Nearly 30 years of building knowledge — on your side
After nearly 30 years on building sites across London, I kept seeing the same pattern: homeowners and buyers signing up for things nobody had properly explained. Confusing quotes, unrealistic timelines, surprise costs.
That's why I started Chat to Your Builder. The goal is simple: independent, honest advice before you commit — to a purchase, a renovation, or a builder's quote. I read every survey that comes in and I reply to every question myself. I'm not here to sell you building work; I'm here to make sure you get the right answer.
Why talking to me before you commit could be the smartest £59 you spend
I've spent nearly 30 years on building sites — starting as an apprentice carpenter in the late 1990s, through years running my own jobs, to reviewing other people's work today. In that time I've stood in more damp basements, opened up more dodgy stud walls and argued down more inflated quotes than I could count. That's not a sales pitch — it's the actual, unglamorous experience that means I can read a RICS survey and tell you which findings are likely to carry real money and which usually don't.
Here's the thing most buyers and homeowners don't realise until it's too late: the people usually advising you at the biggest financial moments of your life — estate agents and mortgage brokers — aren't independent, and your surveyor's job is to flag defects, not to price them. An estate agent is paid to sell you the house. A builder you find later is often paid more the more work they find. I'm neither. I don't sell houses and I don't quote for building work, so there's nothing for me to gain by telling you a problem is worse — or better — than it really is. My only incentive is giving you the answer that's actually true.
That independence is worth more than it sounds. A five-minute conversation with someone who's actually done the work — not read about it — can be the difference between negotiating £8,000 off an asking price and finding out about a failing roof after you've exchanged. Between budgeting realistically for a rewire and discovering it mid-renovation, over budget and out of savings. Buyers spend hundreds of pounds on surveys that flag a defect exists, then have no one to tell them honestly what it's likely to cost to fix. That's the gap this service closes — alongside your surveyor, not instead of them.
I can't promise every conversation saves you thousands — sometimes the honest answer is "it's fine, don't worry about it," and that peace of mind is worth just as much. What I can promise is a straight answer from someone with nothing to sell you, before you sign anything you can't take back.
Book a builder review — £59Why you can trust the advice
Federation of Master Builders
A member of the Federation of Master Builders.
Public liability insured
Public liability cover, held for our building work.
Independent
We never quote for, carry out or refer the work in a survey we’ve reviewed for you, and we take no referral fees.
Real work, by real builders
A recent bathroom renovation from our own site work. We still work on real building projects, which is why our cost ranges reflect what work actually costs on a UK site today, not last year's price list — but never on a job we’ve reviewed for you.
- Nearly 30 years on UK building sites
- 5.0 across 11 Google reviews
- 24 hours response time
- 100% independent advice
Ready for honest advice?
Whether you're buying your first home, planning a renovation, or reviewing a builder's quote — send it over and I'll read it myself.
Pay, then send it by WhatsApp or email · written review + call within 24 hours · refund if it isn’t clear