How Millhaven Homes Builds a Luxury Experience for Clients With Digital Twins

About Millhaven Homes

Millhaven Homes started in 2009 in Utah, serving clients with high-end custom homes for over 16 years. Rather than making its customers work with several different teams, Millhaven Homes has a staff of 50+ who take care of every part of the home-building and designing process from start to finish. This means that people can get a beautiful home that checks all of their boxes while working with the same group of people throughout the project lifecycle. 

With more than 100 homes already built, the Millhaven team isn’t slowing down anytime soon. By partnering with Matterport, they’ve elevated their offerings so all involved parties are on the same page, accessing relevant information that keeps projects running smoothly. 

The Challenge: Cross-functional Project Communication Roadblocks 

Custom projects require many complex moving parts. And with Millhaven Homes’ typical home landing between 5,000+ square feet, its teams needed to be aware of construction progress, the location of critical components like electrical, design dimensions, and more. The problem is that this is difficult to accomplish without an accessible single source of truth to document the construction process.

Generally, a superintendent would be the only person who knows the ins and outs of each home. This can create challenges if that knowledge isn’t documented and easily shared among the team. Miscommunication, delays, and costly mistakes can arise when key details aren’t readily available to designers, contractors, and homeowners.

“We always want to improve and elevate the client experience,” said BJ Chandler, General Manager at Millhaven Homes. 

The Solution: How a Partnership With Matterport Leveled Up Project Documentation 

The Millhaven Homes team knew they needed to bring all their work into one easily accessible system. The Utah real estate community already heavily relied on Matterport for home-building projects, so the decision to go with Matterport was an easy one. For a time, they paid an outside contractor to do the scans on individual homes. Eventually, Millhaven decided to tighten up the turnaround time and bring it in-house.

“It was a no-brainer for us,” Chandler said. 

Millhaven hired an in-house videographer and purchased a Matterport camera. This allowed them to capture scans, put together comprehensive virtual tours, and create stunning video content. With a quick onboarding process, they were able to get started right away.

“Using the Matterport was super easy to learn,” said Chandler. “We have been using it ever since on every one of our homes.”

These scans became a critical part of their process, offering the aesthetic tour that everyone loves while also hosting key elements for construction. This ensures the team knows where vital components are and that each inch of the home is up to their standards. 

They do two scans: one during construction and one when the house is finished. The first scan is to track the four main systems — framing, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. Once those systems are complete, they scan the whole home. This documents everything before the walls go up, giving them and the homeowner a clear map of their space. The second scan happens after completion, putting a bow on the project and archiving the work for Millhaven and the client. 

Check out one of these scans to see it in action.

Results: Ongoing Success With Digital Twins 

Matterport enables Millhaven Homes to go the extra mile, providing insight into the building and designing process for both its team and clients. 

“Because we are a custom builder, many of the homes we build are dream homes that families will gather in for decades to come,” Chandler said. “It’s a fun and personal thing, and these types of clients love the extra level of communication. Custom builds also take longer, so the progress updates are helpful and give a sense of forward motion.” 

Before using digital twins to document projects, it was difficult to maintain consistency with each project and streamline communication and awareness among team members. Now, every detail is captured with accuracy, ensuring seamless collaboration, enhanced client engagement, and a streamlined construction process. Plus, the homeowners love the virtual tours. 

“Matterport gives us that touch of luxury,” said Chandler. “We go above and beyond through color renderings of the home design, and other very specific extras. Matterport is just another thing we can offer our clients that says ‘this is a custom experience.’” 

On top of that, having these scans gives Millhaven Homes a reference for similar projects, providing a how-to guide for recreating successful designs and functions regarding both traditional and innovative elements. For example, scans of a Tesla roof or geothermal heating and cooling systems highlight how far their design capabilities have come and are useful to look back on for future homes. 

Also, designers can space plan with precise measurements, giving them virtual access to a home’s layout and plans without having to actually step foot into the space. This saves time in both the design and approval stages. 

Whether it’s for improved communication among team members, warranty of construction components, or a more premium experience for clients, Millhaven knocks each project out of the park with the help of Matterport, delivering people’s dream homes with precision, efficiency, and unparalleled attention to detail.

Check out Millhaven Homes’ portfolioof luxury homes to see the digital twins in action.