Cornerstone Developments: money saved, every site tracked.
Dom Keady founded Banksman, and he still runs his own building firm in Huddersfield. So it’s only right that Cornerstone Developments was the first firm to run every job on it. We sat down with Dom to ask what’s changed.
New builds, extensions, renovations, retaining walls, foundations and hard landscaping.
cornerstonesdevelopments.com ↗ (opens in a new tab)Full disclosure: Cornerstone is Dom’s own firm. We think that’s the point. The person who built Banksman runs his business on it every day, so every feature has been through a real site first.
In short
Cornerstone Developments is a Huddersfield building firm with over 20 years in the trade, run by Banksman founder Dom Keady. Every Cornerstone job runs on Banksman. The biggest change Dom has seen is the money saved, from fewer double orders, hours that can be checked and less driving between sites. The team is paid from approved timesheets, every site’s progress is on one screen, and material orders are requested in the app and approved before they are placed.
What changed for Cornerstone
- Money savedNo double orders, no guessed hours, fewer trips round sites
- Paying the teamHours and price work approved on the phone, ready for payroll
- Every site at a glanceProgress, tasks and who is on site, without ringing round
- Orders sortedThe team requests, Dom approves and orders, everyone can track it
In Dom’s words
BanksmanFirst things first. What is Cornerstone Developments?
Cornerstone is my building firm, based in Huddersfield. We’ve been going over twenty years: new builds, extensions, renovations, retaining walls, foundations, driveways and patios, all over West Yorkshire.
At any one time I’ve got a few jobs on the go and the team spread across them. That’s exactly the kind of firm Banksman is for.
BanksmanYou founded Banksman. Why run your own firm on it?
Because it’s only right. If I’m asking other builders to trust their sites to Banksman, I should be trusting mine to it first.
Every Cornerstone job runs on Banksman. If something isn’t right, I’m the first to find out, usually at seven in the morning on a muddy site, and it gets fixed. That’s how the app gets better.
“If I’m asking other builders to trust their sites to Banksman, I should be trusting mine to it first.”
Dom Keady, Cornerstone Developments
BanksmanWhat’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed?
The money I’ve saved. That’s the one that surprised me most.
It’s not one big thing. It’s lots of little leaks plugged. Materials ordered twice because nobody knew someone else had already rung it in. Hours that got rounded up because nobody could check them. Whole mornings lost driving between sites just to see where we were. Over a year that adds up to a lot of money.
“It’s not one big thing. It’s lots of little leaks plugged, and over a year that adds up to a lot of money.”
Dom Keady, Cornerstone Developments
BanksmanHow has paying the team changed?
Friday used to be texts, scraps of paper and a bit of guesswork. Now the team logs their hours on site, against the job, and I approve them on my phone. Then it goes off for payroll.
Price work comes through the same way. A subbie submits it, I approve it or query it, and it’s all written down. There’s no arguing about what was agreed, because it’s right there.
“There’s no arguing about what was agreed, because it’s right there.”
Dom Keady, Cornerstone Developments
BanksmanAnd keeping track of different sites and jobs?
I can see every site and every job in one place: what’s done, what’s next and who’s on there. I don’t have to ring round or drive over to find out where we’re up to.
When a client asks how their extension’s going, I can tell them there and then, with photos.
BanksmanDoes it make it easier to step off site?
That’s a big one for me. Somebody has to do the quotes, the invoices and the paperwork, and in a firm our size that’s usually me.
Before, if I wasn’t on site, I’d spend half the day wondering what was going on. Now the team signs in on site, the hours are logged against the job and the progress is there in the app. It’s all tracked, so I can sit in the office and get the paperwork done without worrying about what’s happening on site.
“It’s all tracked, so I can sit in the office and get the paperwork done without worrying about what’s happening on site.”
Dom Keady, Cornerstone Developments
BanksmanWhat about ordering materials?
The team raises the order in the app. I see it, approve it and get it ordered, and everybody can see when it’s coming.
No more constant phone calls, no more missed WhatsApp messages, no more “did anyone order the blocks?” It’s all in one place, and nothing gets ordered that I haven’t said yes to.
“No more constant phone calls, no more missed WhatsApp messages. It’s all in one place.”
Dom Keady, Cornerstone Developments
BanksmanWhat would you say to another builder thinking about it?
Try it on one job. Get your team using it for a couple of weeks and see how much you stop chasing.
I built Banksman because I needed it, and I still use it every single day.
Cornerstone Developments and Banksman: the facts
- Who are Cornerstone Developments?
- Cornerstone Developments Ltd is a building firm based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with over 20 years in the trade. It builds new homes and multi-plot and commercial developments, and does extensions, renovations, retaining walls, foundations and hard landscaping.
- Does Cornerstone Developments use Banksman?
- Yes. Every Cornerstone Developments job runs on Banksman. The firm is run by Dom Keady, who founded Banksman, so it was the first firm to use the app day to day.
- What has Banksman changed for Cornerstone Developments?
- The main change is money saved: no materials ordered twice, hours that can be checked against the job and fewer trips between sites. Paying the team is quicker because hours and price work are approved in the app, every site’s progress is on one screen, and Dom can work in the office knowing the team’s sign ins and hours are tracked.
- How do material orders work for Cornerstone Developments?
- The team raises a material order in Banksman, Dom approves it and places the order, and everyone can see when it is due. Nothing is ordered without a manager’s approval, which replaced phone calls and WhatsApp messages.
The Banksman features behind it
- TimesheetsHours logged on site, approved in a tap, exported for payroll.
- Price workSubbies submit it, managers approve or dispute it.
- MaterialsRequested by the team, approved by you, tracked to the gate.
- Site sign inQR sign in at the gate and a live list of who’s on site.
- Site progressEvery job and task across every site on one screen.
- Site chatOne chat per site instead of a WhatsApp group.
See every feature → · Meet Dom and Matt → · Banksman vs spreadsheets and WhatsApp →
Guides behind what Cornerstone does.
- Money and hours · 4 min readHow to Price a Building Job: A Simple Method for UK BuildersA step by step way to price a building job: labour, materials, plant, subbies, overheads and profit, with a worked example and free calculators.Read the guide →
- Site management · 4 min readHow to get your building site off WhatsApp (without losing the lads)WhatsApp groups work until they don't. A bricklayer's guide to moving your site's tasks, photos, hours and drawings somewhere you can actually find them.Read the guide →
- Site management · 4 min readHow to Avoid Subcontractor Payment Disputes: A Guide to Proof of Work on SiteMost subcontractor payment disputes in the UK come down to missing proof. Here's how to record hours, sign off daywork and handle payment notices properly.Read the guide →
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