How long does onboarding take for a masonry contractor?

60 days. We migrate your books to the start of your last taxable year, build your ControlQore job costing structure with cost codes aligned to your masonry estimate format, and get you fully operational in two months from the day you start.

Best CFO For Masonry Contractors (Copy)

The Problem

What Kills Masonry Margins

Most masonry contractors don't know a job is losing money until it's done. The labor cost per unit looked fine on paper. The crew was working hard. But the estimate said 12 CMU per mason-hour and the job ran at 9. By the time you see it on the P&L, the job is closed and there's nothing left to fix.

No Per-Unit Labor Tracking

QuickBooks shows total labor cost by job. It doesn't show labor cost per CMU block, per brick, or per SF of stone — by wall type, by floor, by crew. That's the number that tells you whether the job is on track. Without it, you're flying blind until closeout.

Scaffold Cost Buried in Overhead

Scaffold erection, adjustment, and dismantling on a 3-story building is 8–12% of total masonry labor. If it's blended into your overhead rate rather than tracked as a direct cost, your productivity numbers look worse than they are and your overhead rate is understated. Both cost you money every bid.

SOV Underbills Early Wall Phases

Mobilization, scaffold setup, and the first floor of masonry are your most cash-intensive phases. A GC-drafted schedule of values assigns them 15–20% of contract value. They represent 35–45% of actual cost. You fund the gap from operating cash for the first half of every project.

The Fix

How SPM Builds the Masonry Financial System

SPM builds ControlQore cost codes by masonry type — CMU block by size, face brick, stone, architectural CMU — and by phase: scaffold setup, masonry placement, mortar work, and cleanup. Foremen log daily unit counts by type. Weekly labor cost per unit by wall type is calculated against the estimate. Variance is visible in week two.

Labor cost per unit by wall type — weekly. ControlQore cost codes by masonry type and floor level. Foreman logs daily: units placed by type, crew hours by type, scaffold hours separately. SPM calculates actual labor cost per unit weekly against the estimated rate. When a wall type is running 25% over estimated productivity, you know in week two — not at closeout.

Scaffold as a separate cost code. Scaffold erection, adjustment, and dismantling time tracks to its own ControlQore cost code — separate from masonry placement. Masonry productivity rates reflect actual placement time. Scaffold cost is visible as a potential change order item when conditions require more scaffold than the estimate allowed.

SOV review before every contract signing. SPM reviews every masonry subcontract SOV before signing. Recommended adjustments: mobilization line at 5–8% of contract value, scaffold setup as a separate billable milestone, early floor masonry weighted at actual cost percentage rather than GC-preferred back-loaded structure.

Overhead rate including all real costs. Scaffold ownership, equipment depreciation, vehicle fleet, and full owner compensation go into the overhead rate calculation. Most masonry contractors are running an overhead rate 4–6 points below actual because these costs aren't fully included. Every bid is underpriced by the difference.

Monthly WIP and 13-week cash flow forecast. WIP schedule produced monthly from cost-to-cost percentage complete. Every active job's overbilled and underbilled position is visible. 13-week cash flow forecast built around your actual billing cycle so pay app timing stops being a surprise.

Pricing

What It Costs

Priced by your last 12 months of revenue. ControlQore is billed separately at ~$100/month per $1M in revenue. SPM does not handle payroll.

REVENUE	CORE FINANCIAL	EXECUTIVE FINANCIAL
Under $1M	$1,900	$2,900
$1M–$3M	$2,600	$3,600
$4M–$6M	$3,800	$5,500
$7M–$9M	$5,100	$6,900
$10M–$12M	$6,100	$8,500
$13M+	Quoted	Quoted

Core: job costing, bookkeeping, bank recs, controllership. Executive: everything in Core plus monthly WIP, 13-week cash flow forecast, CEO Report, and 3 CFO advisory meetings per month.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a CFO for masonry contractors do?

A fractional CFO for masonry contractors builds the job costing structure aligned to your estimate — cost codes by wall type, floor level, and masonry unit — so you see actual labor cost per unit against estimated labor cost per unit weekly, not at closeout. They also manage WIP reporting, overhead rate calculation, billing calendar, and monthly cash flow. The result: you know which jobs are winning and which are losing before you can't do anything about it. All SPM clients run on ControlQore — purpose-built for construction job costing at $1M–$12M.

What overhead rate should a masonry contractor use?

Masonry contractors at $1M–$3M typically run 12–15% overhead. At $3M–$6M, 11–14%. At $6M–$12M, 10–13%. The most common error is not including scaffold ownership cost, equipment depreciation, or full owner compensation in the overhead calculation — which understates the real overhead rate by 3–5 points and underprices every bid.

How do masonry contractors track labor cost per unit?

Daily unit counts by wall type and crew logged by the foreman — CMU block count, brick count, or SF of stone placed — combined with burdened labor hours for that crew on that wall type. ControlQore cost codes track actual labor cost per unit weekly against the estimated rate from the bid. When a wall type is running at $52/unit against an estimate of $38/unit in week two, there is still time to adjust.

What are the most common cash flow problems for masonry contractors?

Three consistent problems: schedule of values that underbills scaffold setup, mobilization, and early wall phases; overhead rate below actual because scaffold cost and equipment depreciation aren't included; and AR sitting uncollected at 45+ days with no follow-up system. Most masonry contractors have all three simultaneously. SPM fixes all three in the first 60 days.

Do you handle payroll?

No. SPM does not handle payroll. We have vetted partners — including prevailing wage and Davis-Bacon integrations — that connect directly with ControlQore at additional cost.

How long does onboarding take?

60 days. We migrate your books to the start of your last taxable year, build your ControlQore job costing structure, and get you fully operational in two months from the day you start.

What accounting software do you use?

All SPM clients run on ControlQore — purpose-built for construction job costing and WIP reporting at $1M–$12M. It's more capable than QuickBooks for job costing, more affordable than Sage or Foundation. We set it up and manage it. You don't have to learn it.

Do I need to have my books in order before starting?

No. Most clients come to us with messy books, no job costing, and a QuickBooks file that hasn't been reconciled in months. That's exactly what onboarding is for. The messier the books, the more value the first 60 days produces.

The CFO forMasonry Contractors.