About Mark

I've spent my working life on sites. I now use that experience on the homeowner's side of the table.

Background

My background is in construction project management, luxury home building, landscaping and groundworks, including operating plant. I've designed and built complete projects myself, from the retaining walls and groundworks up, so I know where builds go wrong and what it looks like before it does.

I hold the CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) qualification and a Level 7 qualification in strategic management.

Completed cedar-clad garden room with sliding glazed doors and porcelain terrace — A garden room I designed and built myself: groundworks, retaining walls, frame, cladding and glazing

A project from the ground up

I designed and built this garden room myself, from the drainage and retaining walls to the cedar cladding. Knowing each stage from the inside is what makes the inspections worth paying for.

Excavator working beside a house with new retaining walls under construction — Groundworks and retaining walls in progress

Open trench with water main and ducting laid alongside a new building — Services laid before anything was covered up

Timber frame walls standing on a new insulated slab — Frame up on the insulated slab

Steel beam supporting timber roof joists over a timber frame building — Steel beam and roof joists: the stage worth checking twice

Brick retaining walls and steps forming a terraced courtyard — Brick retaining walls and steps

Cedar cladding and glazing being fitted to the building — Cladding and glazing going on

Close view of the cedar soffit, downlights and sliding glazed doors — Detail: soffit, downlights and door threshold

Renovation and structural work

Other projects I've worked on: opening up roofs and walls, installing steels, stripping back to the structure and taking the finishes through to handover. These are the stages where costs move fastest and where an independent check pays for itself.

Scaffolded house with the gable opened up and new timber structure in place — Roof structure opened up: the point where budgets are won or lost

A new steel beam being positioned and checked against the padstone — Steel beam going in: bearings and padstones checked on the day

Wall and roof junction opened up showing existing timbers and blockwork — Opened up: what the survey missed and the quote didn't price

Strip-out under way inside a house, with a worker clearing the room — Strip-out: the stage where surprises surface

Large kitchen with dark cabinetry and stone floor, at second fix — Second fix: the finish the client is actually paying for

Large-format marble-effect tiles being set out on a bathroom wall — Tiling set out before it is fixed, not after

Aerial view of a finished garden room and terraced patio with planting — Finished: building, terrace and planting as one scheme

How I stay independent

Independence is the whole point of the service, so here's exactly what it means.

I'm appointed and paid only by you.
I don't take commission, referral fees or discounts from builders, trades or suppliers.
I charge fixed fees, so I gain nothing if your project costs more.
I don't act as your builder, Principal Contractor or Principal Designer.

Insurance

Professional indemnity insured. Details available on request.

Not sure what help you need?

Tell me about your project and I'll tell you honestly whether you need me.

Book a free 20-minute call 07714 198743