Luke Harman of L P Harman Building Services Limited, based in Beaconsfield, has been crowned Tradesperson of the Year at this year’s Federation of Master Builders National Master Builder Awards, for a “life changing” build that brought a tear to the judge’s eye.

The awards recognise building excellence, quality craftsmanship, and exceptional customer service, and are run by the Federation of Master Builders, the largest trade association in the UK construction sector which is this year celebrating its 80th anniversary.

TV presenter and all-around building enthusiast, Nick Knowles, who hosted this year’s awards, held virtually on September 24^th, announced the winner of best tradesperson to a stunned Luke and his proud family.

Luke, who beat off tough competition, scooped the prize after being nominated by a very grateful client who praised him as both an exceptional tradesperson and a generous person after he undertook a complex home disability adaptation for a young family and their daughter.

The builder from L P Harman Building Services particularly impressed with his ability to work on all jobs around the site, mucking in wherever was needed. He also went the extra mile on top of his day-to-day duties to help train up an apprentice and teach them the ropes on site. Praised for his exception communication with the client, Luke also secured charitable donations towards the project.  

Luke took on this difficult project that others had walked away from, helped fundraise for the client’s daughter and delivered a final product which was instrumental in changing their lives. Not wanting to stop there, Luke and his team learnt sign language to help the customer’s daughter navigate the building work safely, and provided a welcome bit of socialisation for her during lockdown. The judges’ commented that Luke should be “particularly proud not just of the quality of his work, but of the bond he formed.”

The judging panel were all bowled over by Luke’s strength of character and ability to deliver all of his extra activities on top of training an apprentice. They were impressed by his commitment to customer service and noted that he is a great advert for the industry.

After picking up his award, Luke Harman said: “It means everything. You can’t ask for a better award. It really is an honour to have the FMB’s recognition and to know that you have made such a difference to your client. Also, really importantly none of it would be possible without the fantastic team of great tradesmen I have supporting me.” 

Paul Higgins, Founder and CEO of the HomeOwners Alliance and a National Judge for this category, commented: “Luke was chosen as the winner as a standout candidate. We need more Lukes in this world.”

Fellow National Judge Simon Ayers, Chief Executive of TrustMark, said: “What we need these days is business to provide role models for other organisations to develop from.” He went on to say, “this was a level of service delivery that shone through as a glowing beacon.” 

County Durham-based Andrew Radford of Radford Construction Services Ltd was Highly Commended in this category. This is on top of his firm’s win in the Bathroom Project category, picking up the award for a stunning bridal suite bathroom.