We are a group of London homeowners, mainly families with young children, who have recently gone through the Great London Refurbishment Adventure. Some of us came out with barely a ruffle while others are still reeling from botched electric work, damp walls or poor plumbing.

What separates the success stories from the failures? After asking that question again and again, on the school run, at the office, on the bench waiting for the end of the ballet lesson, we came up with an answer. It's about who you know. Who you really know: Not who has a big ad in the yellow pages or a pop-up on Google, or even a flyer they put through your door.

So what we decided to do was set up buildinginlondon.co.uk, London's first community website for residential building projects, where Londoners can add and rate suppliers and contractors, and share advice and experiences, good and bad, with other homeowners.