NovaRise Erection Guide
The PEMB Erection App That Should Have Existed 20 Years Ago
A mobile app that reads your PEMB blueprints and walks your crew through a phase-by-phase erection sequence — with safety callouts, torque specs, and Nova AI on standby when you hit something the guide doesn't cover.
The Problem
PEMB Erection Has a Knowledge Gap. Nobody Has Fixed It.
The steel building industry sells PEMB kits to DIY customers and small contractors and hands them a manual. The manual assumes knowledge the buyer doesn't have. The result is rework, delays, safety incidents, and frustrated customers — on every first-time project.
The Manual Is Not Enough
PEMB manufacturers ship an erection manual. It assumes the reader has erected dozens of buildings and knows the vocabulary. A DIY customer or small crew on their first job site doesn't — and no one explains the gap until something is already wrong.
Engineers Aren't On-Site
The stamping engineer is off-site. The manufacturer rep is unavailable. The contractor who sold the kit has moved on to the next deal. When the crew is stuck on the ridge connection at 3pm, there's no one to call with the right answer.
Sequencing Errors Are Expensive
Erecting a PEMB out of sequence — installing girts before primary frame alignment is confirmed, for example — creates rework that costs days and money. The right sequence isn't always obvious from the drawings.
Safety Callouts Are Buried
Critical safety information — fall protection anchoring points, torque specs for moment connections, no-load-before-this conditions — is scattered through the manual and the drawings. A phase-by-phase app can surface the right callout at the right moment.
What It Will Do
Planned Features
These are the features in design and development for the Erection Guide. The app is in pre-launch — join the waitlist to get access when it opens.
Blueprint-Aware Phase Sequencing
The app reads the PEMB blueprints and generates a project-specific erection sequence — not a generic template. Each phase knows what the drawings say the next step should be.
Phase-by-Phase Progression
Anchor bolt check → primary frame erection → end wall framing → secondary framing → roof panels → wall panels → trim and accessories. Each phase unlocks when the previous is confirmed complete.
Safety Callouts at Critical Steps
At every step where a safety hazard exists — fall risk, load path uncertainty, torque-critical connection — the app surfaces a callout the crew must acknowledge before proceeding.
Torque Specs and Connection Details
Bolt diameter, grade, torque, and installation pattern for every connection pulled from the building's drawings and surfaced at the moment the crew is making that connection.
Nova AI 'I'm Stuck' Assistant
When the crew hits a situation the guide doesn't cover — a field conflict, a drawing discrepancy, an unexpected condition — they tap 'I'm stuck' and describe the problem. Nova AI answers with context from the building's drawings and the PEMB body of knowledge.
Offline-Capable
Job sites don't always have reliable cell service. The phase guide and drawing references are cached locally. Nova AI requires connectivity but everything else works offline.
Crew Progress Tracking
Each completed phase is logged with a timestamp and the user who confirmed it. Creates a basic erection record useful for inspections and warranty claims.
Photo Documentation
Crew can attach photos to any phase — anchor bolts before grouting, primary frame alignment before secondary framing starts, final panel laps. Stored against the project record.
Who It's For
Three Audiences. One Problem Solved.
DIY Customers
Homeowners and small landowners who bought a PEMB kit and are erecting it with family, friends, or a small hired crew. They have the building, the blueprints, and no one walking them through it.
Small Erection Crews
Two- to four-person crews who erect PEMB buildings but don't have a dedicated superintendent. Experienced enough to do the physical work, but without a foreman who has memorized every sequencing nuance.
First-Time PEMB Contractors
General contractors expanding into PEMB erection. They know construction but are learning the PEMB-specific sequencing and connection details for the first time.
Nova AI
“I'm Stuck” — One Tap Away
When the crew hits a question the phase guide doesn't answer — a discrepancy between the drawings and the field condition, an unexpected bolt pattern, a connection callout they can't interpret — they tap the “I'm stuck” button, describe what they're seeing, and Nova AI answers with context from the building's own blueprints and the broader PEMB body of knowledge.
Knows Your Building
Nova AI has context from the specific blueprints uploaded for this project — not just generic PEMB knowledge.
PEMB Domain Knowledge
Trained on PEMB erection knowledge including connection types, load paths, sequence logic, and code requirements.
Human-Language Answers
No jargon dumps. Nova AI answers in plain language matched to the skill level of the person asking.
Coming Soon
Join the Erection Guide Waitlist
The Erection Guide is in active development. If you're a DIY customer, erection contractor, or PEMB reseller interested in early access, join the waitlist now.
Already testing Command or Foundation Designer? Contact us and we'll add you to the Erection Guide preview list.