Redefining Home Improvement in Paris: How JKDS Perfected Planning and Estimating

JKDS is a French construction company that specializes in energy and ecological renovations throughout the Paris metro area. Every project is focused on improving a home’s efficiency, comfort or beauty, while also respecting its unique heritage. The company currently has a small team of experts, including one in-house architect.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• CHALLENGE: A quest for greater efficiency
• SOLUTION: Consistent use of magicplan for new projects
• RESULTS: Speedier planning and estimating processes
• OUTLOOK: Greater adoption of the app as the company grows
  
  

CHALLENGE

When James Karuttykaran founded JKDS in 2022, after 20 years working in high tech where software is everywhere, he had the vision to build a digital native renovation company and use technology as a competitive advantage. Very few local construction and renovation companies are actually leveraging technology to improve their operations and outcomes.

James knew that software with lean management would improve efficiency. “It was obvious that I couldn't be efficient without leveraging software technology,” he says. His primary goal was to choose a mobile software app that would streamline planning and estimating.

“I knew the usual planning process involved taking measurements, sketching by hand, and then inserting arrows and the values of the distances – which takes a lot of time. But what's hard is sometimes you want to correct your sketch, and then it becomes a mess. I needed a way to simplify that whole process,” James explains. “Also, the second thing that was important for me was being able to estimate the cost of each renovation very quickly.”

SOLUTION

Finding the right app took no time at all. Prior to starting JKDS, James had already used the magicplan floor plan app for managing renovations inside his own home. He was very familiar with the app’s effectiveness. Therefore, he was convinced it would benefit his renovation business as well.

RESULTS

Today, James regularly relies on magicplan to support his commitment to improved efficiency. “For me, magicplan is a key app for my business,” he states. “It’s about bringing renovation into a digital world. And the cost of the app is nothing compared to the time we are saving.”

Quicker, Better Planning

James explains that frequent use of magicplan was a big shift in improving his company’s project-planning process. Plus, it’s versatile enough to adapt to various needs. For instance, in some cases, James may receive measurements from a customer’s architect prior to meeting with the customer. When that happens, he will import the provided measurements into magicplan and create a sketch to take to the meeting.

However, for many projects, James is responsible for collecting exact measurements on his own. Here is one example: When planning a whole-house thermal-improvement project, he will sketch the customer’s entire home with the magicplan LiDAR Auto-Scan feature. This allows him to visualize and document all the work that needs to be done. “I'm amazed at how easy and efficient it is,” he declares. “You can create a sketch and then define what will be changed or renovated. This can be represented easily in the application.”

Faster, More Transparent Estimating

At the end of a customer meeting, James will use the magicplan Estimator feature to create a detailed estimate. Then, he sends that document directly to the customer from his app. “It’s important to be transparent with the home owners, detailing the cost of the different tasks so they can value our work” James states. “That’s easy to do with magicplan. In fact, I wouldn't do it without magicplan. It would be too time-consuming.”

James says he also appreciates the magicplan Cloud, which allows him to automatically back up his projects and photos for use on any device. That way, he can switch back and forth between using his mobile phone and using his iPad – a capability that he finds extremely useful.

OUTLOOK

Looking ahead, James envisions more and more employees using magicplan as JKDS grows in size. “Every salesperson will use it and every in-house architect will be using it,” he says, “because the app is quick to use and very easy to understand.”

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