Dreams Built: Construction Management Revolution

A full-stack web application that eliminated paper-based timesheet collection and transformed job costing processes for a construction business, saving hours of administrative work weekly while providing unprecedented visibility into project profitability.

Dreams Built dashboard showing job management and timesheet overview

Platform Screenshots

Take a look at the Dreams Built platform in action:

1 / 5

The Problem

Watching my father run his construction business was like watching someone try to juggle while riding a unicycle—impressive, but unsustainable. Every Wednesday became a frantic treasure hunt across Hamilton, driving from site to site collecting crumpled paper timesheets from muddy trucks and toolboxes. By the time he'd gathered everyone's hours, half the day was gone, and he'd spend the evening hunched over a calculator, trying to piece together which jobs were making money and which were bleeding cash.

The mental toll was what really got to me. Here was someone who could build anything, solve complex construction challenges, and manage teams of skilled tradies, but he was drowning in paperwork. Late nights were spent staring at spreadsheets, trying to remember if that job in Te Awamutu was supposed to take two days or three, and whether the cost overrun was due to weather delays or poor planning. The business was successful, but it was consuming him, and I knew there had to be a better way.

Technical Solution

Version 1.0: Rapid MVP Development

Tech Stack: React, MongoDB, Node.js + Express, Auth0, Redux, AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Built initial version during my studies at Developers Institute, focusing on core functionality:

Digital timesheet submission with job assignment
Basic job tracking and reporting
Simple scheduling interface

Version 2.0: Complete Redesign & Enhancement

Upgraded Tech Stack: TypeScript, TRPC, PostgreSQL, enhanced AWS infrastructure

Rebuilt from the ground up with lessons learned and modern technologies.

Key Features & Impact

Digital Timesheet Revolution

The transformation started with something deceptively simple: replacing paper timesheets with a mobile-optimised web interface. But the impact was profound. Instead of my father burning entire afternoons driving around Hamilton collecting pieces of paper, his employees could now submit their hours from wherever they were working. The change was immediate and dramatic.

What amazed me most was watching the ripple effects. Payroll processing, which used to stretch across three days of careful calculation and double-checking, suddenly became a same-day affair. Errors virtually disappeared because the system validated entries in real-time, catching impossible hour combinations or missing job codes before they could cause problems. The eight hours per week my father had been spending on timesheet collection became eight hours he could spend actually running his business, visiting sites, or—revolutionary concept—going home at a reasonable time.

📊 Real-Time Job Costing

Before: Mental estimates and end-of-project surprises After: Real-time job profitability tracking

Features Delivered:

Automatic labor cost calculation based on employee rates and hours

📅 Intelligent Scheduling System

Before: Phone calls and confusion about daily assignments

After: Centralised calendar with job visibility

Technical Highlights

Database Architecture Evolution

MongoDB → PostgreSQL Migration:

Improved data consistency with relational constraints
Better performance for complex reporting queries
ACID compliance for financial calculations

Authentication & Security

Role-based permissions (Owner, Foreman, Employee)
Audit trails for all timesheet and job modifications

File Management System

Integrated document storage for:

Construction plans and blueprints
Progress photos with automatic compression

Business Transformation

Administrative Efficiency

85% reduction in timesheet-related administrative tasks
Same-day payroll processing versus previous 3-day cycle
Eliminated paper costs and storage requirements

Financial Visibility

Real-time job profitability enabling mid-project corrections
15% improvement in overall job margins through better cost control
Faster invoicing with automated time compilation

Employee Satisfaction

Simplified timesheet submission via mobile devices
Clear schedule visibility reducing confusion and conflicts
Transparent pay calculation with detailed hour breakdowns

Technical Evolution

Deployment Strategy

Version 1.0: AWS Elastic Beanstalk with automated scaling
Version 2.0: Dockerised deployment on Railway with CI/CD pipeline
Database: PostgreSQL with automated backups
Storage: AWS S3 for file management with CloudFront CDN

Code Quality Improvements

Migrated from JavaScript to TypeScript for better type safety
Implemented TRPC for end-to-end type safety
Established ESLint and Prettier for consistent code formatting