Costs, at cost
Every invoice from Chester merchants and sub-contractors is passed straight to you, exactly as we pay it. No mark-up buried in the materials, no mystery line items.
Builders in Chester & Cheshire
Builders in Chester.
Clarity, not chaos.
Built Clear is a Chester-based builder doing things differently. Extensions, renovations and barn conversions managed on an open book — every cost visible, a fixed management fee, and a fair ten percent on top. No padded quotes, no fixed-price games.
Clarity in Simplicity
Why Chester needs a different kind of builder
The Chester building market is broken. Here's the fix.
Every Chester homeowner starts a project the same way — three quotes from three builders, three wildly different numbers, and no idea why. The one you pick invariably comes in over budget, arguments start over "extras", and the finish is nothing like the sales pitch.
That's not a Chester problem, that's a fixed-price contract problem. The whole model is designed to protect the builder from risk, and it does that by padding your price, then fighting you over every variation. Trust evaporates before the digger arrives.
Built Clear works on an open book. We price your Chester project from the plans so you know what to expect, then run the build transparently — passing every merchant and sub-contractor invoice on to you at cost, with a clear, fair margin. You always know exactly where your money is going. It's the way building should have always worked.
The Open-Book Model
Three honest numbers. That's the whole deal.
A fixed management fee
One agreed, fixed fee to run the whole project — programmed, coordinated and delivered. You know it from the start, and it doesn't move as the job progresses.
A fair 10% on top
A simple ten percent on real costs covers our overheads and profit. No 15% mark-ups, no padded contingencies. Fair to you, sustainable for us.
The result: typically around 11% less than a conventional padded Chester estimate — and a build where you and your builder are finally on the same side.
What we build in Chester
Residential construction, done properly.
Extensions
Single-storey rear extensions, two-storey side extensions, wraparound extensions and orangeries across Chester. From planning drawings to plastered walls, managed on Buildertrend so you can watch it happen.
Whole-house renovations
Period restorations in Hoole and Handbridge. Contemporary refits in Upton and Boughton. Full property rewires, replumbs and reconfigurations for Chester homes that deserve a proper reset.
Barn conversions
Traditional Cheshire brick and timber barns turned into homes. Class Q permitted development, structural works, off-grid services — the technically demanding jobs done in the open, not behind a fixed-price wall.
Loft conversions
Dormer, hip-to-gable, and Velux conversions for the older Chester housing stock. Proper structural design, proper insulation, proper finishes — no shortcuts to hit a fixed price.
Kitchen & bathroom refits
Full strip-out and refit projects, often part of a wider renovation. Complete open-book pricing on units, appliances, tiling, plumbing and electrics — you see exactly what everything costs.
New builds
Self-build project management for one-off Cheshire homes. Coordinating architect, structural engineer, groundworks, timber frame or masonry shell, and every sub-contractor from foundations to snagging.
Where we work
Chester and every village around it.
Built Clear works throughout Chester and the surrounding Cheshire villages. Our base in Rossett puts us minutes from the city and equally close to the Cheshire and North Wales sides of the border, so we're a genuinely local builder wherever your project sits.
We cover both the historic Chester core and the wider countryside — from period townhouses in the walls to farmhouse conversions in the villages.
Working further out? See our dedicated pages for Tattenhall, Tarporley, Frodsham, Northwich, Winsford, Nantwich, Farndon and Malpas, or the wider Cheshire builders hub.
- Chester city centre
- Hoole
- Handbridge
- Christleton
- Upton
- Boughton
- Blacon
- Vicars Cross
- Waverton
- Tarvin
- Tarporley
- Tattenhall
- Malpas
- Farndon
- Higher Kinnerton
- Rossett
- Pulford
- Saughall
Real words from real projects
What Chester clients say.
★★★★★
Ben and his team were meticulous in planning and really clear in their communications throughout. From start to finish, the project ran seamlessly and was actually delivered earlier than anticipated. After this positive experience, we're booking for a further renovation and extension project with Built Clear in the next six months.
Jack Best · Google Review · June 2026
Common questions
Chester builder FAQs.
How much does a builder in Chester cost?
Costs vary by scope, but Built Clear works differently to most Chester builders. We price the job from your plans to give you an accurate guide, then manage the build on an open-book basis: every merchant and sub-contractor invoice is passed to you at cost, we charge a fixed management fee agreed at the start, and add a fair 10% on top for overheads and profit. On a like-for-like project this typically comes in around 11% less than a conventional padded estimate.
What areas around Chester do you cover?
We cover Chester and all surrounding villages including Hoole, Handbridge, Christleton, Upton, Boughton, Tarvin, Tarporley, Tattenhall, Waverton, Higher Kinnerton, Rossett, Pulford, Farndon and Malpas, plus the wider Cheshire and North Wales area.
Do you take on small jobs or only large builds?
Built Clear focuses on residential projects where our open-book model genuinely earns its keep — typically extensions, whole-house renovations and barn conversions from around £80,000 upwards. Smaller than that and a fixed price from a local trade often suits the client better, and we'll say so honestly.
How is open-book different to a fixed-price contract?
A fixed-price contract bakes in a large risk margin, then turns every variation into a battle. Open-book flips it: you see every invoice from every merchant and every sub-contractor, exactly as we pay it. There is nothing hidden in the materials, no mystery line items. You pay a fixed management fee agreed up front, plus 10% on real costs. Client and builder end up on the same side.
How long does an extension in Chester typically take?
A single-storey rear extension in Chester typically runs 14–22 weeks on site, depending on size, groundworks and finish level. A two-storey side extension or larger wraparound runs 22–34 weeks. We work these programmes out from your plans before quoting and share the whole schedule with you in Buildertrend so you can see what's happening and when.
Are you FMB or accredited?
Built Clear Ltd is fully insured (public liability and contract works) and works under a full JCT or industry-standard contract on every project. We are happy to share insurance certificates, previous project references, and our full Companies House record on request.
Further reading
The government just announced a crackdown on cowboy builders. Read what the new Approved Code and Trusted Payments schemes mean for homeowners →
Start your project
Ready for a Chester builder that shows their numbers?
Send us your plans and we'll build you an honest open-book guide price. No pressure, no sales patter, no padding.