How it works · Home & Property Owners
How Compare Builders works.
Three steps. Start your project in two minutes. Verified builders place sealed bids. One winner contacts you — never a flood of cold calls.
Tell us about your job
Start your project in two minutes. Nine short screens: your details, project type, budget bracket, timeline, location. We verify your mobile — no junk gets through.
Builders bid for the lead
Verified Premium builders place sealed bids to win the right to contact you — you never pay a thing.
The winner contacts you
One verified builder contacts you. No other builders ever see your details. Publicly verifiable by their CB-XXXXX number.
Your journey
Nine funnel screens plus the supporting flows around them.
Your details
Name, email and mobile first — your progress saves, and only the one builder who wins your enquiry ever sees them.
Project type
Extension, loft conversion, renovation, kitchen, bathroom, landscaping, new build, or something else. One tap.
Project specifics
Sub-type and approximate size. Slider, not a free-text field — exact numbers aren’t useful at this stage.
Project status
Where the project is right now — ideas, drawings, structurals, planning. The biggest predictor of a smooth project.
Budget bracket
Pick a band. Builders quote the project, not the band — exact figures aren’t useful at this stage.
Timeline
ASAP through to just exploring. The ‘just exploring’ route is honest — useful planning info, not a hot-lead push.
Location
Your postcode drives the match radius. We don’t share your address with builders until the auction is paid.
Photos & plans (optional)
Site photos, floor plans, architect drawings — anything that helps a builder bid accurately. Skip if you’d rather not.
Review, verify & consent
Check your summary, give GDPR consent and confirm your email and mobile with short codes — mandatory before the auction fires.
Holding page (submitted)
Project summary, what happens next, optional add-ons. The winning builder is in touch shortly.
What happens behind the scenes
The bit that’s invisible to you, but does the heavy lifting on trust and quality.
Matching
Verified Premium builders get an auction invite by email based on trade and postcode.
Sealed-bid auction
Builders send sealed bids for exclusive access to the lead. Highest valid bid wins. Lost bidders pay nothing.
Lead release
The winning builder pays for the lead — your contact details unlock for them only to contact you.
Not ready to start yet?
Estimate your project based on prices in your local area, and read our guides while you plan.
Got more questions?
Common questions about the auction, the verification standard, privacy and what happens if no builder bids — all answered in the Support Centre.
Visit the Support Centre