Frank

Your building project adviser
For professionalsSign in

Stay on top of your building project

Building projects of any scale are complex, costly and high-stakes. Frank is a digital adviser, designed to help you catch errors, answer questions and keep track.

Get started freeDEMOSEE HOW IT WORKSTry the demo, 90 sec

Built for projects from kitchen refurbs to new builds.

Example finding

Ask your builder
  • Has the structural engineer confirmed the beam schedule is coordinated with the latest architect drawings?
  • Will you hold off ordering the loft steel (LFB1-5) until that coordination is confirmed in writing?

Source: Structural-Engineer-Beam-Schedule.pdf / Architect-Drawings-GA.pdf · Structural-Engineer-Beam-Schedule.pdf, p. 2

Your project includes structural steel (beams RB1-3, LFB1-5, column C1/P1, and trimmer beams FT1/FT2). Before ordering or installing any steel, confirm with your structural engineer that the steel specification and position has been coordinated with the architectural drawings. Structural steel is irreversible once installed. In particular, confirm that the cranked loft beam LFB1 position has been coordinated with the pocket door locations at ground floor, and that the loft floor beam grid has been coordinated with the stair opening geometry.
From the document
Beam schedule lists LFB1 as a cranked beam over the loft opening; GA drawings show pocket doors on the ground-floor party wall line and a stair opening within the loft floor grid. No coordination sign-off is recorded.
Recommendation
Get written confirmation from your structural engineer that the beam schedule has been checked against the current architectural drawings — specifically the LFB1 position against the ground-floor pocket doors, and the loft floor grid against the stair opening — before any steel is ordered or installed.

Are you an architect, engineer or contractor? Access FrankPro for professionals here →

Frank
  • Checks your quotes, plans and specifications against UK building regulations and best practice — and against each other, to catch discrepancies before they become problems
  • Answers your building questions in plain English, grounded in your actual documents
  • Flags problems before work starts, when they’re cheaper to fix
  • Keeps every document, decision and conversation in one place
Frank · Analysis reportSample report

Maple Terrace — Full Renovation

Full renovation · Extension · Loft conversion · Contract £268,400 · 6 documents reviewed

3

Action

3

Check

Act on first

  • ActionStructural steel not confirmed as coordinated before installation
  • ActionNo party wall consent or award on file, but notice already served
  • ActionPayment schedule is front-loaded ahead of physical progress

Ask your builder

  • Has the structural engineer confirmed the beam schedule is coordinated with the latest architect drawings?
  • Will you hold off ordering the loft steel (LFB1-5) until that coordination is confirmed in writing?
  • Can you provide written consent from the neighbour at No. 16 or the signed Party Wall Award before we continue?

  • Free

    Upload your documents and see your top three findings, free. Or try the demo above first, with no documents needed.

  • £9.99/month

    A subscription unlocks every finding and lets you keep your site notes, correspondence and documents together, then ask Frank about them as the project moves on. One subscription covers every project at the same property.

  • Pause or cancel anytime

    Building work is stressful enough without another bill to watch. If a property has no activity for 60 days, we stop billing at the end of the period you’ve paid for. Your project and its record are kept, and you can resume from the property page whenever you like.

  • Accuracy, tested openly

    Frank catches about 97% of the known issues we planted across 15 synthetic test projects (111 issues). On a held-out set of 22 issues we never tuned against, it caught 95.5%.

What architects say

“Frank is amazing and flags up so many areas that need consideration”
Bhavina VasishtaBhavina VasishtaChartered Architect and specialist in forensic analysis of design and construction defects

Why we built Frank

We experienced not one but two disastrous building projects that all but bankrupted us. Both times we prepared rigorously, took advice, and proceeded with caution.

When we spoke to friends and family about it, almost everyone had a builder horror story of their own.

For homeowners the stakes are high — hard earned savings, disruption to your home and life, and the worry and stress that comes with it. It has to be worth it. Yet you are at a disadvantage from the start. Of all the people involved, you are the only one who has never done it before. In spite of reassurances, committing your money inevitably feels like a leap of faith.

Client-side building advisers are non-negotiable on large commercial projects, but homeowners rarely use them — it is expensive and yet another person to coordinate with.

We built Frank to change that. An adviser to hand who can always give a second opinion. Like any good adviser, Frank is designed to ask questions, identify inconsistencies and gaps — not replace your own judgement or your professionals' expertise.

If you have feedback, a horror story of your own, or suggestions to improve Frank, we would love to hear from you.

hello@askfrank.org

Daniel Palmer, founder of Frank
Daniel PalmerFounder

Start with a free analysis

Upload your first document and Frank will tell you what to watch out for — free. Everything else follows from there.

Get started free