Why I Chose a Career in Building as a Woman

People often ask me what made me get into construction.

The truth is, I never set out to work in the building industry at all.

My journey started back in 2008 when I bought my first property.

At the time, I was working in London in a business environment and had spent years saving for a deposit. Shortly before buying my first home, my dad passed away. My mum was suddenly on her own, living in Northamptonshire, and I wanted somewhere nearby where I could spend more time with her while still keeping my apartment in London.

I found the most beautiful little cottage in a small Northamptonshire village. It was quiet, surrounded by fields and located in a lovely affluent area. The people around me lived in beautiful homes and I felt incredibly lucky to have found my little place at a price I could afford.

There was just one problem.

It desperately needed renovating.

Back then I was obsessed with interior design. I had studied it at university and spent every month buying interior design magazines, collecting ideas and dreaming about how I wanted my home to look.

Like most homeowners, I relied on builders and tradespeople to bring those ideas to life.

Some were fantastic.

Many were not.

Over the years I experienced just about everything a homeowner can experience. Some tradesmen were genuine professionals who cared about their work. Others turned out to be complete disasters.

A few were outright sex pests who seemed more interested in asking me out than doing the job I'd hired them for. Some constantly crossed professional boundaries. Others simply ripped me off. One took a deposit and disappeared, never to return.

The turning point came during a kitchen renovation.

I had ripped out the old kitchen and was relocating the new one to the other end of the cottage. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the plumber arrived to connect it.

He had originally quoted around £250 to fit a new tap and waste connection.

Then came the dreaded words:

"Sorry, this won't work."

Apparently the pipe required a fall that wasn't achievable. Suddenly I was being told that my newly landscaped garden would need digging up, a new drainage route would need installing and the connection would have to run towards a neighbouring property.

My £250 plumbing job instantly became a £2,000 problem.

The builders who eventually solved it were brilliant, but that experience changed something in me.

I realised I never wanted to feel completely dependent on other people for knowledge about my own home.

So I decided to learn.

I enrolled at my local college and studied tiling. I fitted my own bathroom. I fitted my own kitchen. I tiled both rooms myself. I laid my own lawn. I got stuck into every project I possibly could.

And I absolutely loved it.

What started as necessity quickly became a passion.

I caught the renovation bug in a big way.

Over the years I continued buying, renovating and selling properties, taking on more of the work myself each time. I wanted to understand every aspect of construction, not just from a homeowner's perspective, but from a professional one.

I even went on to complete my gas qualifications.

Then, during the renovation of my most recent home, I met the man who would eventually become my husband.

He's an electrician and builder with 24 years of experience as a sparky and more than a decade in building. What impressed me most wasn't what he knew—it was how much he knew. Between us, there aren't many trades we haven't tackled.

About a year into our friendship, we decided to join forces.

Gas and electric.

Design and construction.

Planning and delivery.

Since then we've built, renovated and transformed homes together across Northamptonshire and beyond.

While my husband spends much of his time on the tools, I handle much of the business side quantity surveying, procurement, client communication, scheduling and project management. But I also still love getting involved on site whenever I can.

I genuinely enjoy every aspect of the industry.

Even the difficult customers.

Even the unexpected problems.

Even the days when everything goes wrong.

Because no two days are ever the same.

Today I'm studying for a Master's degree in Surveying and Construction Project Management while continuing to run our building and renovation company.

If someone had told the younger version of me, sat in that little cottage surrounded by interior design magazines, that one day I'd be working in construction, fitting kitchens, managing building projects and studying for a Master's in the industry, I would never have believed them.

But here we are.

And if there's one thing I'd say to women considering a career in construction, it's this:

Do it.

The industry needs more women.

There are opportunities in design, project management, surveying, estimating, procurement, engineering, trades and business ownership.

Construction has given me more freedom than any other profession I've ever worked in. It's challenged me, taught me new skills, introduced me to incredible people and allowed me to create something tangible at the end of every project.

No two days are the same.

And honestly?

I wouldn't have it any other way.