Custom Home Builder Bookkeeping: How Turquant Helps Builders Protect Their Profits

At first glance, custom home building looks like a high-margin business. Between big price tags and beautiful homes, most people assume builders must be doing great.

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But behind the scenes, margins are thin, costs are volatile, and the financial workflows most builders rely on aren’t built for the realities of the industry. Without the right systems in place, it’s easy for profits to slip away, even on projects that look successful from the outside.

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That’s where Turquant Builder Services comes in.

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Founded by Melissa Leediker, Turquant specializes in bookkeeping and financial operations tailored specifically to custom home builders. We sat down with Melissa to talk about why construction financial management is so different, the most common mistakes she sees builders make, and how Turquant and Ressio work together to help builders run smarter, more profitable businesses.

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Why Construction Financial Management Is So Different from Other Industries

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Melissa didn’t start her career in construction. She began in the federal government, later stepping away to focus on family. When she returned to the workforce, she discovered a passion for helping small businesses and eventually, a local custom home builder.

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"I loved the challenge," Melissa says. "Tracking all the moving pieces on big custom homes, making sure nothing slipped through the cracks — it was complex, but it was incredibly rewarding. It made me realize how important it is for builders to have financial systems built specifically for how they work."

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Margins in custom home building are thinner than many outsiders realize. Despite the high price points of projects, builders deal with volatile material costs, subcontractor shortages, and high overhead that eat into profits.

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Common Bookkeeping Mistakes Builders Make (And How to Avoid Them)

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According to Melissa, one of the biggest pitfalls builders face is a lack of industry-specific structure.

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• Poor Job Cost Tracking: Builders can’t fix what they can’t see and without real job costing, it’s almost impossible to spot where margins are leaking.
• No System for Over/Underbilling: Builders often confuse cash received with actual earned revenue. This can cause cash flow distortions and painful surprises when expenses outpace incoming funds.
• Compliance Gaps: Missing 1099s, sales tax errors, and misclassifying contractors can open builders up to audits, fines, and penalties.

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Construction Bookkeeping Systems Built for Builders

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Turquant is more than a bookkeeping firm. It’s a partner in building financial clarity and growth.

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At the heart of their approach is a fully customized financial system for each client. Melissa and her team design the chart of accounts and cost code structures that mirror how builders bid, build, and bill.

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They also implement revenue recognition practices, like work-in-progress (WIP) adjustments, ensuring builders have a real view of their profitability, not just a cash balance.

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"One builder thought they were up six figures," Melissa recalls. "Once we adjusted for incomplete work and overbilling, they realized the profit was just on paper. It was a wake-up call that helped them realign their processes."

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Beyond setup, Turquant helps builders use their books with job-level financial insights, KPI dashboards, and ongoing coaching.

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Turquant also provides hands-on training for builder teams. In one case, Melissa’s team coached a client’s admin on properly categorizing expenses and managing receipts in QuickBooks, freeing the owner from constant fire drills and giving them month-to-month confidence in their numbers.

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"At Turquant, it’s not just about closing the books. It’s about building a system that supports the business you want to grow into."

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Why Clean Books Are the Foundation for Strategic Growth

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Good books aren’t just about tax season. They’re the foundation for strategic decision-making.

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"When your numbers are clean, you can hire confidently, price jobs accurately, and plan for growth instead of reacting to crises," Melissa says. "They also strengthen your position with lenders and bonding companies."

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Builders operating without clean books are making critical decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate information.

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Clean financials don’t just help with internal decisions — they’re critical for staying compliant at tax time. Failing to recognize revenue properly can create major issues when income is overstated or understated across periods, opening the door to IRS scrutiny and costly penalties.

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How Turquant and Ressio Work Together to Streamline Operations

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Turquant and Ressio work hand-in-hand for many clients. Turquant ensures financial records are clean and structured, while Ressio captures real-time operational activity from the field.

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"With Ressio’s real-time tracking, builders can finally close the loop between what’s happening in the field and what shows up in the books," Melissa says.

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One builder client aligned their cost codes across both Turquant and Ressio. With that integration, they caught schedule-driven labor cost spikes early and adjusted future projects to protect margins.

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Upgrading Your Construction Financial Systems Doesn’t Have to Be Overwhelming

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Switching systems can feel daunting. But Melissa encourages builders to see it as an opportunity to clean house.

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Melissa advises builders not to just copy and paste their old systems, but to map out how they actually want their workflows to run.

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Even small changes to how expenses are tracked, jobs are costed, and reports are generated can unlock huge time savings (and better financial control) down the line.

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Learn More About Construction Bookkeeping Support for Custom Builders

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If you’re a custom builder looking to organize your books, protect your margins, and grow with confidence, you can connect with Melissa and Turquant Builder Services at:

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🔗 Website: turquantservices.com

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📷 Instagram: @turquantservices

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📘 LinkedIn: Melissa Leediker | Turquant Builder Services, LLC

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📝 New Resource Launch: The Turquant Homebuilder Playbook: Admin to Ops Coordinator (a step-by-step guide to transforming your admin into a skilled operations partner. Phase 1 Launching May 15th — join the waitlist for early access!)