How it works
Here's how
Groundbase works.
An owner-build involves income, debts, equity, a construction loan, a draw schedule, change orders, and a permanent payment — all moving at once, all connected. Groundbase is built to hold all of it together so the financial picture stays clear while the project is still in motion.
No credit card required.
01
Starting point
The build has to fit inside what the finances can support.
Most owner-builders start with a build number and sort out the financing later. Groundbase starts the other way. Income, debt, cash, and current-home equity come first — because DTI sets the ceiling before any construction cost enters the picture.
$0 /yr
Household income
$0 /mo
Monthly debt
$0
Liquid reserves
$0
Sale equity
My DTI
Strong post-build position. Your permanent mortgage keeps monthly obligations manageable with healthy budget room.
02
Project setup
Turn the project into a number the finances can work around.
Construction cost is one line. Soft costs, contingency, and allowances are the rest — and most owner-builders don't see the full cost until they're already committed.
Full projected cost
$0
$642,000 construction + $124,000 in other costs
Base construction
$642,000
Soft costs + site work
$58,000
Contingency reserve
$42,000
Allowance items
$24,000
03
Build tracking
The build moves. Every draw and change order moves with it.
Once construction starts, the financial picture is not a document anymore — it's a running ledger. Every draw that closes, every change order that gets approved, lands in one place.
$0
Total drawn
Framing
Next up
Cedar Ridge Build · $712,000 budget · 2,960 sq ft
Jan 19, 2026
Completed · on budget
$38,000 drawn
Feb 14, 2026
Completed · over budget
$94,500 drawn
Mar 8, 2026
Not yet counted in projections
$18,600 - not yet counted
Apr 21, 2026
04
Risk monitoring
When the cushion shrinks, you need to know before the lender does.
Overages stack. Groundbase watches the gap between the plan and what is actually happening — how much contingency is left, how far the cost has moved, whether there is a funding shortfall — and gives you the real project health signal.
$0
Projected cost
$0
Funding gap
$0
Contingency
Project health
Slight Risk
The project still works, but the cushion is thinner now.
Approved change orders
+$18,600
Known overages
+$12,500
Contingency left
$11,000
05
Full picture
Does the project work? Here is where you find out.
Groundbase keeps a running view of the complete picture: where all the money is coming from, what the finished payment will be, how much cash will be left after close, and what is most likely to change the outcome.
Funding sources in plan
$0
$0 /mo
Finished payment
0.0%
Post-build DTI
$0
Cash cushion
$0
Permanent loan
Construction loan
$540,000
Current-home sale equity
$118,000
Cash reserves
$54,000
Land equity already in deal
$30,000
Watch now
Window package change order adds $18,600 to the projected cost.
Current funding leaves a remaining gap of about $30,000 if nothing else changes.
Finished monthly payment is still workable, but no longer comfortably loose.
Common questions
Questions about how Groundbase works
Setup, timing, data connections, and what the tool actually does during an active build.
What it adds up to
One financial picture. From first numbers to finished home.
No spreadsheet holds all of this together. Groundbase does — and it stays current while the project is still moving, not just at the start when everything is still clean.