National Homebuilding & Renovating Show

At the National Homebuilding & Renovating Show you can get free one-to-one advice from architects, planners, builders and home energy specialists, and meet product exhibitors, if you are planning a self-build, an extension or a renovation. It is a four-day consumer exhibition at NEC Birmingham, run by Future, publisher of Homebuilding & Renovating, Homes & Gardens and Livingetc. It sits within our construction and built environment listings.

Four days and free tickets in March 2027

You can visit any day from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 March 2027, in Halls 9, 10 and 11 of the NEC. Doors open at 10am daily, closing at 5pm Thursday to Saturday and 4.30pm on Sunday.

You can claim two free tickets through the registration link on the NEC event page, which values them at £36, until 3pm on 14 March 2027. The show FAQ says each day of attendance needs its own ticket, and children aged 16 and under go free as long as an adult accompanies them.

Free expert advice at the Advice Centre

You can get a free 15-minute consultation at the Advice Centre, which brings together The Planning Clinic, Home Energy Academy, Ask the Expert, Ask the Architect and Ask the Builder. Slots can only be booked in person on the day, so book on arrival.

• The Planning Clinic is run by Homebuilding & Renovating magazine planning expert Sally Tagg and her team, for you if you are applying for planning permission or your application has been refused.
• Ask the Architect sessions take you through the design, planning and construction stages.
• Ask the Builder puts you in front of a Master Builder; the show notes that Federation of Master Builders members are vetted and inspected when they join.

Seminars you can walk into

You can attend seminar sessions without booking, though the FAQ warns that they are very popular, so arrive in good time. Subjects named by the organiser run from planning rules for extensions and managing a renovation budget to kitchen design and fitting underfloor heating.

Who you reach as an exhibitor

As an exhibitor you reach people with projects under way, since the organiser says 77% of visitors are working on a live project, with an average project spend of £142,000. Its shows draw over 80,000 visitors a year across all locations. Firms quoted as past exhibitors on the organiser’s exhibitor page include Matrix Energy Systems, Internorm Windows UK, Kloeber, Tesla UK and Custom Roof Lights. You book stands, sponsorship and speaking slots through enquiry forms on the Exhibit with Us page, and the organiser pays up to £1,000 for a referral that leads to a stand booking. Our guides on building an exhibition budget and following up exhibition leads may help when weighing up a stand.

Other dates on the national tour

You can also choose from other dates on the tour. The Homebuilding & Renovating brand was established in 1990, and its shows have run for more than 30 years. Birmingham is one of eight annual events, and the only one of the eight running across four days:

Location	Dates
Harrogate (Northern Homebuilding & Renovating Show)	30 October to 1 November 2026
Somerset	14 to 15 November 2026
Farnborough (South East Homebuilding & Renovating Show)	16 to 17 January 2027
NEC, Birmingham	11 to 14 March 2027
Glasgow	22 to 23 May 2027
Surrey	26 to 27 June 2027
London	24 to 26 September 2027
Edinburgh	16 to 17 October 2027

Later that month the NEC also hosts the UK Concrete Show, which opens there on 23 March 2027, while Futurebuild follows at Excel London from 11 May 2027. See also trade shows in Birmingham.

Getting to the NEC

You can reach the halls in a five-minute covered walk from Birmingham International station, and a free air-rail link from Birmingham Airport reaches the station in 90 seconds, running every two minutes. If you drive, the NEC is signposted from the M42, M40 and M6. The B40 1NT postcode leads to the site but not to the event car park, so follow the event signs once you arrive. Parking booked online by midnight the day before saves you £5 on the standard day rate, and free shuttle buses run from the car parks. The NEC is cashless with no cash machines inside, though the show says some exhibitors take cash. The NEC has seven hotels on site.

Source: national.homebuildingshow.co.uk, national.homebuildingshow.co.uk/faqs, national.homebuildingshow.co.uk/exhibit-with-us, thenec.co.uk