Affordable Housing Technology Partner

Strategic technology design that pays for itself.

BuildLab embeds into every phase of your affordable housing development — securing ISP income, containing infrastructure costs, and coordinating every technology milestone from pre-construction through operations handoff.

MPOE / IDF ISP CONTRACTS DOOR FEES COMMUNITY WIFI SECURITY ACCESS CASF GRANT SUPPORT DIV 27 & 28 · AREA OF REFUGE · DAS/ERCCS
$310/unit
Full design & coordination
$194K+
ISP income secured (recent)
$168K+
Infrastructure savings (recent)
20+
Years IT experience
The Problem

Technology planning is too often an afterthought.

Affordable housing development demands precision at every phase — yet technology and infrastructure decisions get deferred, creating costly gaps in accountability and missed revenue opportunities that silently erode project budgets.

Bloated Infrastructure Cost

Without the right partner, low-voltage cabling and building technologies accumulate unnecessary redundancies and missed savings — eroding your development budget before a single resident moves in.

Piecemeal Vendor Solutions

Multiple vendors without a unified strategy leads to fragmented systems, incompatible infrastructure, duplicated costs, and gaps in accountability that can be prevented.

Loss of Potential Income & Funding

Developers miss significant revenue — ISP door fees, profit-sharing, and programs like CASF that directly offset infrastructure costs and generate long-term community income.

BuildLab closes the gap.

We embed strategic technology oversight into every phase of your development — leading with cost containment, pursuing every funding opportunity, and coordinating across all stakeholders from the first ISP negotiation to final project handoff.


Every dollar saved on infrastructure and every dollar gained through ISP partnerships directly strengthens your development budget and long-term NOI. Our recent projects have returned over $194K in ISP income and $168K in infrastructure savings — before a single unit was occupied.

Our Services

Comprehensive technology support — pre-construction through operations.

BuildLab delivers strategic technology design and support with a focused objective of cost containment, income generation, and fluid execution of every building technology system.

Technology Design & Coordination

Low-voltage and structured cabling design, surveillance, door access controls, and life safety systems including Area of Refuge and DAS/ERCCS. Computer Lab and common area technology FFE. Division 27 & 28 specs with OAC milestone tracking to project closeout.

ISP Contract Management

Negotiates and manages all ISP deliverables — door fees, profit-sharing, right of entry terms, complimentary community WiFi, and ISP-furnished materials — capturing maximum carrier value before construction begins.

Grant Support (CASF / CPUC)

Identifies and applies for strategic infrastructure grants including the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) — offsetting the cost of sitewide WiFi infrastructure covering cabling, hardware, and installation. Full application management.

Lease-Up & Operations Support

Designs landing pages, digital applications, and streamlined online workflows to simplify resident certification and leasing. Provisions and manages temporary leasing office technology setups so your team is fully operational from day one.

Quarterly Media Kit

Professional drone flybys, photography, and video content — giving your project a consistent stream of high-quality visual assets for marketing, leasing, and community outreach throughout the year.

DAS / ERCCS & Emergency Comms

Initial DAS/ERCCS site survey for permitting plus Area of Refuge design and coordination — services BuildLab performs at a lower cost than engaging separate specialty vendors.

Our Approach

Embedded from day one.

BuildLab embeds strategic technology planning into every phase of your development — leading with cost containment, pursuing every funding opportunity, and coordinating across all stakeholders from first ISP negotiation to final project handoff.

01 / SECURE
Secure Income & Funding

Negotiate ISP offerings, secure project door fees and profit-sharing arrangements, and pursue infrastructure grants including CASF while obtaining TCAC broadband score if required. Revenue before you break ground.

02 / DESIGN
Efficient Technology Designs

Purpose-built technology systems that eliminate bloat and redundancies — controlling costs while deploying efficient, high-performance infrastructure that serves residents and operations teams for years post-completion.

03 / COORDINATE
Design Execution & Coordination

Track technology milestones and inspections across all teams — managing pivots during structural changes, through to project closeout and property management technology training. On time. On spec. Ready for occupancy.

Recent Results

Real outcomes on real projects.

Every engagement produces measurable financial results — secured income, recovered savings, and avoided costs that directly strengthen your development's bottom line.

Vista Lane I
3481 Vista Lane, San Ysidro, CA 92173
167 UNITS · COMPLETED

Full technology partner — managing pre-construction planning, technology design and coordination, and operations handoff support from ISP negotiations through final system delivery and property management training.

Project Outcomes

$50,100 in ISP Door Fees + 8% Profit Sharing + Complimentary Community WiFi negotiated from carrier partnerships.

$36,480 cost savings in Fiber Microduct Materials through ISP-furnished materials negotiation.

$9,870 savings in surveillance system design versus architect's original plans.

Design correction on door hardware for access controls — avoiding costly ingress/egress re-submission with building department.

El Camino Real I
2136 S El Camino Real, Oceanside, CA 92054
111 UNITS · UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Full technology partner from pre-construction through operations handoff. Key project outcomes already achieved with construction currently underway.

Project Outcomes

$33,300 in ISP Door Fees + 8% Profit Sharing + Complimentary Community WiFi secured.

$42,980 cost savings in Fiber Microduct Cabling and In-Unit SMC Panels provided by ISP.

$4,840 DAS/ERCCS savings — site survey performed by BuildLab vs. engaging a separate specialty vendor.

Mirka Tower
National Ave, between Commercial & 16th St.
318 UNITS · UNDER CONSTRUCTION

BuildLab is embedded as technology lead — overseeing ISP negotiations, infrastructure design, project coordination, system delivery, and property management training. Already delivering key technology milestones.

Project Outcomes

$111,300 in ISP Door Fees + 8% Profit Sharing + Complimentary Community WiFi — largest ISP outcome to date.

$88,880 cost savings in Fiber Microduct Cabling and In-Unit SMC Panels provided through ISP negotiation.

Pricing

Transparent, per-unit pricing.

Straightforward fee structure designed for affordable housing development budgets. Payment schedule varies by project timeline.

DescriptionPrice
Design / Assist / Coordinate
ISP & Grants Management · Technology & Infrastructure Design · Full Project Coordination through Closeout
$310 / unit
DAS / ERCCS Site Survey
Initial DAS/ERCCS Site Survey for Permitting
$30 / unit
Emergency Communications Design
Area of Refuge Design and Coordination
$1,280
flat fee
Quarterly Media Kit
Drone Flybys, Professional Photography, and Video Content
$650 / qtr
Lease-Up Operations
Landing pages, digital applications, leasing office technology setup and resident workflow support
Varies
by scope
Recent Projects

Active & completed engagements.

A growing portfolio of affordable housing developments across Southern California — from small infill LIHTC projects to 300+ unit mixed-income towers.

Vista Lane I
Mirka Investments
LIHTC
  • 167 Units
  • San Ysidro, CA
  • Full Technology Partner
  • ISP ROE
  • Completed
Vista Lane II
Mirka Investments
LIHTC
  • 100 Units
  • San Ysidro, CA
  • 30%–80% AMI
  • In Progress
Mirka Tower
Mirka Investments
Multi-Family
  • 318 Units
  • Downtown San Diego
  • Full Technology Partner
  • ISP ROE
  • Under Construction
El Camino Real I
Mirka Investments
LIHTC
  • 111 Units
  • Oceanside, CA
  • Full Technology Partner
  • DAS/ERCCS Survey
  • Under Construction
La Costa Townsquare
Infill / LIHTC
LIHTC
  • 19 Units
  • Carlsbad, CA 92009
  • New Construction
South River Village
Lennar / North River Farms
Multi-Family
  • 4933 N River Road
  • Inclusionary Housing
  • Technology Design
Aero Drive Apartments
Affordable Housing
LIHTC
  • 30%–80% AMI
  • Low Income Families
  • Technology Design
Seaward San Ysidro
LIHTC Senior
Senior Living
  • 85 Units
  • 158 W Seaward Ave
  • San Ysidro, CA
  • New Construction
Azuriik
National City
Multi-Family
  • National City, CA
  • Affordable Housing
  • Technology Design
Sendero
LIHTC Development
LIHTC
  • 110 Units
  • 49th & Castana Streets
  • New Construction
Kimball Highland Master Plan
Community HousingWorks
Multi-Family
  • Low-Voltage
  • Surveillance
  • Door Access
  • Networks
  • Commons AV
  • ISP ROE
Kimball / Morgan Towers
Community HousingWorks
Senior Living
  • Low-Voltage
  • Surveillance
  • Door Access
  • Networks
  • Commons AV
  • ISP ROE
Our Principal Designer

The person behind the design.

Jake Narciso
Principal Designer & Founder
// Technology Expert // Budget Nerd // Wannabe Foreman
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"An ideal technology solution encompasses all stakeholders: project managers, owners, finance, IT, and operations."

A twenty-year IT veteran with an intense passion for deploying the perfect technologies to automate, solve, save, and protect. Jake's background uniquely bridges the gap between construction processes and technology design — producing seamless, integrated, and cost-contained outcomes in affordable housing development that few consultants can match.

Through collaborative engagement with every project stakeholder, BuildLab achieves a deeper understanding of optimal solutions. That understanding is the foundation of every ISP negotiation, every design decision, and every dollar saved or earned on behalf of our clients.

Get in Touch

How can we help?

Ready to bring a strategic technology partner to your next affordable housing development? Start with a free, no-obligation assessment — including ISP opportunity analysis and grant feasibility.

Free Project Assessment

No obligation. Get a comprehensive understanding of your technology requirements, potential ISP income, and grant opportunities — before committing to anything.

100% Free & No Obligation
Request Your Assessment
Or call us at (858) 952-6234