How construction payments work
Funds are held in your Beams Account and move to your builder one milestone at a time. We review the evidence on the platform at each milestone and you approve it, so no payment goes out ahead of the work.
Where the money sits
Two weeks before break ground, you fund the project into your Beams Account. The money sits there — not with the builder — and moves out one milestone at a time, as each stage of the work is reached. The Beams Account is the customer-protection mechanic at the heart of every Beams project: nothing is paid up front, and no payment runs ahead of the build.
If you've already paid the £1,000 build deposit, that comes off the figure due at this stage.
The four milestones
Construction is typically split into four milestones, each tied to an identifiable stage of the build. Some projects use custom milestones — different numbers, different percentages — but four is the standard shape. Your builder marks a milestone as complete in their dashboard and uploads the evidence. We review it, and the platform notifies you. You then have a window to approve it, raise a question, or decline approval if something isn't right.
The four standard milestones are:
- Break ground (20%). Site set-up is in place and your builder has begun work.
- First fix (30%). Structural, electrical, and plumbing first-fix is complete.
- Practical completion (20%). All scope items are installed and the space is usable. You can move in. Snags may still exist.
- Sign off (30%). Snags are cleared and the work meets the agreed standard. The 12-month workmanship warranty starts from this point.
The standard percentages are the same on every Beams project; the cash amounts come from your builder's quote.
Who checks the work
Your builder uploads evidence for each milestone — photos, certificates, documentation. We review that evidence on the platform against what the milestone covers and flag anything thin or missing. The approval itself is yours: we check the evidence, you decide whether the work is done. If you'd like someone from Beams to look at the work in person before you approve, ask your build advisor and we'll arrange an inspection.
How a payment is released
Once you approve a milestone, the corresponding payment goes to your builder through our standard payment cycle. From your end this is automatic — once you've approved, you don't need to do anything else.
If you don't act at all, the platform releases the payment automatically once the seven-day window closes. This keeps projects moving when everything's clearly fine and avoids holding builders up over a missed inbox, but it does mean silence counts as approval. The seven days are yours to use.
If you need more time, or want to decline approval over a specific issue, raise it during the window and the payment is paused while you and your builder sort it out.
Why payments work this way
Renovations go wrong financially when money moves before work is done. Holding funds in your Beams Account and tying release to milestones means your builder is paid as the build progresses, and you have a defined point at each stage to say something isn't right before the money moves.
The trade-off is a bit more admin than handing over a cheque. It's worth it. Most of the worst stories in renovation come from money that left a customer's hands before the work it was meant to pay for was complete.
What this means for you
Diarise the seven days when a milestone comes in. Approve promptly when the work has been done — builders rely on these payments to keep the job moving, and a delay at your end can compound into a delay at theirs. If you're not sure whether something's complete, ask during the window rather than letting it run out.
If you disagree with a milestone, the article What to do if you disagree with a milestone describes the path. The work doesn't stop while a snag is being sorted.