Why Buffington Homes Chose Higharc

Slow Plan Development

Buffington Homes’ design and drafting work was spread across multiple outsourced partners, causing delays, errors, and confusion between departments.. Developing new plans or adapting existing ones for specific lots could take months, making it hard to respond to land opportunities quickly.

“We were outsourcing it in three, four different places, no real control over timeframe, and wanted to bring it in-house.” – Ted Brock

Disconnected Systems and Manual Estimating

Sales, estimating, and purchasing used separate systems. Plan and option data had to be re-entered multiple times. Estimating was done manually in PlanSwift, requiring a fresh takeoff for every plan or change.

“Our old system meant exporting a plan to a different program and retracing it to get your takeoffs. That was hours and hours of work for every plan. If you made a change, you had to go back and do it all over again.” – Marissa Kaiser

Limited Buyer Visualization

Buffington sales consultants relied on a printed price sheet and a PDF of the plan, just a 2D line drawing of the front elevation and the base floor plan with a list of options off to the side. If a buyer wanted an upgrade like a third bedroom, they had to imagine where it would be and how it would fit with the rest of the home. There was no way to preview it in real time.

“Most people can’t connect those dots on a piece of paper.” – Marissa Kaiser

Buffington Homes believed that bringing all design, drafting, and takeoffs in-house with Higharc would allow them to:

• Cut plan development cycles from months to days
• Eliminate dependence on third parties and reduce costs
• Sell more homes faster with interactive 3D visualizations
• Improve accuracy and margins with lot-specific plans

In-House Design and Drafting Control‍

Higharc Studio allows Buffington to bring all design and drafting in-house, replacing multiple outsourced partners. The team can now configure plans, apply structural options, and instantly generate lot-specific construction documents, all without leaving the platform.

“When changes are needed, they’re made instantly, ensuring accuracy and speed.” – Ted Brock

Real-Time Visualization and Pre-Sales Momentum‍

Higharc’s visualization tool has transformed how Buffington sells homes. During their first sales meeting, buyers now see their exact floor plan and options in interactive 3D instead of flipping through static PDFs.

“We send buyers a link to their configured home so they can revisit it anytime. That’s powerful.” – Marissa Kaiser

Lot-Specific Construction Documents‍

Before Higharc, teams worked from master sets with circled options. Now, every lot has its own accurate construction set, generated instantly after selections are made.

“We don’t have to guess at what the house is going to look like or how it’s going to be built; the plans match exactly what the buyer chose.” – John Foshe

This not only improves accuracy in the field but also reduces rework.

Automated Takeoffs with Seamless ERP Integration

With Higharc Procure, Buffington ties every building component, from windows to slabs, to costed items, producing automated takeoffs that flow directly into their BRIX ERP system. This eliminates redundant work and keeps all departments in sync.

Faster Soft Cycle Times

Soft cycle time dropped by three weeks immediately after launch. Plan changes that once took weeks are now finalized in a single meeting.

“We can sit in one room, make the changes with the drafter, and walk out with the plan done. We’re not spending two weeks estimating a plan anymore. That’s time we can never get back.” – John Foshe

Greater Operational Efficiency

Integrating design, drafting, estimating, and purchasing into a single platform eliminated outsourcing delays and reduced administrative rework.

Higher Accuracy

A single source of truth ensures that sales, estimating, purchasing, and construction work from the same data. Lot-specific plans are right the first time, reducing mistakes in the field.

Better Buyer Experience

Interactive 3D models give buyers confidence in their choices, reduce misunderstandings, and help sales communicate complex options clearly. This has led to significant early sales, often before the model home is complete, and greater buyer confidence.

“The last three communities we’ve started had over 20 sales before the model home was built.” – Ted Brock

Scalable Growth

With the help of Higharc, Buffington has expanded to over 30 active plans, including townhomes, without increasing team size.

“Our mantra was ‘grow with the same, but happier people.’ Higharc allowed us to do just that.” – Marissa Kaiser