About buildwiz.uk
Practical guidance from someone who's been through it.
Why this site exists
I project managed my own kitchen extension and kept a spreadsheet to track everything. The knowledge I needed was scattered across forum posts, magazine articles, and conversations with tradespeople. No single resource gave me an opinionated, sequenced guide for the whole project.
The problem wasn't a shortage of content. Every forum, magazine, and trade website had something. The problem was that none of it covered what project managing actually involves: chasing a builder back to site after a three-week no-show; driving across the county to source the right roof windows after the original spec changed mid-build; realising the roofer wasn't going to turn up on installation day and working out what to do next. You're not laying bricks — you're coordinating tradespeople, tracking decisions, and holding people accountable. Nobody writes that guide down.
The pain points
These are real problems I hit during my kitchen extension, and the reason buildwiz.uk exists:
- Finding and managing builders — chasing no-shows and working out payment schedules.
- Dealing with building control — when to notify, what they inspect at each stage.
- Understanding sequencing and dependencies — your kitchen layout must be decided before first fix electrics, because socket positions depend on where the units go.
- Sourcing a kitchen independently — versus using expensive kitchen design companies.
- Utility meter relocation — who to call, how it works, and the long lead times nobody warns you about.
- Sketching layouts for tradespeople — electrical and plumbing layouts that communicate what you want.
- The constant "what should I be doing next?" — no single resource gives you a sequenced plan for the whole project.
What buildwiz.uk does differently
buildwiz.uk organises a kitchen extension into a visual tree of tasks, from planning permission through to the final snagging checklist. Each task tells you not just what to do, but howto do it — with the assumed-knowledge gap filled in.
That means explaining what an SDS drill is and why you need one. Telling you how many blocks you need per square metre. Showing you the order things have to happen in, and what depends on what. The stuff that experienced builders know instinctively but nobody writes down for homeowners.
Every guide is rooted in real experience and checked against current UK building regulations and industry practice.
Ian Packard
I'm a software engineer and the founder of Octasoft Ltd, a DevOps consultancy based in England. My day job is building software and infrastructure. buildwiz.uk is a side project born from the frustration of not being able to find decent, practical guidance when I needed it most.
I'm not a builder, architect, or tradesperson. I'm a homeowner who project managed an extension and wanted to turn what I learned into something useful for others doing the same.
Get in touch
If you have questions, feedback, or want to share your own build experience, email hello@buildwiz.uk.
You can also browse our build guides, read the blog, or jump straight into the tools and materials knowledge base.