Getting started
How Beams works, what we do, the basics you need to decide.
- Beams's insurance positionWe carry our own professional indemnity insurance. Your builder carries public liability and employer's liability. You may want home insurance to cover specific events. Here's a plain-English split.
- How Beams is paidBuilders pay Beams a fee to be on the network. Material suppliers pay Beams a commission when our customers buy from them. You don't pay Beams a markup on builder labour or materials.
- How we vet buildersEvery builder in the network is verified, reference-checked, and visited on a recent project. Vetting is the same bar for everyone — what sets builders apart is what they do once they're in.
- What Beams does and what it doesn't doAcross the three phases of a renovation — design, procurement, and build — Beams provides tools, a designer, contracts, milestone payments, and a vetted network of builders. The builder runs the build day to day.
- What Beams is and how it worksBeams is a renovation platform. We connect you with vetted builders, generate a clear contract, hold your funds securely, and stay close enough to help when it matters.
- What if I already have my own architect, drawings, or planning permission?Bringing your own architect, drawings, or planning consents is a fully supported path. You hand over your technical pack, we match you with builders who quote against it, and you skip the design phase entirely.
- Where Beams operatesDesign and procurement are available nationwide. The build network sits inside the M25.
- Who you'll work with from start to finishA renovation involves several people. Here's everyone you'll meet through Beams, and what each of them does.
- Why use Beams vs hiring a builder yourselfHiring a builder yourself is a perfectly valid path. Beams adds vetting, a standardised contract, secure payments, and someone to turn to if you need a hand.