How do you find a good local builder?
Start with builders who have already done your kind of job near you, then check them yourself before you ask for a price. A good local builder for a loft conversion is not always the right firm for a new roof or a driveway, so search by the job first and the town second. Shortlist two or three firms, confirm their scheme membership and company details on the official registers, and ask each for a written, itemised quote for the same work. The Federation of Master Builders recommends detailed written quotes from at least three builders (FMB).
You can search this directory by job and by town or postcode. Every listing is matched to an active company at Companies House; firms from TrustMark are also matched to its register. Each listing shows the register we checked it against and when, and a firm that has not claimed its listing is marked as not yet verified. Treat our check as a starting point and confirm any membership on the scheme's own website.
Do builders need a licence in the UK?
No. Building is an unlicensed trade, and there is no single qualification or licence a person must hold to call themselves a builder (FMB). That is why the checks fall to you. Membership of a vetted scheme is the nearest thing to a licence: TrustMark describes itself as the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in or around the home, and its registered businesses are vetted and monitored by its scheme providers (TrustMark).
Some trades can certify their own work through a competent person scheme. If you use someone registered with one, you do not need to get building regulations approval yourself for that work (GOV.UK).
What should you check before you hire a builder?
Run these checks on every firm on your shortlist, before you pay anything:
- Scheme membership. If a builder says they belong to TrustMark, the FMB or another scheme, look them up on that scheme's own website. A logo on a van or a quote proves nothing on its own.
- Company details. For a limited company, search the Companies House register. You can see the registered address, date of incorporation and current and past officers for free (GOV.UK).
- Insurance. Ask to see the public liability certificate and check that the name and dates match the quote. A firm that employs staff must hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million by law (GOV.UK).
- A quote, not an estimate. A quote is a fixed price; an estimate is a rough guess, so you might end up paying more (Citizens Advice).
- A written contract. Get the scope, price, start date, payment stages and guarantee in writing before you say yes.
- A sensible deposit. Citizens Advice says not to pay everything up front and, if a deposit is unavoidable, not to agree to more than 25% (Citizens Advice).
Our longer guide on how to hire a builder covers guarantees, staged payments and what to do if the work goes wrong.
Does your job need planning permission or building regulations?
They are two different approvals, and many jobs need one without the other. In England and Wales you will probably need planning permission to build something new, make a major change such as an extension, or change the use of a building; your local council's planning team can tell you (GOV.UK). Building regulations approval is a separate step: you can get it from your council's building control team or from a private registered building control approver. If the work does not comply, the person doing it can be prosecuted and fined, and you may be left without the certificates you need when you sell (GOV.UK).
Read when you need planning permission for an extension and which home improvements need building regulations before you ask for quotes, so every builder prices the same approved scheme.
Working on a wall you share with a neighbour, or digging foundations close to their house, also brings in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 in England and Wales. Notice is due at least two months before work to a party wall and at least one month before excavation (GOV.UK).
How does MyLocalBuilders rank builders?
The ranked list is ordered by verified review score over the last twelve months, then by distance from the town or postcode you searched. Nobody can pay to move up it. A Featured listing buys a share of a separate slot above the list, labelled as featured, and the ranked list underneath stays the same. When a town has more than three Featured builders they take turns in that slot, and on other days sit in the list where their reviews place them. We publish a review only once we have confirmed the reviewer was a customer, and a builder cannot edit or remove one. Our review and ranking rules are public.
When you send an enquiry it goes to the one builder you picked, with a copy to us, and to no other builder. We do not sell your details or run a lead auction, and using the site is free.
What does building work cost?
Prices depend on the size of the job, the house and the region, so a written quote is the only figure to rely on. Our cost guides set out typical ranges with their sources: house extensions, loft conversions, dormer lofts, kitchen fitting and bathroom renovation.
Builders in your city
City pages explain who handles planning and building control locally and what the housing stock means for your job. Start with London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff or Newcastle, or see every city.