News

I’m going to tell you a story about a business man and a building firm owner… are you sitting comfortably? An experienced business man gets chatting to a building firm owner who carries out extensions and loft conversions. He offers to take a look at how the owner is running his company. First he asks for the following: The turnover value of each of the projects in the last financial…

Article: Construction firms: How to estimate your way to a successful future with these 10 tips. What have you got that other building firms haven’t? Us. The fact that you’ve landed here is already giving you a head start. So it’s probably best that no one else knows about this page. Keep it on the down low. Otherwise they’ll all want a piece of the action. You see; every building…

Hands up if you find building work stressful? Or maybe you’re running such a tight ship and are using all the right software! You are not alone if you have more bad days than good ones. According to the Lighthouse Club, the construction industry charity, ‘stress, depression or anxiety accounts for a fifth of all work related illness’. I can’t think of any builder I know who started their building…

Stress in construction is huge and we want to help. Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem. Stress in particular is a very real problem, along with anxiety and depression. If you’re struggling with your own mental health, are supporting a colleague or loved one, or want to understand the subject better, then please note the phone numbers and contact details of supportive organisations…

Complete the form below to get your handy overheads spreadsheet template produced exclusively for builders. Do you factor overheads into every single project quotation? Are you making the profit you should? There’s more to pricing a construction project than materials, plant and labour – the overheads for running your business and the profit margin you need to factor in are crucial too – on every quote. So to help, we’ve…

Solar power and energy efficiency are popular topics amongst homeowners right now (along with EV charging but that’s for another time!). Do you have all the answers to their questions?  Below is an article written by Richard Percival from Comera Energy, a member of the HBXL supplier network. They specialise in the design, supply and installation of PV solar panels, working in conjunction with residential building firms to provide a…

‘How old is HBXL’ is a question we love to be asked. HBXL Building Software is celebrating 21 years in 2021. And we’re proud of our long-standing reputation. Big birthday deals end 31.3.21 >> Adrian Wild, MD of HBXL In March 2000 Adrian Wild, then a builder himself, founded the business to help other builders looking for software to take the admin strain. Today, we’re the UK’s number one provider…

When it comes to producing a building quote for a profitable win… Do you quote for building projects in the sure and absolute knowledge that your pricing is fair and accurate? They can take it or leave it. Do you feel comfortable that the profit margin you set is reasonable for the quality and professionalism the customer benefits from? Do you make it a rule to go after customers who…

I am very pleased to introduce this guest post by Simon Lazarus, Managing Director of The Better Business Group, network partner of HBXL and someone who I have happily chatted to a number of times for our Power Hour face-to-face sessions. As ever wise words from an experienced mentor of building firm owners… 2021 has arrived with another lockdown and your Business is under pressure: – The current climate is…

(Transcript of letter from the The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, December 2020) You will have seen the Prime Minister’s announcement on 19th December introducing an additional Tier 4 in London, parts of the South East and the East of England. As explained in his statement, this is to combat the spread of a new variant of Covid-19. The Prime Minister outlined the detail of Tier 4, which includes asking…

17 December 2020 The furlough scheme has been extended. The government today announced a further extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: The scheme will remain open until the 30th April 2021 (it was due to finish on 31 March) The Government will maintain contributions at 80% (up to the cap) for hours not worked. It was anticipated that employers may be required to contribute towards furlough costs, as was…

Hello, As you know, a national lockdown starts on Thursday 5th November. Non-essential shops, bars, restaurants, gyms, leisure centres and so on, will be closing. However the Prime Minister has explicitly said that construction and manufacturing should continue. Yes the building industry is very much open for business! The Construction Leadership Council has also confirmed the news. Workers should continue to travel to work and attend their workplace, including where…