Biz Tools Library
In this series of video recordings, industry experts share the latest tips and discuss essential strategies to enhance business operations and boost long-term profitability. NAHB members can access additional resources at the BizTools homepage.
Financial Operations
Cut Costs, Not Corners: Tax Planning for Residential Builders
Get practical tax tips tailored for residential construction builders in this video. Learn how to maximize deductions, boost cash flow, and stay ahead of changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1). We cover key updates on depreciation, business interest limits, and pass-through income rules that impact contractors and small construction firms.
E-Payment Systems for Residential Construction Companies: Streamlining Your Cash Flow
Discover how residential construction businesses can streamline the billing process and boost cash flow with e-payments. Featuring Jake Harris of BuildWallet, this 15-minute video offers practical guidance for choosing the right solution for your business.
Profit Strategies for Home Builders
Explore profit categories in residential construction using NAHB benchmarks with Vince Butler of Butler Brothers Corporation. Learn to adjust operations, manage overhead, and make smart decisions with a clearer understanding of how profit is generated.
Estimating Tips for Your Company: Fixed Cost Budgeting Shortcuts
In this installment of BizTools, speaker Alan Hanbury, President/CEO of House of Hanbury Builders, Inc., presents an effective way to build an overhead budget that captures all costs, adjusts for inflation and supports smart pricing—using last year’s data to drive profits and avoid slippage in any market.
Introduction to Accounting Techniques: Home Building Basics – Indirect and Direct Costs
This session will examine how to categorize markup and effectively manage indirect expenses within the job costing module.
How to Use NAHB's Cost of Doing Business Study
Explore NAHB’s “Cost of Doing Building Study,” which analyzes financial performance by builder type and size, presenting industry averages through key indicators like gross margins, net profit, cost of sales, operating expenses, and financial ratios.
Strategic Business Planning
Planning & Budgeting for 2026
Watch construction business coach Chuck Miller of Chuck Miller Consulting LLC share practical tips on planning and budgeting for the year ahead. Learn how to use his Excel templates to track income, manage cash flow, and make smarter financial decisions for your construction business.
Diversification Strategies: Exploring New Revenue Paths for Builders and Remodelers
Discover how builders and remodelers can diversify services, enter niche markets, and boost long-term growth with real-world strategies—from home flipping to design, real estate, and commercial work. Featuring insights from Darylene Dennon of Solid Energy, Inc. and Owen Shigley of Shigley Construction, this session offers practical guidance from industry professionals who’ve successfully expanded their service offerings.
Buydown Mortgage Assistance or Discounts: Ways to Solve Problems
This session explores effective strategies for home builders to offer buydown mortgage assistance or discounts as a way to address affordability challenges for buyers.
Essential Steps to Building a Strong Digital Network
Learn why professionally installed wired and wireless networks are key components of reliable and stable networks, and enhanced performance.
Understanding Objections for Millennials: In Home Buying and Hiring
To engage Millennials in home buying and hiring, focus on sustainability, affordability, work-life balance, career growth and social responsibility. Join Brad Herda, Owner and Certified Master Business Coach at Focal Point Coaching and learn how to address these needs with eco-friendly options and a growth-oriented culture fosters success.
Contracts and Agreements
Requirements for a Successful Warranty Program
For new home buyers interested in a custom build or existing homeowners looking to revive their living space, finding a builder or remodeler who ensures they’ll do the job right is key in deciding which company to hire. For builders and remodelers looking to ramp up their clientele, offering a warranty can help attract new customers.
Lien Waivers: Partial or Final?
In this episode we will explore from a general contractor’s perspective which parties in a construction transaction will want to obtain a lien waiver and what the lien waiver will say.
An Introduction and the Essence of a Contract
Ron Skufca of Skufca Law, PLLC discusses key strategies -- from what should or shouldn’t be included in a client contract to enforcing the agreed upon terms -- for implementing contracts.
Subcontractor Agreements: Protect Yourself and Transfer the Risk
Join Summit Insurance Group’s Rob Squatriglia as he outlines tips and strategies for writing strong subcontractor agreements.
Business Operations
Free Estimates Are Too Expensive – Add Value with Pre-Construction Agreements
Join Duane Johns of JK Design Build for an interactive discussion that explores why free estimates are negatively affecting your bottom line and how you can use pre-construction agreements to close deals faster.
Change Order Best Practices
While many companies use change orders effectively, some miss the mark on utilizing them to stop future issues. Join John Atlee of Water Doctors as he breaks down how change order best practices can help create a great experience for customers.
Find Balance in Your Option Offering
Amid the backdrop of material shortages, inflated product cost and longer construction cycles, Ken Pinto of Kenzai USA explains why it’s important for home builders to evaluate and be purposeful about the options offered in their homes.
Business Enhancement Strategies
New Construction Appraisals
How can builders best utilize scores from an energy efficient appraisal to allow more people to qualify as homebuyers? Join contributing experts Jacob Hooper of ICS Inspectors, Ryan Riveras of Accelerated AMC, Judson Willis of Lexar Homes and moderator Steve McKanna of The Home Building Energy Efficiency Academy to find out.
Maximizing Digital Tools
Join us as contributing expert John Atlee of Water Doctors shares his insights on how we can maximize CRM system features to manage your business and create best practices. This video is part of NAHB’s National Home Remodeling Month (sponsored by Westlake Royal Building Products).
Building a Business Plan
Business Planning Part 1: The Basics
Join us for the first installment of our Building a Business Plan series as contributing expert Vince Butler, CAPS, GMB, GMR shares his insights on how to achieve solid business performance and growth.
Using the Business Model Canvas
Join us for the second installment of our Building a Business Plan series as contributing expert Edwin Williams of Zenhammer shares his insights on how the business model canvas can be used to visualize your business priorities.
Business Basics
Dashboard for Increased Profits
Guest Alan Hanbury shares his financial and marketing dashboard of 25+ metrics showing what information to collect, which metrics to track, what they mean and safe target ranges to shoot for each one.
Cost Plus vs. Fixed Price
Join us for the first installment of our Business Basics series as Brad Haubert explores the difference between cost plus and fixed fee.
Margin vs. Markup
In this presentation, Alan Hanbury will explain the correct relationship and usages of margin and markup numbers.
Profit vs. Wealth
Join us for the final installment of our Business Basics series as contributing expert Vince Butler, CAPS, GMB, GMR explores short-term profitability and long-term growth.
Disaster Relief Series
Before Disaster Strikes, Prepare Your Business
In the first video in the three-part Disaster series, join us as we discuss drafting a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) or emergency business plan.
How Insurance Cash Flow Works for Builders
This video will review the cash flow of an insurance claim from the builder’s point of view and will cover how to stay out of danger with cash flow, which is the primary reason builders go bankrupt while performing insurance work.
Agility: The Builder’s Antidote to Chaos
In Part 3: Disaster Relief - Agility: The Builder’s Antidote to Chaos, learn how to infuse agility in your decision-making, expectation setting and execution.
Cash Flow Series
Two Cash Flows, One Company
In this BizTools episode, Jake Harris will illustrate how building companies are made up of both project and process business models and how the two models work together.
Project Cash Flow
Join us for the second Shop Talk in the three-part Cash Flow series. Part 2: Project Cash Flow will cover how funds move through a residential construction project between the customer, builder, trade partners and material suppliers.
Process Cash Flow
Join us for the third and final installment of the Cash Flow Shop Talk series. In Part 3: Process Cash Flow, Harris will break down and analyze the different ways money flows through a builder’s company and ultimately to the owners.