How to win these jobs
Every job on your list has been approved by the council, so the homeowner is about to choose who builds it. Here's how members turn the list into paid work.
Monday morning: 15 minutes
- Pick your jobs. Go down the list and open Street View for each house. Check access (scaffold, skip, parking), the condition of the house, and whether it's your kind of job and area. Look at the job size. Star the ones you want.
- Send the letters the same week. Most homeowners start getting quotes soon after approval. Being the first good letter through the door is the whole game.
- Contact the architect or agent named on the plans (see below). One good relationship can bring you jobs for years.
- Keep a note of who you wrote to and who replied. If a homeowner says no, stop and tell us, and we'll block the address for everyone.
1. The letter: your main tool
A short, personal letter addressed to "The Owner/Occupier" works best. Things that get replies:
- ✅ Mention their approved project ("your single-storey rear extension"). It shows it isn't junk mail.
- ✅ Say you're local and name streets or areas you've worked in.
- ✅ Prove you're good: 2–3 photos of similar jobs, reviews, insurance, guarantees, and any memberships (TrustMark, Federation of Master Builders, NICEIC, Gas Safe, Which? Trusted Traders).
- ✅ One clear next step: "Call or WhatsApp me for a free survey and quote."
- ✅ Handwrite the envelope and use a stamp. It gets opened.
- ✅ Include your business name, address and phone. It's a rule, and it builds trust.
- ❌ No prices in the first letter, no pressure, no "limited time offer".
Copy this and make it yours:
2. The architect or agent
Most jobs name the architect or agent who drew the plans. They're a business, so you can phone or email their office. Homeowners ask them "who do you recommend?" all the time.
- ✅ "I saw your approval on [street]. I'm a [trade] who's done [X] similar jobs locally. I'd like to quote for your clients."
- ✅ Send photos of finished work and offer to price their next couple of jobs quickly.
- ✅ Your list includes a table of the agents behind the most approvals in your area. Start at the top.
3. Timing: when your trade comes in
| Stage | Trades | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Builder, groundworker, skip hire, scaffolder | Now to ~4 months |
| Shell | Bricklayer, roofer, carpenter, windows and doors | 1–6 months |
| First fix | Electrician, plumber / heating | 2–7 months |
| Finish | Plasterer, kitchen and bathroom fitter, flooring, decorator | 3–9 months |
If you come in later, write early ("when you get to the [kitchen / electrics]…"), and get to know the builder who wins the job. The builder hires the other trades.
4. Team up with other trades
Every extension needs a builder, a roofer, an electrician, a plumber and a plasterer. Trades who pass jobs to each other win more of them:
- ✅ Builders: quote as a full team ("we bring our own roofer, sparky and plasterer"). Homeowners love one point of contact.
- ✅ Finishing trades: introduce yourself to the builders who are getting these jobs.
- ✅ Bring your crew to Granted & Ready. Tell us who you work with and we'll send them a free list for their trade. If they join, you both get a month free.
5. When you're on site
A job in progress is your best advert. Put a site board up (with the homeowner's permission). Pop a card through the neighbours' doors: "We're doing the work at number [X]. If you're planning something similar, we're just next door." Neighbours of an approved job are often planning their own.
The rules (short version)
- ✅ Post to "The Owner/Occupier", and approach the architect or agent
- ❌ No cold calls, emails, texts or WhatsApps to homeowners, and no looking up their numbers
- ❌ No pressure at the door. Don't share or resell the list
- ✅ If someone says no, stop, and tell us within 48 hours