Setting up a project, in order

Five minutes on how Refurbly fits together — properties and projects, phases and jobs, quotes and stage payments, and the paperwork that keeps you covered.

1. Read the five concepts top to bottom.
2. Follow a "Where to find it" link or two to see the idea in the app.
3. Come back and press Mark as done.

Your company or household name, your role, and the units and week start the app should use. These shape how the rest of Refurbly reads.

1. Open the Refurbly preferences section of your profile.
2. Enter your Company / household name and pick Your role.
3. Set Units and Week starts on, then press Save changes.

Create the property record: address, property type, era and listed status.

1. Press New property and enter the Property name / address and Postcode.
2. Choose a Property type / template — it seeds a starting room list.
3. Press Create property.

Rooms belong to the property and are what photos, plans, the survey and snags are tagged to. A complete list now saves retyping later.

1. Start with Apply template… or Guess, then + Add room for anything missing.
2. Give each room a Floor and Room name and remove rooms that do not exist.
3. Press Save rooms.

Set the project name, owner, dates and status, linked to your property.

1. Enter the Project name and pick the Property it belongs to.
2. Set the Property era and Listed status, then press Create project.
3. On Project Setup press Edit to add planned dates, a status and a budget, then Save project.

Capture acquisition costs, funding, refurb budget and contingency.

1. Switch to Budget, fill in the purchase, fees, refurb and contingency rows, and press Save budget.
2. Switch to Funding, press Add source of fund for each source and Save source, then Save funding.
3. Enter the Estimated value after refurb and press Save valuation.

Phases are dated on the timeline: drag a phase bar to pin its dates, or let it span the jobs inside it. The phase list itself is on project setup.

1. Open the Timeline view.
2. Drag a phase bar to pin its start and end, or date the jobs inside it and let the phase follow.
3. Check the phases run in build order — pre-purchase first, finishes last.

Split your refurb budget across the phases — a rough figure each is enough to start. It's what Budget by Phase and the cashflow run-out work from, and every quote you get is later measured against it.

1. On the Phases board, open a phase row.
2. Enter a budget figure — a rough split of the feasibility refurb budget is fine.
3. Repeat for each phase; the totals should sit under the feasibility ceiling.

Break each phase into jobs with estimates, trades and owners.

1. On the Jobs view press + Add job under a phase, type the Job name and press Add.
2. Click the job to set its trade, Assignee and Budget; job budgets roll up to the phase.
3. Use + Add phase at the bottom if the standard phases need another.

Give the main jobs planned start and finish dates so the programme takes shape.

1. On the Timeline view, drag each main job onto its planned dates.
2. Drag a bar's right edge to change its duration; click a bar to open the job.
3. Watch the critical path — it drives the finish date.

Build the supplier directory. Add firms directly, or link your project Gmail folders and confirm the suppliers the sync recognises.

1. On Directory of suppliers press Add New Supplier: name, discipline and email, then Add.
2. An email address starts a sweep of that sender's Gmail history.
3. Once Gmail folders are linked, confirm or merge the suppliers queued in "New suppliers from your project mail folders".

Record each room and its fabric for the heat-loss report, then mark sockets, lights, radiators and pipe runs onto the drawings. The counted items become the Item Schedule that goes out for quotes.

1. Survey the Rooms: record fabric and measurements for each room.
2. Drawings & Outlines: press Add drawing for the floor plans, then Outline rooms.
3. Mark Up the Plans: place the services on each trade tab, then press Commit version.
4. Item Schedule, then Issue for Quotes: price the lines and press Request quotes or comments.

Get quotes from contractors and track them against the budget.

1. On the Quotes view press Record quote, or press Get quotes in a phase drill-down to send a request.
2. Pick the contractor, title the quote and enter its lines or attach the document.
3. When you are happy, expand the quote and press Accept; choose how it will be paid.

Stage each contractor's payments: deposit, stage payments and retention.

1. Accept a quote and choose Staged payments with a template — that creates the schedule.
2. Or open a phase on the Phases board and press Use a template on its payment plan.
3. Give each stage a target date so it lands in the cashflow forecast.

Add drawings, plans and the key project documents.

1. In Add plan press Choose files, name the drawing, pick a folder and press Add plan.
2. Add later versions with + version (New revision of this drawing), not a second plan.
3. File other paperwork on Documents with Choose files → Add document; Add to plans promotes a drawing.

Tell Cashflow where the money sits. One account with a balance is enough for the runway chart to start meaning something.

1. On the Cash Accounts tab press Add account: name, type, balance and the date it was correct.
2. Tick In forecast and mark the one that Pays from here.
3. Add mortgage payments, rent or funding drawdowns under Funding & Recurring — not invoices, they are already counted.

Contractors you work with get their own sign-in: their jobs, quotes, payment schedule and the documents you want acknowledged. They never see another firm's prices.

1. On Directory of suppliers press Invite to portal on the firm's row.
2. Set what they see under Manage access: Schedule, Job quotes, Tasks, and which phases.
3. Preview them from the header to check exactly what they will see.

The default payment terms new contractor invoices are due under — 7, 14 or 30 days — and the size below which a quote is paid in one go.

1. Choose the default net days.
2. Check the pay-in-full threshold suits the size of your jobs.
3. Save.

Log planning permission, building control and other consents.

1. Track an application: choose the consent type and stage template.
2. Record whether it is submitted and when; the statutory targets follow.
3. Record each stage and the decision as they happen.

Record your cover and contractor certificates in the register.

1. Work down the cover checklist and record each policy you hold with its dates.
2. Ask contractors to upload certificates through the portal, or file them on their record.
3. Log inspections where a policy demands them; the next one is scheduled for you.

Create the H&S profile and records sized to your project.

1. Read What this project needs — the tier is worked out from the project and each duty says whether it is yours.
2. Tick the hazards under What's involved, then press Add record or Attach document against each record slot.
3. Under Hazards & incidents press Log something when anything happens.

Set up meeting types and the booking widget for site visits.

1. Under Hosts press Add host, set working hours and days, then Save host.
2. Under Meeting types press Add meeting type, choose a Location type (Zoom is auto-generated), tick Public and Active, then Save meeting type.
3. Press Copy link and share it with contractors and prospects.

Link Gmail and set up the email templates you send from.

1. Press Connect Gmail (and Connect Google Calendar) under Integrations.
2. Set the Sender name and Reply-to address under Settings → Email and Save changes.
3. Review the wording under Email Templates and Save template.

Pick the Gmail folder each project's mail is filed under. Linked folders sync three times a day; nothing is imported until one is linked.

1. Beside each project press Link folder and pick its Gmail folder.
2. Optionally set a Historic email date and Save, or press Full resync for older mail.
3. Use Sync now on the Email page whenever you want the latest.

What Refurbly alerts you about and how — and whether it may email your suppliers automatically. Worth setting before contractors start receiving mail on your behalf.

1. Tick the events you want under What to notify me about.
2. Decide whether to Let Refurbly email suppliers automatically.
3. Press Save changes; your channels (email, push, SMS) are set on your Profile.

Snags, photos, Site Mode, ventilation, reports, exports and handover to Care fill in as the project runs. The full help library documents every page — including the advanced features this guide does not cover. Happy with the setup? Mark this done to finish the guide.

1. Open On Site on your phone for the capture-first screen.
2. Try Photos & Video, Snagging and Reports as the build starts.
3. Browse the help library for the advanced features: survey stages, quote issues, cashflow, the supplier portal, Refurbly Care.
4. Press Mark as done to finish the guide; it stays available from Onboarding.