Net-positive energy home leads Scottish success at 2025 Master Builder Awards

Held by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the awards celebrate the builders who are the backbone of Britain’s housing and repair market: they’re the builders who retrofit homes so energy bills come down and deliver the new housing stock communities so desperately need. 

This year’s national winners, who were unveiled on Friday 26 September at Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in a ceremony hosted by Nick Knowles, range from family-run builders breathing new life into heritage properties to innovators pushing the limits of sustainable design.

The overall winner - Neath-based R & M Williams Limited - walked away with a brand-new Isuzu Pick-Up worth £42,000, courtesy of headline sponsor Isuzu.

Neath-based R & M Williams Limited was crowned Overall Master Builder of the Year 2025, as well as taking home the Commercial or Public Sector Project Award, for its spectacular transformation of Swansea’s Grade II-listed Palace Theatre. Built in 1888 and left derelict for almost two decades, the theatre has been reborn as a state-of-the-art, Grade A flexible office and events space as part of the city’s £1bn regeneration programme.

The £10m project, delivered in partnership with Swansea Council and funded through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, has been hailed as a benchmark for heritage-led regeneration. The team overcame extraordinary challenges - from a collapsed roof and flooded basement to hidden staircases and structural complexities - while carefully preserving original features and sympathetically reinstating lost elements such as the conical roof and door canopies. In doing so, they achieved 93% diversion from landfill and secured an 87% Welsh supply-chain spend, cementing the project’s role as a catalyst for economic growth in Swansea.

Judge George Wallis, head of marketing for Isuzu, praised R & M Williams for turning “two decades of decay into something truly beautiful,” describing the Palace Theatre as “a spectacular project that has taken an ugly duckling and turned it into a Swansea swan.” Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, called it a “landmark example of the public and private sector working together to save heritage while creating a vibrant civic asset.”

Hat-trick of Scottish wins

The Sustainable Building Award went to Spey Building & Joinery Ltd, which delivered Taigh na Coille (House of the Woods) in the far north-west of Scotland - a remote, highly sustainable home designed to meet the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge.

Built within a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the project was constructed almost entirely from prefabricated engineered timber to minimise environmental impact, with the house sitting lightly on steel posts rather than heavy foundations. Features include triple glazing, wood-fibre insulation, solar PV with battery storage, solar water heating, MVHR and even heat recovery from shower drains - resulting in estimated annual emissions of just 11kgCO2/m2 and the potential for net-positive energy use. 

The home is clad in untreated British ash, designed for longevity and zero run-off pollution, while internally low-VOC oak-veneered panels create a warm, natural aesthetic. Despite extreme weather and access challenges, the team delivered a building of exceptional craftsmanship and environmental integrity, setting a benchmark for sustainable design in one of the UK’s most sensitive landscapes.

Deaf builder Martin Sneddon of Martin & Son Builders was named Outstanding Builder of the Year. Martin has become a powerful example of inclusion and excellence in the construction industry, proving that disability is no barrier to exceptional craftsmanship and leadership. Known for his clear communication and ability to read situations, Martin quickly won the trust of his clients - offering advice beyond the tender brief and finding inventive solutions to challenges, such as redesigning window placements around structural obstacles.

Judges remarked: “His generosity shone through when he completed outdoor works without immediate payment to ease financial pressures for his clients, turning what could have been a stressful build into a supportive partnership. Deeply respected by his team and neighbours, Martin has also raised over £16,000 for the Beatson Cancer Centre and Crosshouse Hospital and each year he inspires the next generation by running hands-on construction workshops in schools. His story combines resilience, community impact and first-class building skills - qualities that make him a standout winner of Outstanding Builder of the Year.”

Apprentice of the Year winner Liam Adamson’s journey from labourer to apprentice bricklayer is a story of resilience, dedication and late-blooming talent. Joining Haldane Construction in 2013, Liam learned the trade by observing subcontractors before seizing the chance at 30 to begin a full apprenticeship - proving it’s never too late to retrain. Now in his fourth year, with an SCQF Level 6 already achieved, Liam has become a mentor to a younger apprentice while balancing his own final skills test. 

His leadership has also extended beyond site and college, supporting the FMB through blogs and magazine features that highlight the value of apprenticeships. Praised by his tutors at Forth Valley College for his craftsmanship and integrity, Liam has emerged as the cornerstone of his team, helping uphold the legacy of the company’s late founder. His story is both inspirational and a powerful reminder of the life-changing potential of apprenticeships.

National Winners 2025

• R & M Williams Limited - Overall Master Builder Awards Winner and Commercial or Public Sector Project, Wales
• Spey Building & Joinery Ltd - Sustainable Building Award, Scotland
• ADD Sustainable Construction Ltd - Housebuilder Award, South West
• I J Curry & Son Limited - Small Renovation Project, Northern Counties
• Martin & Son Builders - Outstanding Builder of the Year, Scotland
• ASJ Construction Ltd - Kitchen Project, Northern Counties
• Barr Group Ltd - Workplace Culture Award, Southern Counties
• Preece & Sons (Carpentry) Limited - Large Renovation Project, Central
• Haldane Construction Services Ltd - Apprentice of the Year, Scotland
• I J Curry & Son Limited - Bathroom Project, Northern Counties
• SG Design and Build (Construction) Ltd - Medium Renovation Project, Yorkshire & Trent
• Home Republic Limited - Business of the Year, London

The awards coincided with Britain’s builders finally starting to come out of the dark after a prolonged downturn. For the first time since mid-2023, workloads (+25%), enquiries (+34%) and employment (+26%) were all back in positive territory in the first half of 2025, according to the Federation of Master Builders’ State of Trade Survey. But the recovery is fragile. 61% of firms still report skilled labour shortages, 75% face spiralling material costs, and 23% of projects are being delayed or cancelled. Without urgent action to address these barriers, FMB warned there is a real risk of sliding backwards - leaving families waiting longer and paying more for essential building work.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “Britain’s builders have faced a brutal few years - rising material costs, a shortage of skilled trades, projects delayed or cancelled, and the knock-on impact of wider economic uncertainty. Yet these awards show that, even under immense strain, our members have continued to deliver extraordinary results for their clients and communities. They have adapted, problem-solved and innovated in ways that prove just how vital they are to the future of our industry.

“This year’s winners showcase the very best of UK construction. We’ve seen a historic theatre in Wales brought back to life; sustainable homes built to world-leading climate standards in the Scottish Highlands; and family firms turning crumbling barns, bungalows and stone cottages into modern, efficient homes. We’ve also celebrated builders like Martin Sneddon, who overcame the barriers of deafness to inspire his team, support his community, and deliver craftsmanship of the highest order. These are projects that don’t just change buildings - they change lives.

“But the truth is that too many builders are still battling against a system that holds them back. If the government is serious about tackling the housing crisis, driving green retrofits, and building resilient communities, then it must back builders with better access to skills, speed up planning reforms, and introduce a licensing scheme for the building industry. Without that support, we risk undermining the people who are keeping Britain building.”

The 2025 National Master Builder Awards took place on Friday 26 September 2025 at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester.