The AI Job App for Builders & Carpenters (WhatsApp)

Job app built for builders and chippies

Building jobs run for weeks or months, across stages, with subbies coming and going and a client who keeps adding to the scope. Keeping the paperwork straight over that long a job is where a lot of builders and carpenters lose money. Most tools sold as a job app for builders expect you to sit at a dashboard and keep it updated — which doesn't happen when you're on site managing a crew. offsider puts an AI assistant in WhatsApp instead, already open on your phone, and runs the admin by message. See what AI for tradies does for the full picture.

Nothing to install, nothing to learn. If you can text your foreman, you can track jobs, raise variations, generate a quote PDF and keep the whole build's records in order.

Manage sites, jobs, and variations from WhatsApp

It all happens in the chat. You talk to offsider in plain language — text, a voice note, or a photo — and it handles the admin. Every build sits as its own site, and every job lives under a site:

"Add a new site — 22 Hill St Doncaster East VIC 3109, residential house, for client Dave Papadopoulos."

"Add a job to 22 Hill St: install structural steel beam, rate $1,800, assign to Marco, scheduled for Thursday."

"Mark J4 as done."

Workers see and update only their own assigned jobs, so your subbies can log progress from their phones without touching anyone else's records. Each job carries a name, quantity, rate (ex-GST), date, assignee, and status — todo or completed. See the full toolkit on the features page.

Because offsider remembers your clients and sites, the developers, architects and PMs you work with regularly are already on file — no re-entering details for every new build.

For builders running several projects at once, this job tracking keeps things clean. Each build is its own site with its own jobs, variations, materials and records, so nothing bleeds between projects. When a client or PM rings about progress, you can pull up exactly where that job stands — what variations are approved, what work is outstanding — without digging through a pile of paperwork or three different message threads.

Variations and variation quotes — where builders make or lose money

Variations are the lifeblood — and the biggest leak — of a building job. The client wants a bigger deck, an extra window in the study, a better finish. Agree it verbally and forget to document it, and you wear the cost. offsider makes the paper trail automatic:

"Create a variation for 22 Hill St — client wants an extra window in the study, confirmed with owner Dave."

"Add jobs to that variation: frame opening, rate $320; install window, rate $1,400."

"Generate the quote PDF for that variation."

offsider confirms the 20-credit cost and then sends you the quote PDF directly on WhatsApp — with your ABN, GST, and all line items — ready to share with the client. Once the client confirms and you approve the variation in offsider, all the jobs under it are tracked. When the work is done, you can generate a Tax Invoice PDF for the same variation with a single message. Your ABN, address and company details are pulled from your account Settings, not entered in chat.

The 20-credit PDF charge is per variation and covers both the quote and the invoice, plus any regenerations — no double-dipping. Generating a PDF is owner-only, so subbies and managers can't fire them off without your say-so.

Other tools that matter on a build

Materials — log timber, fixings and deliveries against the job as they arrive: "Log 40 sheets of plasterboard for 22 Hill St, status ordered." Track status from request through to fulfilled.
Issues — photograph a defect or problem on site and file it against the job: "Log an issue at 22 Hill St — cracked lintel above the garage door, needs engineer sign-off." Managers and owners can resolve issues; subbies can log and reopen them.
Notes — record anything that doesn't fit elsewhere: council requirements, access instructions, subbie agreements.
Appointments — book a site inspection or client meeting and set a WhatsApp reminder so no one misses it. Reminders fire on WhatsApp; there is no Google Calendar or iCal sync.
Photos and docs — send a photo or document to the chat and offsider attaches it to the right job, issue, or note. "Progress shot of the framing at J5" pins the photo where it belongs, giving you evidence for payment claims and a record of the site condition before the next trade takes over.
Activity summary — "What happened on-site today?" pulls a summary of everything logged across the whole team, so you can keep across multiple builds without chasing anyone for updates.

Works for any trade, tuned for building

offsider isn't builder-only — it works for electricians, plumbers, HVAC, landscapers and painters just as well. The examples here are building and carpentry because that's who this post is for, but the workflow — track jobs, raise variations, generate quote and invoice PDFs, log materials — is the same for every trade. Running subbies across trades? Everyone works from their own phone, with nothing to install.

What makes it feel built for builders is that the language is yours: stages, variations, subbies, lock-up, fit-out. You describe the job the way you'd describe it to another builder, and offsider handles the paperwork.

Start free — 200 credits on sign-up and run your next build from WhatsApp. offsider is pay-as-you-go — see pricing for credit packs.

FAQ

Is this a real job app or just a chatbot?

It's a full job management assistant — variations, quote and invoice PDFs, jobs, sites, clients, materials, issues, notes and appointments — that you run through WhatsApp messages instead of a separate app or dashboard. Workers log progress and issues from the same chat; managers and owners track the whole build.

Can it handle variations and scope changes on long jobs?

Yes. Create a variation for any scope change — the client's extra window, the bigger deck — add the jobs as priced line items, then generate a quote PDF, all from the chat. Once you approve the variation, all jobs under it are tracked. When the work is done, generate the Tax Invoice PDF for the same variation. Every change is documented and priced before you build it.

How much does a job app for builders like this cost?

offsider is pay-as-you-go on AI credits — 200 free when you sign up, then top-up packs from $10, no subscription. Each WhatsApp message costs 1 credit; generating a quote or invoice PDF costs 20 credits per variation (that single charge covers the quote, the invoice, and any regenerations). See pricing for details.