Builder Eye Startup Guide
Builder Eye is a purpose-built platform for Ontario residential home builders. It unifies inspections, deficiencies, work orders, warranty cases, and homeowner communication in one place — replacing the spreadsheets, group texts, and scattered emails most building teams still rely on.
This guide walks you through every setup step, from creating your account to running your first PDI and managing Tarion warranty deadlines. Follow the steps in order and your full operation will be live within a week.
Before You Begin
Gather the following before starting setup. You will need these at specific steps.
| What you need | Where it’s used |
|---|---|
| Company logo (PNG or JPG) | Workspace setup — appears on PDFs and the homeowner portal |
| Tarion Builder ID | Workspace setup — required for warranty form generation |
| Tarion Builder Licence Number | Workspace setup — required for Tarion-formatted document export |
| Tarion Warranty Program Number | Per-project setup |
| Tarion Enrolment Number per home | Per-home setup |
| List of active projects and homes | Step 5 — adding projects and homes |
| Trade contact names and emails | Step 4 — adding trades |
| Team member emails and roles | Step 3 — inviting your team |
Who Uses Builder Eye
Three types of users interact with the platform across the construction and warranty lifecycle.
| User | Role in Builder Eye | Primary platform |
|---|---|---|
 Builders — site supervisors, construction managers, warranty coordinators |
Create inspections, log deficiencies, assign work orders, manage warranty cases, view dashboards | Web app + iOS (field) |
 Trades — subcontractors and trade companies |
View assigned work orders, update status, upload proof photos, communicate with builders | iOS app + Web |
 Homeowners — purchasers taking possession |
View deficiency repairs, access documents, submit service requests, respond to scheduling | iOS app |
Trades use Builder Eye at no cost. They receive an invitation from you and create an account for free. ^[Your plan covers active homes and team seats on the builder side only — there is no per-trade charge.]
Step 1 — Create Your Account
Your account is your personal identity in Builder Eye, separate from your company workspace which you set up next.
1. Go to the sign-up page
Visit thebuildereye.com and click Start Free Trial. No credit card is required.
2. Register with your email
Use your company email address (e.g. yourname@yourcompany.ca). This keeps your account tied to your organisation and makes it easier to invite team members later.
Password requirements:
Minimum 8 characters
At least 1 uppercase letter
At least 1 number
At least 1 special character
3. Verify your email
Check your inbox for a verification email from Builder Eye and click the confirmation link. The link expires after 1 hour. You cannot log in until your email is verified.
4. Complete your profile
Add your full name, phone number, profile photo, and role title (e.g. Construction Manager, Warranty Coordinator). Trades and homeowners see this information when you communicate with them.
Step 2 — Set Up Your Workspace
On first login, Builder Eye prompts you to create a workspace — your company’s home base on the platform. All projects, homes, inspections, deficiencies, and team members live inside the workspace.
Required fields
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Company name | Your registered builder company name |
| Logo | PNG or JPG — appears on exported PDFs and the homeowner portal |
| Region | Ontario |
| Tarion Builder ID | Your Tarion-issued builder identification number |
| Builder Licence Number | Your Tarion licence number |
| Team size | Estimated number of people who will use the workspace |
Important: Without a Tarion Builder ID and Licence Number, Builder Eye cannot generate Tarion-formatted warranty documents. These can be added or updated anytime under
Settings → Tarion Integration.
Settings available after setup
Settings → General Company name, logo, timezone, date format
Settings → Tarion Integration Builder ID, licence number, warranty program
Settings → Team & Invites Add team members, assign and change roles
Settings → Notifications Default notification preferences for the workspace
Settings → Billing Current plan, upgrade, add seats, payment method
Settings → Recycle Bin Restore soft-deleted homes, inspections, work orders
Timezone defaults to EST and date format to MM/DD/YYYY. Both can be changed under Settings → General.
Step 3 — Invite Your Team & Assign Roles
Builder Eye uses role-based permissions so each team member only sees and can do what their role requires. Invite team members at any time under Settings → Team & Invites.
Role permissions
| Permission | Admin | Supervisor | Warranty Coord. | View Only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create / delete projects |  |
|
— | — |
| Create inspections | |
|
— | — |
| Create work orders | |
|
— | — |
| Delete records (any) | |
— | — | — |
| Manage warranty cases | |
|
|
— |
| Invite team members | |
— | — | — |
| View all dashboards | |
|
|
|
| Export workspace data | |
— | — | — |
| Manage billing | |
— | — | — |
| Access recycle bin | |
— | — | — |
How to send an invite
- Go to
Settings → Team & Invites— Admin access required - Enter the team member’s email address
- Select their role from the dropdown
- Click Send Invite
The invitee receives a registration link with their role pre-assigned. You receive an in-app notification when they accept. Roles can be changed or members removed at any time.
Team seat limits by plan:
Starter 5 seats
Professional 15 seats
Scale Unlimited
Step 4 — Add Your Trades
Trades receive work orders, update status in real time, and upload proof photos directly in Builder Eye — eliminating the need to chase updates by phone or text.
To add a trade, go to the Trades section and click Add Trade. Enter the following for each:
Company or trade name e.g. Smith Plumbing Ltd.
Trade category e.g. Plumbing, Electrical, Drywall, HVAC
Contact name Site lead or account manager
Email address Used for work order notifications
Phone number
Once added, trades receive a link to download the Builder Eye app and create their account. From then on, every work order assigned to them is delivered directly to their app with the full scope, photos, and deadline included.
Start with the trades on your current active projects. You can add more at any time as new work orders come up.
Step 5 — Create Your First Project & Add Homes
In Builder Eye, a Project is a development or subdivision — the top-level container. Inside each project you add individual Homes. All inspections, deficiencies, work orders, and warranty cases are tied to a specific home.
Creating a project
- Go to Projects → New Project
- Enter the project name, address or municipality, project type ^[Freehold, condo, or other Tarion-eligible residential types.], and Tarion warranty program number
- Optionally assign a supervisor from your team — useful for filtering by project
- Save — the project appears in your Projects list
Adding homes to a project
Inside a project, click Add Home. Enter the following for each home:
Lot or unit number e.g. Lot 14 or Unit 304
Street address
Homeowner name
Homeowner email Used for portal access and communication
Possession date Critical — drives all Tarion deadline calculations
Tarion enrolment number Specific to this home
Important: The possession date determines every Tarion deadline for that home — the Initial Form window, Year-End Form, and Mid-Year Form. Set it accurately. If the date changes later, update the home record and all deadlines recalculate automatically.
Step 6 — Run Your First PDI Inspection
The Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) is a mandatory Tarion inspection that must be completed on or before the homeowner takes possession. Builder Eye provides a structured, photo-ready workflow for the entire PDI.
Creating an inspection
- Open the home record — go to
Projects → [Project] → [Home] - Click New Inspection and select inspection type PDI
- Set the inspection date and assign a supervisor
- Optionally send a scheduling request to the homeowner — they accept or propose an alternative time via the homeowner app
- On inspection day, open Builder Eye on your iOS device or web browser and log deficiencies room by room
- When the walkthrough is complete, mark the inspection done — Builder Eye generates a Tarion-formatted deficiency list PDF ready for submission
Inspection types
| Type | When used | Output |
|---|---|---|
| PDI | On or before possession date | Deficiency list PDF (Tarion format) |
| Quality Control | During construction stages | Internal QC report PDF |
| Warranty Inspection | Post-possession warranty claim resolution | Open items and resolution status PDF |
| Custom | Any builder-defined inspection | Custom PDF in Builder Eye formatting |
Step 7 — Log & Assign Deficiencies
Every deficiency logged in Builder Eye is tracked from creation to closure with a full photo, comment, and status history. This record protects you if any item escalates to Tarion conciliation.
Logging a deficiency
During an inspection, click or tap Add Deficiency and enter:
Category e.g. Plumbing, Electrical, Drywall, Exterior, HVAC
Location e.g. Main bathroom, second floor
Description What the issue is and what needs to be done
Photos One or more photos documenting the deficiency
Priority Standard or Urgent
Trade Assign to a specific trade now or leave for later
Deficiency lifecycle
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | Logged — not yet assigned to a trade |
| Assigned | Work order sent to trade, awaiting action |
| In Progress | Trade has acknowledged and begun the fix |
| Pending Review | Trade marked complete — awaiting builder sign-off |
| Closed | Builder confirmed resolution |
Step 8 — Create Work Orders for Trades
A work order is the formal instruction you send to a trade. It pulls the deficiency details, scopes the work, sets a deadline, and delivers everything to the trade’s app — no email required.
Creating a work order
Open any deficiency and click Create Work Order, or go to Work Orders → New Work Order and link it to one or more deficiencies.
- Select the trade — they receive a push notification and email immediately
- Write the scope of work — be specific about what needs to be done and where
- Set a deadline — feeds into the overdue work order tracker on your dashboard
- Enable photo evidence — the trade must upload a completion photo before they can mark the work done ^[Enabling photo evidence is strongly recommended. It eliminates the need for follow-up calls and creates a timestamped proof of completion for every work order.]
- When the trade marks the work done, you are notified — review the photos and close the work order
Tip: On Professional and Scale plans, save frequently-used work orders as templates — for example, Touch-up painting, all rooms or Caulking repair, all bathrooms. Templates cut creation time significantly during busy PDI periods.
Step 9 — Manage Warranty Cases & Tarion Forms
After possession, Builder Eye tracks every warranty case, deadline, and required Tarion form in one place.
Tarion warranty forms
| Form | Trigger | Deadline | Builder Eye output |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDI Form | Day of possession | Possession day | Deficiency list PDF + structured export |
| Initial Form | Homeowner submits warranty items | 30 days post-possession | Categorised deficiency list PDF |
| Year-End Form | 1-year anniversary of possession | 365 days post-possession | Open items and resolution status PDF |
| Mid-Year Form | 6-month check | 180 days post-possession | Unresolved deficiency summary PDF |
| Emergency Claim | Urgent structural or safety defect | Immediate | Emergency work order + documentation bundle |
Tarion does not currently offer a public API. Builder Eye generates Tarion-formatted PDFs that you submit manually through the Tarion Builder Portal. The documents are pre-filled — submission takes only a few minutes. ^[The Tarion Builder Portal is at ontario.ca/tarionbuilderportal. Log in with your Tarion builder credentials to submit generated forms.]
Warranty deadline tracking
When a possession date is set on a home, Builder Eye calculates all upcoming Tarion deadlines automatically. The warranty deadline tracker on your dashboard uses colour-coding:
Green More than 14 days remaining
Amber 7–14 days remaining
Red Fewer than 7 days remaining, or overdue
Assigning a Warranty Coordinator
Each warranty case can be assigned to a team member with the Warranty Coordinator role. They receive in-app and email notifications for all activity on their cases and can manage them through to resolution without requiring Admin access.
For each warranty case, enter the Tarion reference number manually after submitting the form through the Tarion portal. This links your Builder Eye case to the official Tarion record.
Preventing conciliation
Conciliation occurs when a builder and homeowner cannot reach agreement on warranty resolution, escalating to a formal Tarion hearing. Builder Eye helps prevent this by keeping every deficiency visible, every deadline tracked, and every communication documented — so issues are resolved before they become disputes.
Step 10 — Homeowner Portal & Communication
After possession, the homeowner portal keeps buyers informed without generating calls and emails for your team.
What homeowners can do
| Action | Available on |
|---|---|
| View deficiency list and repair status | All plans with homeowner enabled |
| See who is responsible for each repair | All plans with homeowner enabled |
| Download shared documents (PDI form, agreement, warranty docs) | All plans with homeowner enabled |
| Respond to scheduling requests from the builder | All plans with homeowner enabled |
| Submit post-possession service requests | Scale plan and above |
Sharing documents
Navigate to the home record and click Documents. Upload any PDF or image and toggle Share with Homeowner on. The homeowner receives an in-app notification immediately and the document appears in their portal.
Communication threads
Every work order, deficiency, and warranty case has a built-in comment thread shared between builders, trades, and homeowners. All communication happens inside Builder Eye — creating a single searchable record for every conversation related to every item in a home.
Dashboard Reference
The dashboard gives you a real-time view of your entire operation every time you log in. It refreshes every 5 minutes automatically or on manual refresh.
| Widget | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Summary cards | Active projects, homes in warranty, open deficiencies, overdue work orders, inspections in the next 7 days |
| Warranty deadline tracker | Homes with upcoming Initial Form, Year-End, and Mid-Year deadlines — colour-coded green / amber / red |
| Work order status chart | Donut chart — Draft, Sent, In Progress, Pending Review, Completed |
| Recent activity feed | The last 20 events across the workspace — status changes, new messages, completed work orders |
| My tasks | Work orders and inspections assigned to the logged-in user |
Plans & Feature Limits
All plans include a 30-day free trial — no credit card required. Data carries over when you move to a paid plan.
| Feature | Starter $299/mo | Professional $699/mo | Scale $1,299/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active homes | 20 | 100 | Unlimited |
| Team seats | 5 | 15 | Unlimited |
| Tarion form generation | Basic | Full | Full + Custom |
| Work order automation | Manual only | Templates + bulk | Advanced + sequences |
| Homeowner portal | — | Read-only | Full + interactive |
| Reporting | Basic | Standard dashboards | Advanced analytics |
| Mobile access | Web only | Responsive web | Native iOS apps |
| Builderlink integration | — | One-way sync | One-way sync |
| Document storage | 5 GB | 50 GB | Unlimited |
| Support response | 48 hours | 24 hours | Phone + same day |
Annual billing saves approximately 15% (2 months free). Upgrading or downgrading takes effect at the next billing cycle. All existing data carries over automatically when you change plans.
For Enterprise pricing — unlimited homes, custom integrations, white-label, dedicated infrastructure — contact the Builder Eye team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import existing homes and deficiencies from a spreadsheet?
Yes. The Builder Eye team can help import homes, trades, and team members from existing spreadsheets during onboarding. Contact support before or after your trial starts to arrange a data import.
Does Builder Eye submit forms directly to Tarion?
No. Tarion does not currently offer a public API. Builder Eye generates correctly formatted PDF documents that you submit manually through the Tarion Builder Portal. The documents are pre-filled — submission is typically a few minutes.
Can one account belong to multiple workspaces?
Yes. If you manage multiple builder companies or brands, you can create or be invited to multiple workspaces from a single Builder Eye account. Switch between workspaces from the top navigation.
What if a possession date changes?
Update the closing date on the home record. All Tarion warranty deadline calculations update automatically. Review any linked work orders and warranty cases to confirm their deadlines are still accurate.
What happens if a team member leaves?
Remove them under Settings → Team. Their access is revoked immediately across all devices. Their contributions — inspections, work orders, comments — remain in the system under their name.
Do trades need to pay for Builder Eye?
No. Trades create an account and access Builder Eye for free. Your plan covers active homes and team seats on the builder side only.
Can I test a higher plan before committing?
Your 30-day trial gives full access to Professional-tier features. When you convert to paid, you choose the plan that fits. Contact support to arrange a Scale or Enterprise walkthrough before committing.
Get Help
| Channel | Best for | Response time |
|---|---|---|
| This community | Questions, workflow tips, connecting with other Ontario builders | Same day (community) |
| Email support | Account issues, billing, data import requests | Starter: 48h · Professional: 24h · Scale: same day |
| Onboarding call | New customers — workflow mapping, data import, team setup | Within 2 business days of trial start |
| Monthly check-in | Professional and Scale — usage review, training, planning | Monthly with your account manager |
Every Builder Eye customer gets a kickoff call in their first two weeks. The team will map your current workflow to Builder Eye, import your data, configure inspection templates, and support your first week of live use. Reach out to schedule yours.
Builder Eye — Built for Ontario residential builders. From first inspection to warranty closure.