WHAT started as a home renovation project has developed into a complete career overhaul for physiotherapist-turned builder Emma Hulme.

When the 35-year-old founder of Builder Girl bought the Sandiway house where she lives with her son, Noah, it was a run-down property in need of a lot of TLC.

At the time, Emma was working as a health care professional at Northwich Victoria Infirmary and had decided to spend any spare time she had doing up the four-bed house.

Teaching herself skills such as brickwork, tiling, roofing and decorating via YouTube videos tutorials and Internet searches, Emma completely transformed her home and discovered she had a real knack for the construction trade, leading her to the conclusion three years ago that she had what it took to become a building contractor.

Northwich Guardian:

After spending the first 18 months balancing part-time physio work while learning on the job from her growing team of helpers, Builder Girl Emma finally went full time 18 months ago and has been solidly booked up ever since.

And while being a female contractor helps her stand out from the crowd, for Emma her biggest unique selling point is the main reason she decided to renovate her own home in the first place.

“We turn up,” she says, matter-of-factly. “One of my biggest frustrations, when I was trying to work on my property, was getting people to show up when they said they would.

“If I say I am going to take on a job and be there, then that’s exactly what I do. In fact, you’ll see the phrase ‘we turn up’ on all of our marketing.”

Despite the jobs being seemingly poles apart, Emma believes that there are lots of transferable skills between her old and new roles.

“I was a community physio in my last job, and a lot of that was about going into people’s homes, building up a rapport with them which is a big part of what I do now,” she says. “In fact, I recently did a roofing job for one of my former patients!

“They are also both, by their nature, very physical jobs and I love to be active and hands-on – I can’t sit still for too long, so this really suits me.

“It is hard work, I’ve got to make sure the work keeps coming in, I’ve got to manage customer expectations, and a team of sub-contractors, but it’s so worth it – it’s just a different quality of life. I’m my own boss, so I get to do things like pick my son up from school or choose when we go on holiday. And he loves what I do for a living. I think one day we might end up being Builder Girl and Son.”

Northwich Guardian:

While she does miss her NHS colleagues, and even went back to the role to offer support during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, Emma says she has built up a great team of sub-contractors, with at least 10 other local professionals supporting her on various jobs around the local area. And soon, she won’t be the only woman on the team, having recently linked up with a female gas plumber.

“I’m really looking forward to supporting another woman in the industry,” she said.

Find out more about Emma and her work at buildergirl.co.uk or follow BuilderGirlLtd on Facebook.