Ask Our Experts

Ever wanted to ask our experts a question? Build It Magazine’s experts will be on hand all weekend at Build It Live, apart from when they are presenting their seminars! They are dedicated to answering your questions and helping you make your project a little easier to digest.

The Ask Our Experts lounge is many visitors’ favourite Build It Live destination. Discuss your project with our specialists, providing practical and impartial advice. They love helping people along their self build and renovation journeys, so come prepared with your questions, floor plans or other documents, and take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.

Check out our experts in action, or watch our general visitor experience video.

Julia Riddle

PLANNING

Julia is a planning consultant with over 15 years of experience in a variety of planning work, including advising on and achieving planning permission for residential development on a range of scales. She has been involved in writing guidance on custom and self-build to inform the national planning approach and is a member of the Right to Build Task Force, aiming to grow opportunities for bespoke housebuilding.

MARTIN GAINE

PLANNING

Martin is a chartered town planner, founder of planning consultancy, Just Planning, and author of How To Get Planning Permission – An Insider’s Secrets. A former planning case officer, he champions homeowners in the planning system, helping them to solve sticky planning problems, get planning permission, win appeals and deal with enforcement issues.

NIGEL GRIFFITHS

ECO HOMES

Nigel advises on sustainable new build, retrofit of existing buildings and renewable energy. He is the author of the Haynes Eco-House Manual, and until recently was Director of the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance. He has advised UK government on energy policy and inspected hundreds of biomass and heat pump installations on behalf of Ofgem.

ALAN TIERNEY

PERIOD PROPERTIES & RENOVATION

Alan is a period homes and conservation specialist. He ran a historic building consultancy for many years, offering hands-on advice to the owners of heritage homes, and has recently completed his latest renovation project, Old Barnstaple House.

OPINDER LIDDAR

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Opinder is a Build It Award-winning architect and a director at Lapd Architects. He specialises in self-build homes and renovation projects. Opinder is a regular at the Build It Live exhibitions and designed Build It’s Self Build Education House, which you can tour virtually at self-build.co.uk/ourhouse.

TOM MCSHERRY

FINANCE

Tom has worked in the financial services industry for over 25 years – the last 10 of these specialising in self-build mortgages and finance at BuildStore, providing expert advice to hundreds of customers embarking on the bespoke home journey. Tom has completed two major home building projects himself and is widely regarded as a self-build finance expert.

JANE DUNCAN

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Jane is a chartered architect and former president of RIBA. She founded Jane Duncan Architects, a practice specialising in quality sustainable homes, where she remains a consultant. Jane has helped hundreds of people realise their dream home, and designed and self built her own future-ready eco house 15 years ago.

CHRIS BATESMITH

SELF BUILD AND RENOVATION

Chris is Build It’s Content Director. He has dedicated the last 15 years to writing about self-build and is a champion for pushing the boundaries of self-build in the UK. Chris is a trained site carpenter and recently project managed Build It’s very own self-build – the Build It Education House (www.self-build.co.uk/ourhouse).

DAVID HILTON

HEATING, RENEWABLES & VENTILATION

David is a renewables and ventilation installer, with over 35 years' experience. He is a member of the Gas Safe Register, has a Masters degree in Sustainable Architecture, and is an authority in sustainable building and energy efficiency, with extensive knowledge in building fabrics, heat recovery ventilation, renewables and conventional heating systems. See David in the Heating Advice Clinic.

JOANNA MULGREW

ESTIMATING & COSTS

Joanna is the MD of the HBXL Group. The multi-faceted business provides award-winning construction software tools, and operates an Estimating Service for builders, directly and via builders’ merchants. HBXL has, for a number of years, managed the Build It Estimating Service exclusively for self builders and homeowners. Meet Joanna at the Build Cost Clinic.

MARK STEVENSON

HEATING, RENEWABLES & VENTILATION

Mark has worked as a construction professional for over 35 years and is a serial self builder. He runs project management consultancy Elsworth Projects and, as Chair of NaCSBA, advocates for the interests of self builders and contributes to the success of the emerging custom build industry.

Tom Gray

EXTENSIONS & RENOVATIONS

Tom Gray is an experienced Chartered Architectural Technologist, director at Robert Shreeve Associates and a past winner of International Chartered Architectural Technologist of the Year. Skilled in architecture, planning, construction and building surveying, he has worked on a wide range of quality residential and commercial projects. Meet Tom at the Extensions Advice Clinic.

John Spearman

BASEMENTS & STRUCTURAL WATERPROOFING

John is a specialist in new build and retrofit basement projects, and a certificated surveyor in structural waterproofing. He is director of Surrey Basements, which completed the waterproofing design and installation for the basement at Build It’s Self Build Education House. Head to the Basement Advice Clinic to chat with John.

Steve Sevier

BASEMENTS & STRUCTURAL WATERPROOFING

Steve is a structural waterproofing engineer, and was the hands-on installer for the waterproofing solutions at Build It’s Self Build Education House. He has over 35 years’ experience delivering high-quality basement living spaces. Meet Steve at the Basement Advice Clinic.

SIMON WILD

ESTIMATING & COSTS

Simon is Senior Estimator for the Build It Estimating Service, having had his own home extension building business in the late 90s. For over 15 years the HBXL Estimating Service has benefitted from Simon’s extensive building knowledge, which more recently is also being shared with users of the Build It Estimating Service. Like all the estimators in the team, he certainly knows his way around a plan and will very quickly point out any anomalies. Pick his brain at the Build Cost Clinic.

Sandeep Saddal

EXTENSIONS, NEW BUILDS & CONVERSIONS

Chartered Architectural Technologist and director of SSK Architects, Sandeep Saddal (MCIAT) has extensive knowledge of all forms of residential projects from extensions to new builds and flat conversions, including conservation areas and difficult sites. He works with a number of councils within greater London and surrounding areas. Meet Sandeep at the Extensions Advice Clinic.