#311
Someone in the Expat Property Story network recently shared a scary story.
A remote investor had a camera set up on site so they could check progress from abroad.
The builder knew exactly where the camera was pointing. Everything in frame looked fine.
Behind it?
Chaos.
That's the world we're operating in when we run a UK refurb from Hong Kong, Dubai, or Singapore. And it's why this episode exists.
Tony Walker is a construction and property development consultant with decades of experience on both sides of the contractor relationship.
He's worked for builders and against them and joined us just a few episodes ago on Episode 301to talk about his role as co-founder of Refurb Calculator. and project delivery.
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Tony walks through how to find a builder you can actually trust from the other side of the world, how to structure payments so you never end up 90% paid out but only 50% finished, what the red flags are that should make you walk away before a single brick is laid — and the one phone call that will immediately tell you whether a builder is likely to disappear with your deposit. It's not where you'd expect.
The Non-Negotiable: You Need Someone on the Ground
You cannot run a construction project from 6,000 miles away without a trusted person in the UK. That might be a project manager, quantity surveyor (QS), your architect, or even just someone in your network who understands construction. It might simply be your main contractor. If you trust them.
If you find a builder like that, don't let them go. Pay them on time. Do everything you agreed to do. A good builder is genuinely like gold dust.
How to Find a Reliable Builder in the UK
Step 1: Get a real recommendation Not "I've heard of someone." Not "my mate Dave knows a builder." A real recommendation is: I have used this person, or I know someone who has used this person and I can put you in direct contact with them. The distinction matters more than it sounds. Tony gives the example of builders recommending their own electricians — only to discover the electrician wasn't even qualified. A second-hand mention isn't a vouching.
Step 2: Join a property networking WhatsApp group in the area you're investing This is underused by remote investors. Property networking groups across the UK have WhatsApp groups full of local professionals — solicitors, project managers, QSs, electricians, builders — who have been used and vouched for by other investors in the group. Contact the host. Explain you're investing remotely and would like to connect with trusted tradespeople in the area. Most hosts are happy to help.
Step 3: Ask for recent references — and contact them yourself Don't accept a written reference. Ask to speak directly to the person. And pay attention to the dates: if all the references are from 5 or 6 years ago, ask why. People's standards and capacity change.
Step 4: Do your own due diligence Are they a member of the Federation of Master Builders or similar? Are electricians NAPIT-registered? Are gas engineers Gas Safe? Can they provide public liability insurance at the drop of a hat? (They should be able to.) Tony's view on Checkatrade and Bark: not all bad, but they don't do the background checks people assume they do. Treat them as a starting point, not a seal of approval.
Red Flags to Walk Away From
A one-line estimate. For any meaningful project, you need a breakdown — not necessarily line by line, but enough to show what the money covers. Strip-out, electrics (first and second fix), plastering, kitchen supply and fit, tiling, bathroom — each with a cost. This isn't bureaucracy. This breakdown forms the basis of your payment schedule. Without it, you have no reference point and no protection.
"Transfer £20,000 to this account." No invoice. No description. Just a bank number and an amount. In no other industry would that be acceptable.
An invoice is basic business practice — requesting one isn't distrust, it's the minimum standard that applies everywhere else. If a builder objects to providing one, that is your answer.
No plan for who's on site and when. Ask before you start: is this your only job? How many people will be on site? Who manages the sub-trades? A builder who can't or won't give you a rough programme isn't being "a builder" — they're leaving you with no basis for holding them accountable. You don't need a formal Gantt chart. You do need to understand the shape of the project.
References that are all several years old. Already mentioned, but worth repeating as a standalone warning. Follow it up.
Starting quickly if they seem too available. The best builders are busy. An immediate start can mean a cancelled job — which is fine, dig a little deeper. But a very large deposit followed by a very quick start followed by a prolonged disappearance is a cash flow play, not a scheduling quirk.
How to Structure Payments Properly
Tony is direct on this: being 90% paid out but only 50% through the work is exactly how investors get left with unfinished projects.
Deposits: Fine for securing a slot or covering specific materials — but only with a written contract. A JCT minor works contract for larger projects, or a solicitor-drawn contract for anything significant. For material deposits specifically, Tony's preferred approach: ask for the supplier invoice, pay the supplier directly, and the materials belong to you the moment they arrive on site. If the builder doesn't turn up on Monday, you still own what's been delivered.
Staged or milestone payments: Agree the stages before work starts. First fix electrics complete, then payment. Plastering signed off, then payment. Don't accept "we want £25,000 on Thursday" mid-project with no reference to the original breakdown.
Valuation-based payments: Tony's preferred method for larger projects. Every fortnight or month, go through the schedule line by line — what % of each element is complete — and pay only for what's been done. 7-day payment terms from valuation. Completely transparent for both sides.
You should never be significantly more paid out than you are progressed. If the numbers are out of step, something has gone wrong.
Managing the Project Once It's Underway
Regular video calls — weekly or fortnightly, whatever suits you — with Tony or a trusted representative present. Not just a pre-recorded walk-through. A live video where you can ask to see specific rooms. If you haven't seen the bathroom in the last two updates, ask for it. Before paying for completed work, ask for the evidence: electrical certificate, gas safe report, photographs. Not because you don't trust the builder. Because this is how professional projects work.
The Builders Merchant Tip
Tony's standout piece of advice — the free phone call that tells you more about a builder than any reference check.
Ring your local builders merchant — Travis Perkins, a local independent, whoever supplies the area — and ask them to recommend a builder.
They will only recommend builders who pay on time. A builder who is a poor payer — weeks or months overdue — almost certainly has cash flow problems. And a contractor with cash flow problems is a contractor who will use your deposit to fund their last project, disappear for three weeks mid-refurb, and blame everything on supply chain delays.
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