What Beams does and what it doesn't do
Across 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, we review the milestone evidence on the platform, and you approve it.
A Beams renovation has three phases — design, procurement, and build — and our role is different in each. This article describes what we do, and what we don't.
Design
We provide design tools and an optional design service.
- Design tools. A materials catalogue, layout and finish references, and the tooling that helps your designer (or your builder) put together a clear design pack.
- Design service. If you use our design team, our designers produce design intent — drawings, finishes, materials choices, room layouts. Design support is paid by the hour; the article Design pricing — what's free, what's paid covers it.
One important point on responsibility: under the Home Improvement Contract (HIC), the builder is the designer for the works they execute. What our designers produce is design intent — a clear brief that the builder converts into specifications and constructs. If you bring your own architect, the article What if I already have my own architect, drawings, or planning permission? covers how that works.
Procurement
On Beams projects today, we don't procure on your behalf. Either you or your builder purchases materials and products from suppliers. What we provide:
- Partner-supplier network with negotiated discounts. Our partners cover a wide range of categories — kitchens, bathrooms, sanitary ware, tiles, flooring, lighting, paint — and a smaller number of consolidated deliveries means fewer logistical handoffs during the build. You can choose to buy from our partners, from your own suppliers, or have your builder source items.
- Materials tracker. A shared record of what's been specified, what's on order, what's in transit, and what's been delivered. You and your builder share a single view, which keeps orders and deliveries on track and means nothing slips between specification and install. It's also the canonical reference if a question comes up later about what was meant to arrive versus what did.
This is how Beams projects run. On some earlier projects we did buy materials on the customer's behalf. If that applies to your project, your own contract and order records are the reference, and if needed, we can confirm what we bought and what we didn't.
The article How materials work — your role, the builder's role, ours covers the practical split.
Build
By default, your builder runs the project day to day. Additional Beams project management is an optional upgrade for customers who want more hands-on support.
Standard Beams service (included with every build). This is how most customers renovate with us. It keeps costs down and responsibility clear.
- Your builder manages the site, trades, and programme day to day.
- Beams provides the structure: contracts, milestone payments, change control, and background support.
- At each of the four milestones, your builder uploads evidence of the work — photos, certificates, documentation. We review that evidence against what the milestone covers, and you approve the milestone to release the payment.
- You work directly with your builder, with Beams available to step in if something needs sorting out.
Our milestone check happens on the platform. We review the evidence your builder uploads rather than inspecting the work in person. If you'd like someone from Beams to look at the work on site, ask and we'll arrange it. Your builder is accountable for the work itself under the HIC, and the approval is always yours to give.
Additional project management (optional, paid). For larger or more complex projects, some customers choose extra support from Beams:
- Weekly site visits from Beams as a matter of course, aligned to the project's progress and risk points, rather than by request.
- More hands-on coordination and support from the Beams team alongside your builder.
- Proactive support on sequencing, decisions, and issues before they escalate.
The fee for additional project management is 20% of the build cost.
It's not right for every project. Smaller or straightforward jobs usually don't need it. Bigger, longer, or higher-risk builds often benefit from the extra structure. We'll be straight with you about the trade-off and help you decide what level of support makes sense for your project.