Creating Your First Project
This guide walks you through creating a project from scratch. By the end, you will have a real project set up in Baulit with tasks, dates, and details ready to go. The whole process takes about five minutes.
Step 1: Open the New Project Dialog
From the Dashboard, click the + New Project button. It is located at the top of the project list. This opens the project creation dialog.
Step 2: Choose a Project Type
Baulit supports two types of projects:
- Land Purchase — for tracking the acquisition phase: due diligence, surveys, zoning, title work, and closing. Use this for lot purchases before you break ground.
- Construction — for the actual build. This is the type most users start with.
Click the type that matches your project. You can always create the other type later for a different project.
Step 3: Choose a Build Category (Construction Only)
If you chose Construction, you will see two build categories:
- Spec Build — a home built without a specific buyer in mind. You control the scope, budget, and timeline.
- Custom Build — a home built for a specific client. Budget tracking and change order management become especially important here.
Select the one that fits. This choice affects the default template options offered in the next step but does not lock you into any feature restrictions.
Step 4: Choose a Starting Template
Templates give your project a head start. Instead of building your task list from zero, you can start with a pre-built list of phases and tasks based on common residential construction workflows.
You have three options:
- Built-in templates — Baulit includes starter templates for common project types. Select one to pre-populate your task list with typical phases (site work, foundation, framing, etc.).
- Saved templates — if you or your team have saved a custom template from a previous project, it will appear here. This is useful when you repeat similar builds.
- Start blank — skip templates entirely and build your task list by hand. Choose this if your project is unique or if you prefer to start from scratch.
Step 5: Enter Project Details
Now fill in the details that describe your project. Most fields are optional at creation time — you can always edit them later — but adding them now saves time.
Required Fields
- Project Name — a short name for the project. Something like "123 Oak Street" or "Riverdale Spec #4" works well. This is what you will see on your Dashboard.
Recommended Fields
- Address — the street address of the job site.
- Start Date — when work begins (or is expected to begin). This anchors your Gantt chart and schedule calculations.
- Target Completion Date — the date you are aiming to finish. Baulit uses this along with your task durations to track whether you are ahead or behind schedule.
- Contract Price — the total contract value. This is the number your budget tab will measure against. For spec builds, enter your projected sale price or total build budget.
Optional Fields
- Client Contact — the name and contact information for the homeowner or buyer. Useful for custom builds where you need to track client communication.
- Project Group — assign the project to a group (like "Active," "Pre-Construction," or a subdivision name) to organize your Dashboard.
- Notes — any additional details, lot numbers, permit information, or context that helps you or your team.
Step 6: Review and Create
Before the project is created, you will see a summary of what you entered:
- Project name and type
- Template choice (and task count if you picked one)
- Dates and budget
Review the details and click Create Project. Baulit creates the project instantly and opens it in the Project View.
What You See After Creation
After creating your project, you land in the Project View. This is where you will spend most of your time working on this project. You will see a tab bar across the top with eight tabs:
| Tab | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Overview | Project health dashboard: progress percentage, budget status, upcoming deadlines, key contacts, and quick-action buttons. |
| Tasks | Your full task list. If you chose a template, tasks are already populated. If you started blank, this is where you begin adding tasks. |
| Gantt | Visual timeline of tasks with bars representing duration. Shows the critical path once you add dependencies. |
| Budget | Budget vs. actual costs, broken down by cost category. Empty until you enter budget lines or log costs. |
| Change Orders | Track scope changes with line items, approval status, and financial impact. Empty until you add your first change order. |
| Daily Log | Day-by-day record of weather, crew counts, work performed, and notes. Start logging once construction begins. |
| Files | Upload plans, permits, photos, and documents. Organized by project with drag-and-drop upload. |
| Calendar | Monthly view of task start and end dates. Useful for seeing what is happening each week. |
Your Immediate Next Steps
With your project created, here is what to do next:
- Add or review tasks — if you used a template, scan the task list and adjust names, durations, or assignments to match your specific project. If you started blank, add your first tasks now. The next guide covers this in detail.
- Set up dependencies — link tasks in the order they need to happen. The Dependency Wizard makes this fast.
- Enter budget categories — go to the Budget tab and add your cost categories (foundation, framing, electrical, etc.) with planned amounts.
- Invite your team — add contractors and stakeholders so they can see their tasks or follow project progress. See Inviting Your Team.