High-end residential design-build firm replaces scattered emails and PDFs with one collaborative workspace - saving time on every project while keeping clients, consultants, and builders on the same page.
When you're designing and building custom homes, every project is a moving target.
Plans evolve. Consultants weigh in. Homeowners change finishes. Structural engineers revise details. Before long, dozens of drawing versions are floating through inboxes.
For Material Design Build, a luxury residential design-build firm serving New Jersey and New York, keeping everyone aligned wasn't just an administrative challenge—it was becoming a business challenge.
"The fundamental thing is making sure everyone's looking at the same drawing." — Armin Zomorodi, Co-Owner, Material Design Build
The Challenge: Too Many PDFs. Too Many Emails. Too Much Guesswork.
Founded in 2009, Material Design Build has grown into a full-service residential design-build company specializing in high-end custom homes. Their team manages multiple projects simultaneously, coordinating designers, structural engineers, MEP consultants, specialty consultants, and homeowners throughout every phase of the build.
Like many builders, collaboration meant bouncing between emails, PDF markups, screenshots, and different versions of plans.
"Bluebeam and other products were just too big for us—and honestly too expensive for what we really needed."
The bigger problem wasn't creating markups.
It was remembering where every conversation lived.
The Turning Point: One Place for Every Decision
Material Design Build first discovered Digs through one of their own clients—a tech professional who suggested the platform during a project.
What started as an experiment has since become part of their everyday workflow.
Today, the team uses Digs to collaborate internally while coordinating directly with structural engineers, MEP consultants, acoustic consultants, and homeowners - all from the same drawing set.
"The biggest value is shifting graphic comments from email to a fixed place where that's where the comment lives - and it gets resolved there."
Instead of wondering where feedback lives, everyone knows exactly where to go.
Five Minutes Saved...Every Single Comment
Sometimes the biggest efficiencies come from eliminating the smallest frustrations.
Before Digs, every drawing question meant taking screenshots, attaching PDFs, explaining which sheet someone should open, describing where to look, then following up later to confirm it had been addressed.
Now, comments happen directly on the plans.
Armin estimates the team saves at least five minutes on every drawing comment.
"For every comment you're probably saving at least five minutes."
Those minutes compound over hundreds of project discussions.
More importantly, conversations no longer disappear beneath dozens of unrelated emails.
"You don't have to go back through email trying to remember what someone wanted you to address. It keeps the workflow much more specific."
One Source of Truth Means Fewer Mistakes
The team's favorite feature isn't flashy.
It's confidence.
Every active project has one current drawing set, dramatically reducing the chance someone works from outdated plans.
That simple change has already prevented wasted time.
"Someone will ask, 'What about this?' and we'll realize they're looking at an old set of drawings instead of Digs."
Instead of chasing mistakes after construction begins, the team catches them before work starts.
"It has prevented wasted time looking at outdated drawings."
For builders, avoiding even one mistake caused by an outdated plan can save hours of rework, not to mention protecting client trust.
Better Than Traditional PDF Markup
Material Design Build had used conventional PDF markup software before, but found it introduced its own challenges.
Different consultants used different PDF readers. Markups didn't always display consistently. Attachments multiplied. Version control became harder with every revision.
Because Digs is browser-based, everyone sees the same drawings, the same comments, and the same markups.
"Because it's web-based, it renders consistently. Different PDF readers always come out weird sometimes when you open them somewhere else."
The team also appreciated that Digs felt purpose-built for builders—not just architects.
"Bluebeam feels like software professionals use to relay information to other professionals. Digs is much more client-facing."
In fact, one consultant was so impressed after collaborating inside Digs that they decided to adopt the platform themselves.
Better Meetings. Better Collaboration.
Material Design Build also changed how they run virtual coordination meetings.
Rather than fumbling through screen sharing during Zoom calls, everyone opens the same project inside Digs.
"It's much better than a screen share."
One feature stands out.
"I like being able to see people's cursors because I can see where they're looking."
The result is faster conversations, clearer decisions, and fewer interruptions trying to explain exactly which corner of a drawing everyone should be discussing.
Homeowners Feel Like Part of the Process
Not every homeowner dives into the software, but those who do quickly understand the value.
Instead of searching email chains for the latest attachment, they always know where to find the most current plans.
"They feel more like part of the process and more involved."
Even first-time users immediately recognize they're getting a different experience.
"Their initial reaction is, 'Oh, this is really cool. I didn't know something like this existed.'"
For Material Design Build, that professional presentation matters just as much as the technology behind it.
"It gives you a more professional and organized look. We've made a deliberate choice about how we'd like to present information to our clients."
Built for the Way Builders Actually Work
Unlike software designed primarily for architecture firms, Digs felt purpose-built for the construction process.
It also fit their budget.
"It was hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars cheaper than the next tier of product we looked at."
Just as importantly, it solved a real problem.
"It does something none of our other tools were doing, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to use it."
"The Best Idea Wins."
Material Design Build doesn't adopt technology because it's new.
They adopt tools because they solve problems.
As Armin puts it:
"We don't embrace technology just because it's technology. It has to make sense."
And perhaps his favorite philosophy sums up exactly why Digs has become part of the company's workflow:
"I don't care what color the cat is, as long as it catches mice."
For Material Design Build, Digs catches the problem that costs builders every day: making sure everyone is working from the same plans, making decisions in the same place, and moving every project forward together.
Results
Since adopting Digs, Material Design Build has:
- Saved 5+ minutes on every drawing comment
- Created a true single source of truth for project drawings
- Reduced time spent searching through email threads
- Prevented teams from working off outdated plans
- Improved collaboration with engineers, consultants, and homeowners
- Delivered a more polished, professional client experience
- Adopted a builder-first collaboration platform at hundreds—if not thousands—less than competing solutions
Digs is an AI-powered collaboration software built for homebuilders. From pre-con to aftercare, it keeps your team, trades, and clients aligned with one centralized workspace for decisions, documentation, digital handoff, and ongoing warranty support.
