Built from experience.
Not from another boardroom brainstorm.
Why a 10-year UK construction veteran decided to scrap the predatory lead model and rebuild how trades and homeowners actually work together.
Rusty’s Perspective
Keeping communication plain and honest.
“You wouldn’t ask three electricians to wire a kitchen and only pay one for their petrol. So why does the web treat quotes like a lottery? Let’s fix the foundation first.”
I knew the work. Finding my own way was harder.
I've spent more than ten years working in UK construction, learning my trade, buying tools and building the skills to take on work independently. But knowing how to do a job and knowing where the next customer will come from are two very different things.
For a long time, I depended on where someone else sent me next. Starting out on my own felt risky without a steady stream of enquiries. I know I'm not the only person who's felt that gap between having the skills and having the opportunities.
And homeowners have their own problems: phone calls, conflicting quotes, vague scopes and promises that don't always become finished work. A difficult job can become even harder when nobody has agreed exactly what was included. GetRusty is my attempt to make that starting point clearer for both sides. We're beginning with a planned closed beta in Leicester and Coventry.
“Good trades deserve a fair opportunity. Homeowners deserve clarity.”
Jakub R. — Founder, GetRusty (Dryliner/Ceiling Fixer)
- closePaying for enquiries without knowing whether they will turn into work.
- closeComparing prices without a clear, shared job scope.
- closeDiscovering too late that each side expected different work.
The 5 Broken Habits GetRusty is Dismantling
We didn’t invent new software buzzwords. We engineered practical safeguards against the five friction points that derail UK domestic works.
Unclear Scopes
Vague messages like “bathroom needs sorting” lead to misunderstandings, scope creep, and bitter renegotiations once floorboards are pulled up.
Confusing Price Expectations
Homeowners have no reliable regional yardstick, while legitimate contractors get undercut by cowboys posting fictitious bottom-dollar tenders.
Wasted Time
Trades spending entire Sunday afternoons drafting free quotes for uncommitted inquiries, burning evening fuel and family hours for nothing.
Predatory Lead Models
Legacy directory websites treat tradespeople as infinite cash cows. They charge £20 to £60 just to unlock a telephone number, with absolutely no obligation or assurance that the work is funded, realistic, or even still available.
Broken Communication
Messy WhatsApp chats, lost paper slips, and informal text promises leave zero auditable trail when timelines slip or weather delays occur.
Technology that clarifies.
Never replaces.
Rusty is being developed to help people structure job information, understand trade terminology and ask better questions. It does not replace qualified professional judgement.
For Homeowners: Translates technical trade terminology into clear, manageable choices without jargon.
For Trades: Ensures pre-site questions (access, parking permits, stopcocks) are documented upfront.
“Radiators are lukewarm downstairs and making strange clanking noises in the morning.”
Sarah — Homeowner
“Let’s avoid unnecessary call-out fees! Sarah, could you upload a snapshot of the pressure gauge on the front of your boiler? Also, do you have a combi boiler or a gravity-fed water cylinder upstairs?”
“Cheers Rusty. If that’s an unvented cylinder, I can bring the right inhibitor pack and magnet filter straight away without needing a prior site survey.”
Dave T. — Gas Safe Engineer (#549102)Our Guiding Principles
The code of conduct that governs every line of software we write, every verified badge we issue, and every policy we enact.
Honesty over hype
We never fabricate artificial countdowns, fake urgency badges, or misleading “5-minute guarantees”. Quality domestic craft takes preparation, patience, and clear contracts.
Craft over lead quotas
We judge our platform by how many jobs finish successfully with smiles on both sides, not by how many leads we can shove into a trade’s phone on a Friday afternoon.
Community-rooted beta
We aren’t launching across 50 cities overnight. We are starting on the ground in Leicester and Coventry, visiting local suppliers, meeting apprentices, and listening to real feedback.
Leicester & Coventry: The testing ground for honest trade.
Silicon Valley startups launch in central London and assume the whole country runs on app delivery drivers. We chose Leicester and Coventry because they represent the heartbeat of genuine British housing stock: Victorian red-brick terraces, 1930s semi-detached extensions, post-war estates, and vibrant multi-generational communities.
We are defining proportionate identity, qualification and insurance checks for participating tradespeople before launch.
Our initial focus is Leicester and Coventry. Any expansion will depend on beta results and operational readiness.
Ready for a fairer way to do business?
Whether you’re a Leicester homeowner planning a kitchen refurb or a Coventry sparky sick of paying for ghost leads, our closed beta is open for early registration.