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 is a planning consultant with over 14 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 has specifically been advising self-builders for over 6 years.
Martin is a chartered town planner, founder of planning consultancy, Just Planning, and author of How To Get Planning Permission – An Insider’s Secrets. 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 advises on sustainable new build, retrofit of existing buildings and renewable energy. He is a consultant advising UK and overseas governments, and until recently was Director of the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance. He is also the author of the Haynes Eco-House Manual.
Alan operates a consultancy in historic building conservation, dealing principally with timber framed buildings. He runs Picketts Historic Building Conservation, offering hands-on advice to period property owners.
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 expert at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre as well as the Build It Live exhibitions. He is also the design brains behind the Build It House.
Tom has worked in the financial services industry for 27 years – 14 of these specialising in self build mortgages and finance at BuildStore, providing expert advice to hundreds of customers embarking on major homebuilding projects. Tom has completed two major homebuilding projects himself, and is widely regarded as a self build finance expert.
Julian is Build It’s design doctor and is a self-build architect with his own architects practice. He is the founder of the Association of Self Build Architects. Over the years he has written a number of books on the subjects of self-build, alteration and extensions, loft conversions and timber frame building.
Chris has dedicated the last 14 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 project – the Build It Education House.
Gerald Cole is an experienced self builder and was the launch editor of SelfBuild & Design magazine. He has over 25 years’ experience providing detailed practical advice, based on his own genuine home building experiences, and is the author of Build Your Own Brick House.
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 also conventional heating systems. See David in the Heating Advice Clinic.
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. Joanna also regularly hosts Build It Live workshops on managing a self build budget. Meet Joanna at the Build Cost Clinic.
Jake is a Chartered Architectural Technologist with a passion for creativity in residential architecture. He has a great understanding of client needs and responds with innovative design ideas. Jake has an up-to-date skill set, using all the latest technologies to inform the design process. Meet Jake at the Extensions Advice Clinic.
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 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 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.
Managing director at Western Building Consultants, James is a Chartered Architectural Technologist, an Associate RICS Building Surveyor and a member of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors. He acts as the lead on a variety of different projects, including architecture, development and specialist surveys. He has designed hundreds of homes, work spaces and sustainable projects over his career. Meet James at the Extensions Advice Clinic.
