We Don’t Do Bookkeeping.
We Protect Margins and Cash Flow.
Salisbury Bookkeeping acts as your Fractional Controller, building construction financial systems that uncover missed revenue, clarify job profitability, and pay for themselves.
Built exclusively for construction companies doing $500K–$10M+ in revenue.
Construction-only • NAHB Chart of Accounts • QuickBooks + Buildertrend / Procore / CoConstruct
If Your Numbers Feel “Off,” They Probably Are
Most contractors aren’t struggling because they’re bad builders.
They’re struggling because job costs, cash flow, retainage, and financial reports don’t line up.
Your project managers approve work in the field.
Your bookkeeper records transactions after the fact.
Somewhere in between, profit quietly leaks.
This isn’t a bookkeeping problem.
It’s a financial system problem.
Most Bookkeepers Report the Past.
Construction Companies Need Controllers.
Traditional bookkeepers focus on compliance and historical reports. That tells you where you’ve been — not whether you’re about to make or lose money.
At Salisbury Bookkeeping, we function as your Fractional Controller, building systems that show you what’s happening now and what’s coming next.
Your business success is directly tied to ours.
If your margins improve, cash stabilizes, and decisions get clearer — we’ve done our job.
How We Pay for Ourselves
We don’t sell tasks or monthly data entry.
We build construction financial systems that directly impact profit, cash flow, and decision-making.
That means:
Stopping revenue leaks before they become write-offs
Giving you real job-level profitability — not guesses
Making cash flow predictable, even with retainage
Turning financials into a decision tool, not a compliance chore
This is how your financials become a growth asset, not overhead.
Financial System Architecture
We design the financial foundation your business runs on.
That includes:
NAHB-standard Chart of Accounts
Proper job costing structure
Clean workflows between field operations and accounting
Integration between QuickBooks Online and your PM software
This architecture ensures every dollar is tracked correctly — by job, by phase, and by purpose — from day one.
WIP, Revenue Recognition & Retainage Management
Most cash flow problems in construction aren’t profit problems — they’re timing problems.
We implement bank-ready Work-in-Progress (WIP) reporting with built-in retainage tracking, so you always know:
What you’ve earned
What you’ve billed
What’s sitting in retainage
What should be collected next
This includes:
ASC 606 / Percentage-of-Completion accuracy
Retainage tracking by job and draw
Clear visibility into under-billing and over-billing
Reports your bank and bonding company actually trust
The result: fewer cash surprises and far less money stuck in limbo.
Change Order Control Systems (No More Missed Revenue)
Approved change orders that never get billed are one of the biggest silent profit killers in construction.
We build reconciliation systems that:
Flag approved but unbilled change orders
Sync PM approvals to invoicing
Catch labor, materials, and scope creep early
Ensure every extra hour and every extra 2×4 gets billed
Nothing slips through the cracks — and if it does, it shows up fast.
Real-Time Dashboards (Your Financial Control Panel)
We don’t send static reports.
We build live dashboards that show you what matters — without digging through QuickBooks.
Your dashboard can include:
Job profitability by phase
Estimates vs. actuals
Cash position and runway
WIP and retainage status
Unbilled work and AR risk
One login. Clear answers. Confident decisions.
What This Looks Like in Practice
A construction company owner doing approximately $3.2M in revenue came to us with unclear job margins and inconsistent cash flow.
After implementing clean job costing, WIP with retainage tracking, tighter AR workflows, and a real-time dashboard, they:
Recovered missed change orders
Reduced invoice lag
Gained clarity on underpriced work
Result: Roughly 3× ROI on our fee, plus a ~2% pricing increase — without adding jobs or overhead.
Small fixes. Real numbers. Compounding impact.
What Happens in the 30-Minute Financial Assessment
This is not a sales pitch.
In 30 minutes, we:
Review your current setup (QuickBooks, PM software, reports)
Identify where profit, cash, or retainage is likely leaking
Show you what should exist but doesn’t
Tell you honestly whether we can help
You’ll leave with clarity — whether we work together or not.
Who We Work Best With
We’re a great fit if you:
Are doing $500K–$10M in revenue
Use Buildertrend, Procore, CoConstruct, Knowify (or plan to)
Want visibility into job profitability and cash
Care about ROI, not just compliance
We’re not a fit if you want basic bookkeeping or the cheapest option.
Clear expectations lead to better outcomes — for both sides.
Stop Guessing. Start Seeing.
If your numbers feel off, they probably are.
Let’s find out — together.
TESTIMONIALS
What others are saying
Revenue Leaks
“We recovered over $8,000 in approved change orders within the first 60 days.
The system now makes it nearly impossible for billable work to slip through the cracks.”
- Zach, Custom Home Builder ($2M–$3M revenue)
Job Cost Visibility
“Our P&L said we were profitable, but our bank account disagreed.
Now we can see which jobs make money in real time, and we bid with confidence.”
- Dave, Residential Remodeler ($1M–$2M revenue)
Cash Flow Confidence
“Knowing our cash position 2 months out completely changed how we run the business.
Bank conversations are easier, and we finally trust our numbers.”
- Adam, Commercial Contractor ($3M–$5M revenue)
Why Construction Companies Choose Us
Construction-Only Focus
We don’t work with every industry. We specialize in construction because your financial world is unique.
NAHB Chart of Accounts
We build your accounting system the way the industry actually measures financial performance.
We eliminate double entry and sync your field operations directly into your financials.
WIP & ASC 606 Expertise
Go beyond tax compliance—get reporting that actually tells you the truth about your jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Construction Finance
What is the difference between a Bookkeeper and a Fractional Controller?
A bookkeeper records historical transactions (what happened). A Fractional Controller forecasts the future. At Salisbury Bookkeeping, our Controller services include WIP reporting, cash flow forecasting, and Month-End closing to ensure your financial statements are bank-ready.
Do I need to switch to QuickBooks Online?
Yes, we work exclusively with QuickBooks Online (QBO). It is the industry standard for cloud-based construction accounting and offers the best integrations with tools like Buildertrend and Procore. If you are on Desktop, we handle the migration for you.
How does your "Clean Up" service work?
If your books are messy or your job costing is inaccurate, we perform a "Clean Up & Catch Up." We audit your past transactions, restructure your Chart of Accounts to NAHB standards, and recategorize expenses so you have accurate historical data to bid future jobs.
Why is construction bookkeeping different from regular business accounting? Standard accounting tracks expenses by date, but construction accounting must track expenses by project and phase. We use a "Job Costing" structure that aligns with the NAHB chart of accounts, ensuring you know exactly which jobs are profitable and where you are losing money on materials or labor.
What accounting software do you support for contractors? We specialize in the modern construction tech stack. We are experts in QuickBooks Online but integrated with industry-specific tools like Buildertrend, Procore, and Knowify. We handle the complex syncing between your project management tool and your financial ledger so your data is always accurate.
Do you work with contractors outside of Utah? Yes. While we are based in Utah and deeply understand local regulations, we serve builders, remodelers, and specialty trades nationwide. Our systems are cloud-based, allowing us to act as your fractional controller regardless of your job site location.
Is it a good idea to outsource bookkeeping?
Absolutely, outsourcing accounting services is a fantastic idea for many businesses. It offers numerous benefits, including cost efficiency, access to expertise, increased focus on core activities, scalability, and risk reduction.