Award-winning house builder chooses Fonn to support meeting Part L regulations with ease

Part L compliance is now required by law, and not having the right documentation can lead to delays, stoppages, and even fines. House builders across the UK are using Fonn to manage Part L compliance, providing full reports at the click of a button, ready to provide to SAP assessors, without the need to find hundreds of images buried under emails or messages.

Verto Homes is an award-winning house builder that provides zero carbon homes, leveraging technology to build truly environmentally friendly homes and communities. Their focus in zero carbon buildings has allowed them to develop a speciality for seeking out new initiatives and technologies that deliver the highest level of efficiencies.

Challenge - Part L regulations mean changes in document management

Verto Homes had previously been using another document hosting platform prior to switching to Fonn. In addition to the versatility of the document hosting platform, Fonn offered the ability to document site records of construction details, in particular Part L which had fundamental changes that came into effect in June 2022, and effective on-site in June 2023. Part regulations, which are now required by law, mean that keeping a detailed record of each build stage is vital to provide the right information to SAP assessors.

Errol McKinon from Verto found that a lot of solutions weren’t the right fit: “They charge per project and have other hidden costs like archiving, so the costs were adding up,” he said. Errol added that Verto wanted to implement more actions like RFIs and a more formal snagging process, “We need to be pushing outside of our comfort zone,” he said.

Having things in one place was a big factor for Verto Homes - any house builders working across multiple sites and projects will recognise the need for collaboration and access to the most recent - and accurate - information.

Solution - new Part L regulations in an easy-to-use platform

It was important to Errol that any system they implemented had documents in an easy-to-use platform so multiple people can view them, not just in the office but on-site too. Verto Homes has a reputation for its work in building sustainable homes so things like Part L Regulations mean a lot to the team, but also having things in one place. “I didn’t want a filing system that was separate from everything else,” Errol said.

Verto are using Fonn for planning and construction drawings and reports, which helps them to get projects off the ground in the early stages once they have assessed that it is a viable project. He also acknowledges that there are still aspects of Fonn that Verto are yet to discover but he can see the growth potential in other features, “We need to be pushing for more RFIs and snagging, but in time we can get that sorted,” he said.

On-site adoption and better communication

After rolling Fonn out, Errol found that people were up and running quickly – and effectively. “I walked around a site once and was bowled over. One of the bricklayers was actually reading plans on his phone as he was working – no need to go into the office,” he said.

The latest issue is on the system, and there is no ambiguity as to what they’re doing

Errol McKinon, Verto Homes

Being able to access an audit trail has proved to be incredibly valuable for dispute handing too: “The latest issue is on the on the system, and there is no ambiguity as to what they’re doing,” Errol said. If people reach out to him for questions, he’s able to access the entire project and associated information in one place, “If there’s a dispute on site, you can go back into revisions to see what has changed,” he said. “It’s a nice smooth platform, not at all difficult to work with.”

A bespoke experience

After on-site training with Fonn’s team, Verto were able to adjust the system to best suit their way of working. “We needed a few little tweaks to understand how scheduling [scope of works] worked, and sorting out our file structure, so now we’ve developed a structure that works for us,” Errol said.

Fonn is a bespoke system and file structures are set up to reflect the needs of the business rather than providing a one-size-fits-all structure that may not be fit for purpose or can quickly come up against limitations – so it’s important that both sides take this time to implement a system that works for them and as Errol pointed out, there have been no complaints: “No feedback is good feedback – people are just getting on and using it!”

As for support, Errol is highly complimentary of Fonn’s availability and how the team will go above and beyond when they need it: “Our CSM is always on the end of the line to help, and will often do us a video tutorial on how to do something.”

Verto Homes and Fonn look forward to an ongoing partnership, working towards sustainability goals through supportive technology.

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