#pre-construction
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.
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.
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.
Does Your Builder Need Insurance? What to Check Before They Start
Builders insurance protects the builder, not you. The three covers to verify before they start, how to check a certificate, and the gap that leaves you liable.
How to Compare Builder Quotes for an Extension (Line by Line)
Why extension quotes never match, and how to compare builder quotes properly: normalise scope, provisional sums, exclusions and VAT before trusting a total.
Builder Deposits and Stage Payments in the UK: What's Normal, What's a Red Flag (2026)
Typical UK builder deposits run 10-15%. Stage payments are tied to milestones, with 5% retention held back. Here is what should be in your contract and the warning signs to walk away from.
Justifying the Builder Deposit: A Worked Example with Real Numbers
An £80k extension with a 15% deposit means handing over £12,000. Here is what that money actually pays for in week one, with real invoice data.
