What happens between selection and break ground
Four weeks from signature to break ground. HIC signed → 14-day cooling-off → two-week buffer to assemble team and acquire materials → break ground. Four gates have to clear before you start.
When the customer chooses you, the project moves from quoting to construction. The sequence from signing the HIC to breaking ground is four weeks: a 14-day statutory cooling-off period in weeks 1–2, then a two-week buffer in weeks 3–4 to assemble your team and acquire long-lead materials. Five things happen along the way.
1. We generate the Home Improvement Contract (HIC)
The platform builds the HIC from the agreed scope, materials list, milestone schedule, and quoted price. The scope of work comes from your quote and notes; the materials list comes from the procurement schedule (whether the customer is sourcing themselves or buying through Beams partners); the milestones and price come straight from the quote. The HIC appears in your dashboard ready to sign. The customer sees the same document on their side.
2. You and the customer sign it digitally
Both of you sign through the platform. The platform records the signatures and timestamps. There's no separate paperwork — the digital signature is the binding version.
3. The 14-day cooling-off period runs
Under UK consumer law, the customer has 14 days from the day after signing to change their mind. You don't start work during this window. If the customer wants to start sooner, they sign an express written request to commence services and acknowledge they'll be liable for the cost of work done if they later cancel. That sits in the platform alongside the HIC. Until that request is recorded — or the 14 days have passed — you wait.
4. The customer funds the construction fee
The customer pre-funds Milestone 1 into the Beams Account. The timing lines up cleanly with the cooling-off period ending — funding happens around two weeks before break ground, so the money is in place by the time the buffer week starts. The platform prompts the customer; your build advisor chases if it doesn't land on time.
5. You confirm site readiness seven days before break ground
A week out from break ground, you confirm site readiness to the platform — Construction Phase Plan in place, RAMS shared, access arrangements agreed with the customer, materials sequenced. This is the last of the four gates that have to be clear before you start.
When you can begin
When all four pre-break-ground gates are in place — HIC signed, cooling-off cleared (or expressly waived in writing), Milestone 1 funded, site ready — you can break ground. The platform confirms.
Don't start before the gates are clear. Starting before the HIC is signed and Milestone 1 is funded is the most common cause of payment problems we see.
Related articles
- Before you break ground — the four gates
- The contracts behind working with Beams
- Submitting invoices