Domestic refurbishment is an imprecise science. Delays in delivery, budgets that double and builders that go bankrupt on the job are common horror stories, while names of good contractors are squirreled away, not even shared between best friends. Here, however, are some of the best.

PHILIP NIXON One minute Nixon was a salesman working in the City and the next he had won four Chelsea Golds. This is a gardener moving so fast you can hardly keep up.. His style is clean, slick and architectural (lots of stone and bamboo), and his presentations make even the City's finest pitches look a bit scummy. A rising star with a growing list if important clients. 020 7371 0066