Why we built BuilderFinder
BuilderFinder was started by a builder - not a marketing company, not a lead-generation business. Someone who's spent years on the tools, and got tired of watching the same problem play out again and again: the platforms builders are supposed to rely on for work end up costing them a fortune just to speak to a customer.
The problem with buying contacts
On most trade platforms, a builder doesn't pay to do the job - they pay for the chance of it. Every time a homeowner shortlists you, or you unlock a contact's details, that's a fee. Win the job or not, the fee is gone. Multiply that across every job a builder chases, and it adds up to a serious cost of doing business - one that's completely disconnected from whether any actual work gets done.
Homeowners end up paying for it anyway
Here's the part that doesn't get talked about enough: those fees don't just disappear into thin air. A builder has to cover that cost somehow, and it usually ends up quietly folded into the quote. So the homeowner searching for a fair price ends up paying more than they should, not because the work costs more, but because the platform they found their builder through takes a cut before the job has even started.
Our approach
BuilderFinder doesn't charge builders to see a project, respond to a homeowner, or unlock contact details once accepted. No shortlist fees, no pay-per-lead pricing. We make a genuine effort to keep it that way, because we think it's the only version of this that's actually fair to both sides - builders get to quote honestly, and homeowners get to see what a job really costs, without an invisible platform fee baked into every price they receive.
What that means for you
- If you're a builder - build a public profile with real reviews and completed work, respond to local jobs, and keep what you earn.
- If you're a homeowner - post your job for free, and compare builders on their work and reputation, not on who paid the most to reach you.
We're a small team building this the way we think it should have worked from the start. If you've got feedback, we'd genuinely like to hear it: contact@builderfinder.uk.