Before you appoint a builder, know what you’re agreeing to.
A major extension or refurbishment can be one of the biggest financial commitments you will ever make. I use 30+ years of real residential construction experience to independently review the information you are relying on before you commit.
Your own experienced builder. On your side of the table.
No commissions. No referral fees. No attempt to win the building work.
Know what is included. Know what is missing.Make the big decisions while you still have choices.
Before the build starts
This is when you have the most choice.
Drawings can contain assumptions. Specifications can leave gaps. Builders can interpret the same information completely differently.
A quotation that appears £30,000 cheaper is not necessarily £30,000 cheaper once you understand what has—and has not—been included.
After 30+ years building residential projects, I have seen what can happen when those questions are not answered until construction is underway.
These are not hypothetical risks. They are lessons from real projects.
Experience comes from seeing what happens next
Three reasons to ask the difficult questions earlier.
Sometimes nobody has done anything obviously unreasonable. An assumption has not been checked, builders have priced different interpretations, or an attractive quotation has not been examined closely enough before appointment.
£120k → £200k+
A £30,000 cheaper quotation looked difficult to ignore.
Two quotations were approximately £150,000 + VAT and £120,000 + VAT. The lower-priced contractor was appointed. Workmanship and structural problems later emerged, the contractor was replaced, and another builder had to rectify and complete the project.
The eventual cost was well over £200,000. A project expected to take around six months took approximately 18–20 months.
The lessonThe answer was not simply to choose the higher price. It was to establish why the quotations were £30,000 apart before choosing either.
£40k + 6 weeks
The drawings could not show something nobody had checked.
A chalet bungalow design and construction price proceeded using assumptions about the existing roof. Once opened up, its rafters were found to be 4 inches deep, while Building Control required a 6-inch structure for the proposed works.
The apparently straightforward alteration became a much larger reconstruction, adding around £40,000 and six weeks.
The lessonWhere a design relies on an existing part of a building that has not been inspected, a modest investigation can sometimes answer a very expensive question.
3 builders / 3 prices
Were they really pricing the same project?
Planning drawings frequently do not contain enough construction and specification information for genuinely like-for-like quotations. Structure, finishes, electrics, heating, drainage and other decisions may still be undefined.
Each builder fills the gaps with assumptions—producing reasonable prices for subtly different versions of the project.
The lessonBefore comparing the totals, establish whether everybody has actually priced the same thing.
Real project examples have been anonymised. Outcomes are presented to explain the questions worth asking earlier—not to suggest that every construction risk can be predicted or avoided.
This is what experience looks like
The best time to identify a problem?
Before you have appointed the builder. Experience is knowing where to look, what to question and which assumptions are worth challenging before they become expensive to resolve.
Now let me look at your project
An experienced builder’s perspective before the big decisions.
The aim is not to tell you which builder is “best”. It is to help you understand what you are actually being offered.
Depending on the stage your project has reached, I independently review the information you are relying on and identify what remains unclear, what may have been overlooked and what should be answered before you commit.
Drawings and specificationsBuilders’ quotationsExclusions and omissionsProvisional and PC sumsStructural informationPayment termsProgramme and timescalesInsurance informationContract questionsDifferent builder assumptions
Before the builder tells you their terms, I help you establish yours.
Completely independent
You are the client. I am sitting on your side of the table.
No commissionsNo contractor payments or referral fees.
No building contract to winNeither I nor Alpha will quote for work reviewed through Builder’s Eye.
Your decisionClear observations and questions—not pressure to choose a particular builder.
30+ yrsin residential construction
225+new homes built through the experience behind Builder’s Eye
65+extensions and refurbishments delivered
Choose the stage your project has reached
Where are you with your project?
Now that you understand why the questions matter, choose the review that fits where your project is today. Every price is shown clearly and confirmed before you proceed.
Not sure where your project sits?
Start with a conversation.
Tell me where your project has reached, what information you currently have and what you are trying to decide. I will explain which Builder’s Eye review—if any—is appropriate before you commit to anything.
It establishes suitability and the right next step. It does not include reviewing drawings, quotations or specifications, technical or cost analysis, or project-specific recommendations. Those begin only once a paid review and its scope have been agreed.
No charge. No obligation.
01 / PLANNING APPROVED
Planning Stage Project Review
Still planning? What needs to happen before you ask for prices?
£695 No VAT added
Planning drawings are rarely enough for like-for-like quotations. Understand the technical drawings, specification, Building Regulations information and decisions needed before builders price the work.
02 / TECHNICAL PLANS READY
Tender Readiness Review
About to get quotes? How do I make sure builders price the same job?
£995 No VAT added
Check the project pack, cost expectations and tender information before asking builders to provide quotations.
03 / QUOTATIONS RECEIVED
Project and Quotation Review
Got your quotes back? Prices all over the place?
£1,495 No VAT added
See what’s included, what’s missing and get practical advice on an appropriate written building contract before appointing a builder.
Planning Stage Project Review
£695No VAT added
For homeowners with planning permission but no Building Regulations drawings, structural information or complete package for builders to price.
What the review covers
Review of the planning drawings, decision notice and planning conditions
Plain-English explanation of the proposed work and likely construction stages
Identification of obvious gaps, unresolved decisions and potential cost risks
Guidance on Building Regulations drawings, structural calculations, specifications and other information likely to be required
Broad indicative construction-cost range with the main assumptions clearly stated
Practical route from planning approval to obtaining meaningful builders’ quotations
Concise written report and 45-minute telephone discussion
What is not included
Site inspections, measured surveys, detailed design, Building Regulations drawings, structural, planning or legal advice, bills of quantities, formal quantity surveyor cost plans and any guarantee of final construction cost.
Not sure which review fits? Start with the initial conversation above. I will establish the appropriate next step before you make any payment.
Know your terms before the builder tells you theirs.From planning approval to appointing a builder, get an experienced builder’s view of the costs, gaps and questions to settle before you commit.
Who you will work with
Advice from the person who has spent 30+ years building the projects.
Alasdair Macleod
I have spent more than 30 years in residential construction, with experience behind more than 225 new homes and 65 extensions and refurbishments. I still run residential projects today, so the advice is grounded in the practical realities of drawings, quotations, budgets and work on site.
Builder’s Eye is delivered personally by me from Surrey. You send me the project information you have; I review it, prepare a written report and talk the findings through with you.
You are not buying a generic checklist. You are buying experienced judgement about the questions worth answering before you commit.
How it works
Start with a conversation.
1
Tell me where you are
Explain where your project has reached, what information you have and what you are trying to decide. I will confirm whether a Builder’s Eye review is appropriate.
2
Agree the review
If a review would help, I confirm the right service, its scope, fee, documents required and delivery date before you make any payment.
3
Make your next decision
Use the written review and our discussion to clarify the gaps and have better-informed conversations with your builder and design team.
What happens in the initial conversation?
We establish the stage your project has reached, the information you currently hold and what you are trying to decide. I then explain which review—if any—is appropriate. I do not review documents, diagnose technical issues, analyse costs or give project-specific recommendations during that initial conversation.
Can you help if I don’t have a builder yet?
Yes. I can review how ready your project is to tender, identify gaps in the information and explain what should be resolved before builders price it.
Do I need to have all my builders’ quotations?
No. Send me what you have. Comparing quotations is most useful when there is a clear project pack and more than one price, but an earlier review can prevent builders pricing different assumptions.
Can you help if the quotations exceed my budget?
Yes. I can assess the likely full project cost and discuss realistic changes to scope, specification or phasing. Any cost range is indicative and comes with clear assumptions.
Can you help with the building contract?
Yes. At quotation stage I can give practical advice on an appropriate written building contract and the scope, payment, change, programme and insurance points to settle. I do not draft contracts or provide legal advice.
Is this a survey or a replacement for my architect?
No. Builder’s Eye provides practical project and quotation advice. It does not replace a building survey, structural design, statutory approvals or the responsibilities of your appointed professionals.
Can I return as my project progresses?
Yes. Each review is separately instructed, so you only pay for the help you need. For the same substantially unchanged project returning within 12 months, the usual follow-on fees are £695 for Stage 2 after Stage 1, £795 for Stage 3 after Stage 2, or £995 for Stage 3 directly after Stage 1.
Not sure where to start?
Start with a conversation.
Tell me where your project has reached and what information you currently have. I will explain which Builder’s Eye review—if any—is appropriate before you commit to anything.
The initial conversation establishes suitability and the right next step. Project review, analysis and written advice begin only once a paid review is agreed.
