HOMEBUILDER:  LOTS OVERVIEW

In this Article:

Lots Overview | Accessing Lots | Lot Actions | Lot Card FastTabs and Field Definitions

Lots Overview

Lot Management is central to your operations. A Lot controls the ownership, Budget, actuals, and Scheduling and Task Operations of the parcel on which the Model is built. Once the rest of the HomeBuilder database is configured, the Lot collates all of that information into a single hub for construction management and tracking.

From a business perspective, a Lot represents:

• Low rise  —  the piece of land on which one house or townhouse will be built, and the house itself.
• High rise  —  the unit in a condominium, and/or the floor itself.

Accessing Lots

Search Lots to open the Lots list. The list shows every Lot in the company you are working in, with its Phase Code, Lot Code, Address, Model Code, pricing and Sales Status.

Select a Lot Code to open the Lot Card, where you can create a new Lot or edit an existing one. The Lot Card is divided into FastTabs, collapsible sections that group related fields together. The same ribbon actions described below are available from both the Lots list and the Lot Card, although a few act on the highlighted line only.

Lot Actions

The ribbon is organized into a top-level Home row plus three menus, Actions, Related and Reports. If a button is not visible, select More options or Fewer options to expand or collapse the ribbon.

Home

The top-level row holds the pages you open most often during day-to-day construction management.

• Budget
  • Opens the Lot Budget page, showing Estimated, Planned, Budget and Actual amounts by Cost Group and Cost Detail for each budget revision.
  • Use Add Revision and Remove latest Revision to manage revisions, Anchor and Un-anchor to fix a revision as the baseline, and Cost Detail (Excel) to export the figures.
  • The FactBox totals the current revision across Anchored, Estimated, Planned Cost, Planned Revenue, Budget and Actual amounts, plus Amount to Complete and Cost to Complete.
• Lot Installments
  
  • Opens the deposits and payments recorded against the Lot, see Lot Installments.
  • Each line carries an Installment Type such as Deposit, a Stage No., Net Amount and Amount, an Installment Category, a Payment Type such as Cheque, and a Status Code and Name.
  • Use Add to Bank Deposit or Add to Cash Receipt Journal to move received installments into the financial journals; the In Journal, Posted and Posting Date columns then show how far each installment has progressed.
• Selection Packages
  • Opens the Lot Selection Packages for the Lot, the upgrade, extra and Color Chart documents raised against it. See Upgrades and Extras.
  • Each package carries a Type such as Color Chart, a Document Date, a Status such as Open, the Consultant who raised it, a Payment Type such as Amendment, and Amount, Tax Amount and Amount Incl. Tax totals.
  • Use Choices to record the purchaser's selections, Print Selections, Print Extras andgg Print for Trades to produce the paperwork, Close, Approve and Release to move the package through its approval cycle, and Installments to raise the amounts due.
• Planning Lines
  • Opens the Lot Planning Lines, the costed scope of work for the Lot, with Lot Planning Line Components listed beneath the selected line. See Site Planning and Operations.
  • Each line carries a Job Task No., Item Category Code, Variant, Unit Cost and Total Cost, Posted Total Cost, Vendor No. and Vendor Contract No., House Area, Selection Package No. and the resulting Work Order and Purchase Order numbers.
  • Use Add to bring in further items, Assign Vendor Contract to attach contracted pricing, and Create Work Orders, Create Purchase Orders or Create WOs and POs to issue documents to your trades.
• Task Operations
  • Opens the Lot Task Operations page, the construction schedule for the Lot, with the Job Planning Lines for the selected task shown beneath.
  • Each task carries a Duration, Scheduled Date Open and Completed, a Manual Scheduling flag, an Overlap value, actual Date Started and Date Completed, and its Predecessors.
  • Use Start and Complete to progress tasks, Predecessors to set dependencies, Create Work Orders to issue the work, and Calendar View or Gantt Chart View to review the schedule graphically.
• Inspections
  • Opens the Inspections recorded for the Lot. See Performing an Inspection, which also contains an instructional video.
  • Each inspection carries an Inspection Type Code, Status, Scheduled Date and time-from/time-to slot, Date Performed, Due Date, Service Appointment Date, Date Completed, Inspector Code, time-in and time-out, and a Comment.
  • Use Checklist Entries to work through the inspection checklist and Service Issues to raise or review defects; Print - Issues and Send by Email - Issues produce the deficiency list. The FactBox counts open and resolved Service Issues and holds the captured customer signatures.
• WIP
  • Opens the list of Work in Process related actions such as WIP calculations and G/L Entries.
  • These are used to recognize revenue and cost on construction that is still in progress, so that partially built homes are valued correctly at period end.
• Sync Codes to Dimensions
  • Creates or updates the Dimension Values that correspond to the Lot and Phase codes, so that Lot activity can be analyzed dimensionally in the general ledger.
  • On completion the system reports how many values were synchronized, skipped or deleted as not used, together with the number of errors, warnings and notices.
  • Any messages are listed with the Record Id they relate to. A typical warning is a Dimension Value that cannot be deleted because it has been used in posted or budget entries and is included in a dimension set.

Actions

The Actions menu holds the operations that change the state of the Lot. Options are greyed out when the Lot's current status makes them invalid.

• Change Status
  • Opens the Change Lot Status dialog, which shows the Current Sales Status as read-only and asks for a New Sales Status, a New Status Date and an optional Comment.
  • This is the dedicated way to move the Lot through its Sales Status lifecycle, Unsold/Available, Sold Conditional, Sold Firm, Sold Closed and Occupancy.
  • Every change is written to the Lot's sales history, viewable through Related › Sales Log.
• Site Model on Lot
  
  • Applies the Lot's Model Code to the Lot, generating the base contract planning lines from the Model Items, and sets Sited to Yes.
  • Siting is a prerequisite for releasing the Lot for construction. See Site and Un-site the Model for the detailed procedure.
• Un-site Model
  • Reverses siting and removes the base contract planning lines created by Site Model on Lot.
  • Available only while those lines have not been released or committed to work orders and purchase orders.
• Add Budget Revision
  • Opens the Add Lot Budget Revision dialog, which asks only for a Revision Date and then creates the next revision of the Lot Budget.
  • Working in revisions means changes are tracked against the anchored original rather than overwriting it, preserving the audit trail of how the budget moved. See Budgets and Costs and Lot Budgeting and Costing.
• Populate Adjustment Journal
  
  • Generates the closing adjustment journal lines for the Lot from your standard adjustment templates. See Lot Closing Adjustments and Standard Adjustment Journals.
  • Change the Lot's status to Sold Closed first, using Change Status. The action is not meaningful until the Lot has reached closing.
  • The pop-up asks for a Job Batch Name, a Standard General Journal Code referencing your template, and a Posting Date. Choosing OK opens the Closing Adjustment Journals page with the lines already populated.
  • Fill in the missing amounts, check that the Total Balance is 0.00, and post from Actions › Post. The posted entries then appear under Related › Posted Adjustment Entries.
• Release
  • Releases the Lot's base contract planning lines for construction and sets Released to Yes. See Site Planning and Operations.
  • Until a Lot is released, work orders and purchase orders cannot be raised against its planning lines.
• Un-release
  • Reverses the release and returns the planning lines to an unreleased state.
  • Blocked once work orders or purchase orders have been created against the released lines.
• Request Inspection
  • Opens the Request Inspection dialog, where you choose a Time Slot from the available appointments and add an optional Comment.
  • The Inspection Type, for example PDI, the Pre-Delivery Inspection, is taken from the context in which the request was raised.
  • Submitting the request creates the Inspection record ready for scheduling, which then appears under the Inspections action.
• Invite for Inspection
  • Opens the Invite for Inspection page, where you select an Inspection Type Code and a Date From / Date To range, then run the Invite for Inspection action.
  • The purchaser is invited to choose a slot within that window; every invitation issued is listed under Related › Invitations for Inspection.
• House Area Cleanup
  • Opens the Lot House Area Cleanup routine, which deletes records — where permitted — for Lot / House Area combinations that no longer exist in the Lot House Areas setup for the selected Lots.
  • Switch on only the tables you want cleaned: Clean All, or individually Lot Selection Choices, Progress Bill Lines, WO Lines, POE Lines, Service Issues, Checklist Entries and Planning Lines. Then choose OK to start the process.
  • Run this after changing a Lot's Model Code, which can leave behind House Areas that the new Model does not use.

Related

The Related menu opens the supporting pages that hang off the Lot.

• House Areas

  • Opens the Lot House Areas page: every area of the home — ALL HOUSE, Backyard, Basement, Powder Room, Bathroom #2, Primary Bedroom and so on — each with a House Area Code and Name. See House Areas and Measurement Types.
  • The Exterior flag marks areas outside the building envelope, and Inspection Order fixes the sequence in which an inspector walks the home.
  • The Measurements column summarises the quantities held against each area, for example FLOOR AREA=380, FLOOR AREA CARPET=240. The Lot House Area Measurements subpage lists each Measurement Type Code with its Unit of Measure, Quantity and Mandatory flag. Use Populate to generate the areas from the Model.
• Measurement Matrix
  
  • Opens the Lot Measurement Matrix: House Area Codes down the side and measurement types across the top — Floor Area (SQFT), Floor Area Carpet (SQYD), Floor Area Hdwd (SQFT), Backsplash Area Tile (SQFT), Lumber (BFT), Pieces and so on.
  • It puts every quantity for the Lot on one screen, which is faster than opening each House Area in turn when you are checking a take-off.
  • Use the House Area, Measurement Type and Unit of Measure filters to narrow the grid, Show/Reload Matrix or Reload to refresh it, and Apply Measurements to write the values back.
• Closing Dates
  
  • Opens the Lot Closing Dates page: the full history of how the closing date for the Lot has moved, each entry with a Date Adjustment Code and Name, Original and Current flags, a Notice Term, Notice Due Date, Notice Sent flag and Notice Sent Date, an Amendment Signed flag, a Comment and the DateTime Created. See Lot Closing Dates.
  • When you add the next closing date, mark it as Current so the Lot Card and reports pick it up. The Notice Due Date is calculated as the Closing Date less the Notice Term, which is inherited from the Closing Date Type.
  • The Closing FastTab on the Lot Card shows only the original and current dates, so use this page whenever a closing date has moved more than once or you need the notice history.
• Customers
  
  • Opens the Lot Customers page: a non-editable history of every Customer assigned to the Lot as home buyer, with Customer No., Sequence No., an Is Current flag, Date From and Date To, Name, Phone and Address.
  • Customer Card opens the standard Business Central Customer Card and Contacts opens that customer's contacts. See Lot Customers and Contacts.
• Contacts
  • Opens the Contacts of the Customer currently assigned to the Lot, showing each contact's No., Name, Primary flag, the Lots they are linked to, Company Name, Contact Business Relation, Phone No. and Email.
  • One contact per Lot must be flagged as Primary, and a single contact may be linked to several Lots.  See Lot Customers and Contacts.
• Sales Log
  
  • Opens the Lot Sales History: every Sales Status change for the Lot with its Status Date, the Customer No. and Name at the time, a Comment, and the Date/Time Created and Created by User ID.
  • Because it records who changed the status and when, this is the page to check when reconciling a disputed sale date or an unexpected status.
• Lot Ledger Entries
  
  • Opens every ledger entry posted against the Lot: Posting Date, Job No. and Job Task No. with its description, Quantity and Total Cost, Phase, Lot and Model Codes, Vendor No. and Name, Vendor Contract No. and Vendor WO No., Type and item No., Description, Source Code and the originating Job Planning Line No.
  • This is the audit trail behind the Actual Amount shown on the Budgeting FastTab.
  • Use Navigate to open the source documents behind an entry, and Reallocate to Lots to move costs that were posted to the wrong Lot.
• Workflows
  
  • Opens the Lot Workflows page, which lists each Workflow Code and Name applied to the Lot. See Construction Workflow Templates.
  • Each line carries a Scheduling method such as Manual, flags for Construction and Décor Workflows, and a Status. The dates on the line are the Scheduled Start and End Dates, the Closing Date, and the Date Open and Date Completed.
  • Use Open Workflows and Schedule Workflows to activate and date them, Workflow Tasks to see the underlying steps, and Calendar View for a date-based overview.
• Key Dates
  • Opens the Lot Key Dates page: the full construction milestone list for the Lot, each with a Key Date Code and Name such as Pour Footings or Foundation Wrap, a Key Date Category Code such as STAGE 1 or STAGE 2, a Sorting Order that fixes the sequence, an Is Milestone flag, and the Scheduled and Actual Dates. See Key Dates and Lot vs. Phase Key Dates.
  • Dates flagged as a Milestone also appear on the Milestones FastTab of the Lot Card. Use Populate to generate the standard set of key dates for the Lot.
• Comments
  • Opens the Lot Comments page, where each line carries a Line No., Date Updated, the Comment text, an Amount, Tax Amount and Amount Incl. Tax, and the User who last updated it.
  • The monetary fields make this useful for recording agreed allowances or credits that have not yet become a formal selection package.
• Posted Adjustment Entries
  
  • Opens the Posted General Journal for the closing adjustments already posted for the Lot, with Document No., G/L Register No., Posting Date, Document and Account Type, Account No., Description, Amounts and the posting groups used. See Lot Closing Adjustments.
  • This action only returns entries once the functionality has been enabled. Open the General Journal Templates page and switch on Copy to Posted Jnl. Line for your Closing Adjustment Journal. Without it, posted adjustments cannot be viewed as a single list here.
  • Use Find Entries to trace a specific adjustment, or Copy Selected Lines to Journal and Copy G/L Register to Journal when you need to reverse or repeat a posting.
• Invitations for Inspection
  
  • Opens the Invitations for Inspection page for the Lot, showing the Phase Code, Lot Code, Inspection Type Code and the Date From / Date To window offered to the purchaser.
  • Check it before issuing another invitation, so the purchaser is not invited twice for the same inspection.
• Dimensions
  
  • Dimensions-Single opens the Default Dimensions for the Lot's project. It lists one Dimension Value Code per Dimension Code, typically LOT and PHASE, with the Dimension Value Name, Value Posting rule and Allowed Values Filter.
  • Dimensions-Multiple opens the same defaults for several selected Lots at once, so a dimension can be set or corrected across a whole phase in a single pass.
  • The values available here are the ones created by Sync Codes to Dimensions on the Home row.

Reports

The Reports menu produces the Lot-level documents and exports. Each one opens a request page where you set options and filters before running it, and they come in two forms:

• Document reports  —  Selections Price List, Deficiency Completion By Lot and Print Selections for Trades. These offer a Printer and Report Layout, and finish with Preview, Print or Send to…, which produces a PDF, Word or Excel copy.
• Data reports  —  Cost Detail (Excel) and Purchaser Selection Options. These finish with OK, or with Schedule… to queue the report as a background job instead of waiting for it.
• Cost Detail (Excel)
  
  • Exports a structured Excel report of the detailed financial information for the Lot, broken down per Cost Detail.
  • The request page filters on Lot Budget Line and arrives pre-filled with the Phase Code and Lot Code of the Lot you started from. Add further filters if you need to narrow it down.
  • Under Options, switch on Exclude Zero Amounts to suppress cost details with nothing budgeted or posted against them, and set Date From and Date To to report on a single period rather than the whole life of the Lot.
  • Use it for variance analysis on a single home; for the same information summarized across all Lots, use the Lot Cost Summary Report.
• Selections Price List
  • Prints the priced list of the selection options available to purchasers, using the SelectionsPriceList.docx as the default report layout.
  • Filter by Item Category Code to print the options for one trade, such as flooring or cabinetry, or by Item No. for a single product.
  • Sales and décor staff use it as the price reference during a selections appointment. Preview checks it on screen before committing it to paper.
• Purchaser Selection Options
  
  • Produces the purchaser-facing document of the options chosen and those still available, for review and sign-off.
  • Under Options, Print House Areas groups the options by area of the home, Print Variants includes each item's variants, and the third toggle brings in items that have not been pushed to the Model.
  • Filter by Item No., Item Category Code or Trade Type Code to issue only part of the selection list — useful when a purchaser is making decisions one trade at a time.
• Deficiency Completion By Lot
  
  • Reports the outstanding and completed deficiencies recorded against the Lot from inspections, using the DeficiencyCompletion.docx as the default report layout.
  • The Filter: Lot section arrives pre-filled with the Phase Code and Lot Code. Narrow it further with Inspection No. to report on a single inspection, or with Vendor No. to give one trade the list of items they still owe you.
  • Use it to track pre-delivery and warranty work, and to evidence completion at handover.
• Print Selections for Trades
  
  • Produces the trade-facing version of the purchaser's selections. The request page itself is titled Trades Extras.
  • Filter by Project No., the Job that represents the Lot. Add a Lot Selection Package No. to issue a single package rather than everything selected.
  • Switch on Print Bundle Components to list the individual items inside a bundled selection rather than just the bundle itself.
  • It gives each vendor only the specifications they need on site, without the pricing shown on the purchaser's copy.

Lot Card FastTabs and Field Definitions

The Lot Card is divided into FastTabs, which can be collapsed or expanded. Each FastTab holds many fields; the tables below define the ones that need explanation. Fields not listed are self-explanatory or informational only.

FastTab — General

General information about the Lot: Phase and Lot Codes, address details, Sales Status and the state of the Lot.

FastTab — Purchaser and Purchaser Contacts

Information about the purchaser of the Lot.

For assigning customers and contacts, the customer history held against the Lot, and bulk-loading purchasers from a spreadsheet, see Lot Customers and Contacts.

FastTab — Land

Non-mandatory, informational-only fields describing the land of the Lot. Enter whatever makes sense for your business.

FastTab — Sales

Pricing and deposit information for the Lot.

FastTab — Budgeting

A system-calculated budget summary: a Cost, Revenue and Profit matrix across Estimated, Planned, Budget, Actual and Outstanding values, plus Completion %. See Lot Budgeting and Costing.

FastTab — Milestones

A quick overview of the construction schedule for the Lot. It is an automatically reduced list of Lot Key Dates showing only those flagged as a Milestone.

FastTab — Closing

A summary of the key closing dates: the original and current closing dates with the current Adjustment Type. For the full list, open Related › Closing Dates from the ribbon.

FastTab — Legal

Non-mandatory, informational-only fields for the legal information relating to the Lot. Enter whatever makes sense for your business.

FastTab — Construction

Non-mandatory, informational-only fields for construction specifics worth retaining for future reference, color scheme, noise impact report, riser types, positioning on the Lot, and so on. Use these to suit your own business needs.

FastTab — Portal Integration

Displays the status of the connection between your HomeBuilder system and the HomeBuilder Portal. The Portal lets your team interact with home purchasers and document change orders or Color Chart selections, and gives vendors a route to interact with your admin team. More information is available after you log in to the HomeBuilder Portal.