Search 200+ UK building professions by name or specialism.
Hiring the wrong professional - or not knowing you needed one at all - is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make on any UK building project. Whether you're planning a house extension, loft conversion, new build, renovation or simply trying to fix a damp problem, this guide cuts through the jargon and tells you exactly who does what, what they should and shouldn't do, and the specific qualifications and accreditations you should ask to see before signing anything.
Use it to check whether a structural engineer, architect or surveyor is genuinely needed for your project - or whether a less expensive professional will do the job just as well. Find out which regulated trades require Gas Safe registration, NICEIC membership or RICS chartership, and which can legally be carried out by anyone. Understand the difference between a building surveyor and a structural engineer, a planning consultant and an architect, a landscape architect and a garden designer.
Every profile covers what the professional actually does day-to-day, the specific UK qualifications and regulatory bodies you should look for, typical costs for common UK projects in 2025, and how to find a reputable, properly insured practitioner. With 200+ professions across 15 categories - from bricklayers and roofers through to heritage conservation specialists, acoustic engineers and SuDS drainage consultants - this is the most comprehensive free guide to UK building professionals available anywhere online.
Bricklayers, plasterers, electricians, plumbers, roofers and the full range of skilled site trades.
Heat pump installers, solar PV, battery storage, EV chargepoints, MVHR and green building specialists.
Landscape architects, garden designers, hard landscapers, horticulturists, pond specialists and more.
Building surveyors, quantity surveyors, party wall surveyors, valuation surveyors and more - all RICS explained.
Architects, architectural technologists, interior designers, landscape architects and urban designers.
Structural, civil, geotechnical, M&E, acoustic, fire and drainage engineers - when you need each one.
Planning consultants, heritage consultants, building control, CDM coordinators, energy assessors and more.
Ecologists, bat consultants, contaminated land specialists, flood risk assessors, BREEAM assessors and more.
Project managers, contracts managers, clerks of works, site managers, estimators and facilities managers.
Thatchers, lime plasterers, conservation architects, stonemasonry conservators, listed building consent and more.
Transport planners, traffic engineers, road safety auditors, S278/S38 agreement managers and utility coordinators.
Fibre and broadband installers, aerial and satellite engineers, data cabling and AV specialists.
Fire risk assessors, fire door inspectors, passive fire protection installers and Building Safety Act duty holders.
Structural warranty inspectors, NHBC, building disputes solicitors, construction adjudicators and expert witnesses.
Self-build mortgage brokers, development finance brokers and grant funding consultants.