Cash flow problems on small builds almost always come back to the same root cause: nobody knows where the money has actually gone, so valuations become arguments. The fix is a cost plan structured the way the build will actually run.

For Tavistock-based contractors we set up cost plans with line items that mirror trade packages, then run bi-weekly valuations against them. Variations are logged against the plan as they happen, not bundled at the end. The client sees a running total, the builder gets paid on time and there are no surprises at completion.

It isn’t complicated work, but it does have to be set up properly at the start. Done well it pays for itself many times over.