest's Construction Engineering Technology & Management program.
“Our vision is to cultivate a network of ‘Trusted Advisors’ who collaborate to create homes that truly resonate with owners, strengthen local communities, and foster entrepreneurship.”
Steve Bennett, Founder & CEO · launch announcement, May 16, 2025
- VIP kickoffFriday, May 16, 2025, hosted by Build Smart Solutions
- Public tourSaturday, May 17, 2025
- Produced byModern Architecture & Design Society ↗
- SponsorsDeWalt · Truist · Aonair Wines
Design & build partners
- Architect · Glenn Katz
- General contractor · Ademo Construction
- Outdoor spaces · OMBT
- Heat pump system · Malibu Heating & AC, Mitsubishi HVAC
- Bath · Waterworks
From the builder
“I previously lacked the time to vet new technologies, which put me at a disadvantage. Since partnering with Build Smart Solutions, I can confidently offer innovative smart home solutions that have fueled rapid growth for my business.”
Cesar Ponce, Ademo Construction
Our build
We tested it on our own house first
Founder Steve Bennett built his own ground-up modern home using this approach, replacing traditional residential construction practice with methods from twelve years of shipping consumer devices at Amazon Lab126.
That project became the operating model behind Build Smart Solutions: designed, run and validated on a real home before we offered it to anyone else.
- ProjectGround-up modern home
- MethodsModular sub-assemblies · precision components · parametric schedule
- ResultA repeatable homebuilding operating model
Contact
Let's talk about your project
Tell us what you're planning, where it is and roughly when you'd like to start.