During the build
What to expect, how to work with your builder, and what to do when something needs sorting.
- How to work best with your builderCommunicate clearly. Make decisions when they need to be made. When your builder explains why something needs to happen a particular way, weigh that experience seriously.
- How your builder tells you about timeline changesBuilds shift. Your builder is responsible for flagging changes to the programme early and clearly. Beams sits alongside if something needs unsticking.
- Living in the home during the buildMost renovations can be lived in. Some can't. The right answer depends on the scope of the work and your tolerance for disruption. Here's what's reasonable, what isn't, and how to make it work if you stay.
- What happens when something outside our control disrupts the buildA leak from a neighbour, a freeholder dispute, an unexpected third-party event — these can disrupt a project. Your builder leads on coordinating with the third party and adjusting the programme; your build advisor steps in only if something gets stuck.
- What to do if you disagree with a milestoneIf your builder has marked a milestone complete but you don't think it is, raise it through the platform during the seven-day window. The payment is paused while you and your builder sort it out.
- What to do if you encounter hazardous materialsHazardous materials — most commonly asbestos in older buildings, occasionally lead paint, sometimes others — surface during renovations of older homes. The right response is structured: stop work, escalate, and follow the right specialist process.
- What to do if you find the wrong materials installedIf you've spotted something installed that isn't what was specified, raise it with your builder immediately. The window for fixing it cleanly is short and the fix depends on the cause and how far the install has progressed.
- What to do if your builder misses a milestoneMilestones occasionally slip. Most missed milestones recover within days; some don't. Start with your builder — they're closest to the cause and the recovery. If you're not satisfied with the answer, your build advisor is the next step.
- What to do if your project is significantly delayedA meaningful delay — multiple slipped milestones, a programme running materially behind, a build that's lost momentum — needs more than a single message. It's a build advisor conversation, and it's worth having early.
- What to expect from your build, week by weekMost builds move through four phases: break ground, first fix, second fix, sign-off. Here's what each looks like from your point of view.
- When you might want extra Beams supportYour builder runs the project day to day, and on the standard service we review the evidence at each milestone on the platform, with a site inspection available if you ask for one. For larger or more complex projects, you can opt in to additional Beams Project Management Support. It adds weekly site visits as standard, hands-on coordination, and proactive support, for 20% of the build cost.
- Your build advisor — what they doYour build advisor is the Beams person you can turn to if you can't sort something out directly with your builder. We review the milestone evidence your builder uploads on the platform, and your build advisor can arrange a site inspection if you ask for one, steps in when something needs attention, and acts as your first step of escalation Beams-side during construction.