Blog
Practical guides and insights for UK homeowners managing their own builds.
How Builder Directories Actually Make Money (And Why It Changes Your Quotes)
Every UK builder directory charges the trade to reach you. How subscription, pay-per-lead, shortlist and credit models work, and what they do to your quotes.
Trusted Payments and the Approved Code: What the New Builder Protection Actually Covers
How Trusted Payments moves your money, why the Approved Code is not yet checkable, and what neither scheme would have fixed on a real extension build.
What to Do When Your Builder Doesn't Turn Up
Your builder has gone quiet mid-build. How to tell slippage from abandonment, what to record, how to escalate and recover your money in England and Wales.
Can a Neighbour Stop Your Extension? What Objections Actually Count
No, a neighbour cannot veto your extension. Which objections carry planning weight, which are disregarded, and how to keep next door onside before you apply.
How Much Cash You Need Through a Kitchen Extension (And When)
How much deposit for an extension, when stage payments fall due, and where the big lumps land: a month-by-month cash curve of a real UK kitchen extension.
How to Find a Builder You Can Trust for an Extension (Without Getting Burned)
37% of UK homeowners have hired an unreliable builder. How to vet, hire, and manage a builder for your extension, grounded in a real project's near-misses.
Party Wall Agreements for an Extension: The Complete UK Guide (2026)
When the Party Wall Act applies, the notice timeline, surveyor costs, and how to stop it delaying your build by months. A homeowner's guide.
Permitted Development for Extensions: What You Can Build Without Planning Permission
Permitted development extension rules for England: exact size limits, the 6m and 8m prior approval route, what voids your rights, and why to get an LDC.
When a Builder Job Goes Wrong: Disputes, Delays and Walk-offs
What to do when a builder dispute hits your extension: the five-step escalation ladder, honest ADR costs, small claims limits, and the habits that prevent it.
Do You Need Planning Permission for a Kitchen Extension? (UK, 2026)
Often you don't. Many single-storey kitchen extensions fall under permitted development. Here are the size limits, the exceptions, and how to check yours.