RESI

Resi, trading as Resi Design Ltd, is a UK-based online architectural platform serving homeowners undertaking residential renovation, extension and loft conversion projects. It was founded in 2017 (initially under the name BuildPath) by Alexandra Depledge and Jules Coleman, who had previously built and sold the domestic cleaning marketplace Hassle.com. The business positions itself as an all-in-one home improvement platform staffed by in-house residential specialists rather than a referral marketplace alone.

The offering is organised into three service lines. Resi Design covers on-site 3D measured surveys, existing and proposed drawings, planning applications, permitted development and building regulations drawings. Resi Connect matches homeowners with third-party suppliers including building control approvers, CCTV drainage surveyors, party wall surveyors, structural engineers, interior designers and local building contractors. Resi Finance covers mortgage brokering, further advances, specialist homeowner loans, project insurance and financial protection. The company also publishes free tools such as a project cost calculator, permitted development quiz and home value estimator, alongside an advice centre and research hub.

The team spans architectural design, building regulations, planning, surveying, engineering, operations, finance, account management, technology and sales consulting, and is based in Vauxhall, London. Resi states that it employs architects registered with the Architects Registration Board and that it has been awarded the Mayor's Good Work Standard mark for fair pay and conditions, wellbeing, skills, progression, diversity and recruitment.

Founding story

Co-founder Alex Depledge sought in 2016 to add a side return extension to her own home and, after three months and £2,500 of spend, had no drawings to show for it. Concluding that homeowners without prior experience of architects faced opaque pricing and processes — and that some avoided architects entirely, exposing themselves to poor-quality design-and-build firms — she asked her Hassle.com co-founder Jules Coleman to help design an alternative. They were joined by Nick and Rich, who had spent over a decade running a residential architectural practice and had been brought in to complete Depledge's own redesign; the four combined architectural practice knowledge with technology to launch Resi as a platform aimed at everyday homeowners.

Business model

Resi sells architectural and design services directly to homeowners through a quoting flow on its website, supplemented by a supplier-matching service (Resi Connect) and financial products (Resi Finance) including mortgage brokering, specialist homeowner loans, project insurance and financial protection. Free 30-minute phone consultations with in-house experts act as an entry point into paid services.

Revenue derives from architectural design and planning services purchased by homeowners (quoted per project), together with Resi Connect supplier matching and Resi Finance products such as mortgage brokering, further advances, specialist loans and insurance.

Traction

The platform is described as powered by over a hundred in-house residential experts, with a public team list spanning architectural design, building regulations, planning, surveying, consulting, operations, finance and engineering. Booking availability for expert consultations is published daily, and the company reports growth from four founders to a substantially larger London team.

Latest developments

In October 2024 Resi raised £5 million led by Nesta and Foresight at a £20 million valuation, followed in January 2025 by an announcement of backing from Nesta Impact Investments framed around enabling retrofit in home renovations. Alexandra Depledge stepped down as chief executive in December 2025; she was appointed the first Entrepreneurship Advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in June 2025 and has been a non-executive director of Persimmon Homes PLC since May 2023.