What to do if your project is paused or your builder pauses work

Pauses and timeline changes on a Beams build are proposed by your builder and processed through updated milestones on the platform. This article describes how that works in practice, what you can do from your side, and how things get back on track.

How a pause actually happens

You can't directly pause a project or move a milestone date yourself. What you can do is decline to approve a milestone — for example, because something quality-related needs sorting before more work is done on top, because there's a safety concern, or because something external has stopped the conditions under which work can continue. When you decline, the milestone payment is held and your builder is told why.

From there, your builder is the one who proposes the operational response — including, if needed, an updated milestone schedule. They process it through the platform, your build advisor reviews it on the Beams end, and the new dates get recorded. Pauses sit inside this same flow: a paused build is a build whose next milestone has been pushed back, with a recorded reason.

When you might want to flag a pause

Common reasons to flag concerns that may lead to a pause:

• A serious quality issue that needs assessing before more work is done on top.
• A contract or commercial issue that needs sorting out — for example, a dispute over scope or pricing that affects the next phase.
• A safety concern that needs investigation.
• An external event — a leak from above, a freeholder issue — that has stopped the conditions under which work can safely continue.

In each case, raise the concern with your builder first, in writing through the platform. Be specific about what needs to happen before you'd be comfortable approving the next milestone. If you and the builder can't get there together, your build advisor is the next step.

What happens during a pause

• Milestone payments are held. Funds in your Beams Account aren't released for milestones not yet approved.
• Your build advisor coordinates with your builder on what's needed to resume.
• The site stays as it is. Your builder usually leaves the site in a safe condition; depending on the pause length, certain temporary protections may need to be put in place.

When the builder pauses work

Your builder can also legitimately pause work — for example, if they haven't been paid for a milestone they reasonably consider complete, if access to the site has been withdrawn, or if a safety issue prevents continued work. In each of these, the builder proposes the pause and records the updated programme through the platform.

If your builder pauses, your build advisor will tell you why and what's needed to sort it out. The contract sets the framework for both sides' rights here.

Resuming work

Resumption follows written confirmation that the issue prompting the pause has been sorted out. Your builder updates the milestone dates on the platform; your build advisor reviews; work picks up.

When pause becomes termination

Most pauses end in resumption. A small number become serious enough that the project doesn't restart — typically when the relationship has broken down. The article What to do if your relationship with your builder breaks down covers that path.

What this means for you

You influence pauses by what you do at the milestone — approve, ask a question, or decline. You can't push the dates yourself, but you can hold approval until the issue is sorted, and your builder will propose the revised programme that follows. If you're not sure whether something warrants holding approval, talk to your build advisor.

Related articles

• What to do if your relationship with your builder breaks down
• What to do if your project is significantly delayed
• The contracts behind your project