Meet The Team, with industry experience spanning 50+ years.
Combined we have spent over 50 years in the building industry working for large building contractors (main contractors); we still find it challenging! We know of no other industry with so many moving parts or potential pitfalls. With all our experience and hard-won knowledge we find it genuinely impressive that any self-build developments get completed and that people outside of the industry have the bravery to attempt it. But many do! And most get completed, even a select few may bring it in on budget, but let us be honest these are the exception that prove the rule – Self builds take longer and cost more than expected.
Our aim is to share all our relevant industry knowledge to bring a main contractor level of organisation to the average self-build. Our guides, templates and processes are all used in the industry – they are proven to be the best possible way of organising a construction project and all the variables that go with it.
Meet our team
Been there. Done that. Bought the T-Shirt. Access our platform and gain the knowledge of our wide ranging industry experts.
Matthew Jones
CO-FOUNDER OF BUILD MANAGER
Having worked in the construction industry for over 17 years across a range of professional roles both site and office-based, Matthew has a wealth of practical and technical knowledge about Civil Engineering and Building. His career started working as a Setting-out Engineer for a North Lincolnshire based Main-contractor organisation with £25m+ turnover. Company sponsored through higher-education he gained professional qualifications in Building Studies at Sheffield Hallam University and quickly progressed to Site Manager and then Contracts Manager overseeing and delivering several multi-million pound projects to programme and budget across the UK.
In 2018 Matthew joined a £150m+ turnover Main-contractor as Framework Manager and is responsible for overseeing a number of public sector procurement Frameworks worth £25m+ annually.
2 years later Matthew decided to put the skills learned throughout his career to good use and embark on his first self-build and it was while trying to accurately price and programme the project without the resources and specialist software packages available to large Main-contractors that the idea for Build Manager was born!
Ben Taylor
CO-FOUNDER OF BUILD MANAGER
Ben has spent over 15 years working in the ‘pre-construction’ phase of the construction industry for Main-contractors in East Midlands. Starting as an Assistant Estimator and following numerous successful projects across a wide range of sectors and completion of a HNC in construction and the built environment Ben progressed to senior estimator then estimating manager where he currently oversees tender submissions for a £150m+ turnover Main-contractor.
Specialising in producing housing development budgets and carrying out early land assessments puts Ben in a unique position to share his industry knowledge with self-builders to ensure they are in the best position possible prior to physically starting work on site.
Whilst carrying out his own self-build Ben realised the construction industry does not serve self-builders well unless they are in the fortunate position of being able to employ a team of professional consultants.
After a like-minded discussion with Matthew they decided to team up and form Build Manager with the primary aim of empowering self-builders, Ben used his own personal experience to fine tune his industry knowledge into useable self-builder friendly guidance.
Jennifer Jane-Law
CO-FOUNDER OF BUILD MANAGER
Jennifer Jane Law is a Co-Founder of Build Manager, enabled by an experienced background in business management and practical experience in property development and self building. Holding a degree in Business Management, Jennifer is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) and carries an APM Project Fundamentals qualification.
Her professional property journey gained momentum while overseeing site acquisition and managing a 14 property custom build site for a local developer. However, it was her personal self-build project completed in 2021, that sharpened her insight into the world of self building. Her home was recognised by the local Building Control with an award.
Witnessing first hand the complexities and need for reliable guidance in the self-building realm led to the inception of Build Manager. The platform aims to deliver advice, guidance, and support to individuals across the UK embarking on their self-build ventures, streamlining the process and mitigating the inherent risks.
Outside of her professional endeavours, Jennifer is an avid equestrian, competing in cross country endurance events. She also co-hosts the Property and Business Network in Exeter, extending her networking and community involvement. A proactive property investor, Jennifer continually seeks new projects that align with her long-term vision.
Jennifer believes in the power of a supportive community and the significant impact it has on the challenging yet rewarding journey of self building.
Our projects
We’ve partnered with construction professionals, advisors and businesses to help support projects just like yours.
“You’ve been fantastically helpful, I will certainly be sharing your site on social media and recommending your services to other self builders. Thanks again for all your help”
Erica Brinkley-Everard, Suffolk
“Build Manager has been a godsend! The Gold Package is worth every penny! Everything is explained in plain English which gave me a huge amount of confidence.”
Sarah Baulch, Watford
“The free advice Matt & Ben provided in the early stages of our 1st self-build gave us the confidence to project manage the build process ourselves, and saved us over £24,000”
Mrs Julie Teal , Yorkshire
“Now that I have upgraded to the Gold Package it’s great, really useful and with build manager support I now feel confident and ’empowered’ to drive our project forward”
Richard Keracher, Northumberland
“It was great to find professional support specifically for self-builders, that understood the build process but also the challanges of managing your build around busy family life”