Hiring a builder can feel like stepping into the unknown—one wrong move and your dream renovation could turn into a nightmare of delays, budget blowouts, and shoddy workmanship. But what if there was a way to find a builder who’s not only skilled but also accountable, transparent, and genuinely invested in your project? That’s where our friends over at The Page come in. Acting as your renovation coach, The Page connects London homeowners with a trusted network of pre-vetted, highly skilled builders (aka “Pagers”) who offer quality work at competitive prices. But before you dive into your renovation, let’s break down exactly what you should look for in a builder, the red flags to avoid, and the green flags that signal you’re in safe hands with the help of co-founder Henry.
What is ‘The Page’ and why was it set up?
To help instil confidence in Londoners by acting as their renovation coach. We match homeowners to a curated list of Pagers (our highly skilled and pre-vetted builders) that are best suited to their project and budget, and provide support throughout the build, until they’re 100% happy with their new space. With this service, alongside our ‘do-it-with-you’ model, we’re able to help homeowners achieve their renovation goals with a little bit of effort on their part, but crucially at a significantly more affordable level. The Pagers we work with are mostly ambitious small business owners, who’ve spent years gaining experience at bigger construction companies. They’re now managing tight-knit, hands-on teams without overheads like office spaces, so they can offer the sweet spot of quality work and competitive prices, which is amazing for our homeowners.
The Page was set up because both myself and my co-founder had experienced the overwhelming feeling of owning a property in London, the biggest investment of their life by a country mile, and not knowing where to start when it came to renovating. We couldn’t believe that we were having to rely on our friends and neighbours for recommendations and advice, who with the best will in the world, weren’t best placed to help us. We found this out the hard way!
3 Red Flags When Hiring Builders?
- Eager to get started and receive payment without clearly addressing your questions
- Reduces their quote considerably from their original quote in order to be instructed
- Hasn’t worked much in the area much or hasn’t done projects similar to yours
3 Green Flags When Hiring Builders?
- Eager to give references and to take you round previous projects that have finished on-time and on-budget
- Clear communication and doesn’t use jargon
- Happy to walk you through the schedule of works with solid reasoning
What is your top tip for ensuring your builder is on the same page as you before your renovation begins?
Walk through your schedule of works with your builder and make sure all responsibilities, timelines and costs are agreed upon in writing.
And the same for once the renovation starts?
Communication is key. It’s easy to say but it’s hard to keep up throughout a build project – you need stamina! Be disciplined and keep to weekly updates with your builder.
What are 3 crucial things to do / research / look out for in order to find a builder?
- Accountability – you need to make sure the builder is accountable to you as the homeowner. You can make sure this is the case by going through a platform like The Page: our Pagers are incentivised to complete our projects on time and on budget because they know if they don’t, they will lose a great source of business – it’s similar to builders’ relationships with architects or interior designers.
- Payment plan – this is not a one size fits all. It’s crucial to agree on a payment plan that works for both parties and importantly understand the reasons why your builder might want to do things a certain way. We read everywhere that as a homeowner you should always have a milestone/stage payment plan, this isn’t always the best fit. For example, smaller building companies may need to be paid on a bi-weekly basis; this is a compromise for instructing a smaller, more affordable builder.
- Visit previous projects – if you can, try and visit a previous project of the builder you’re looking to instruct and chat to the homeowner. This is the best way of understanding the quality of the work but also get a feel for the builder’s general personality. It’s so important to know that they feel like your type of person! We do this for every Pager we list.
Find your perfect builder with the help of ‘The Page’ and start the journey here with a consultation.
