About 1-2-3-4-5

1-2-3-4-5 is a visual directory of companies and organisations connected with construction, building, property improvement and the wider built environment.

Rather than presenting businesses as rows of names and descriptions, the site uses screenshots of their websites. This gives you an immediate view of each company: what it does, how it presents itself and the kind of work, products or services it offers.

Exploring the construction industry visually

Websites are organised into categories covering different parts of the construction sector.

These include builders, contractors, architects, materials, interiors, specialist trades, property services, engineering and many other areas connected with creating, maintaining and improving buildings.

Each category brings relevant websites together as a visual collection, making it easy to browse companies and discover businesses you might not otherwise encounter.

Clicking a screenshot takes you to a page for that website, with a link through to the live site.

A photographic record of websites

1-2-3-4-5 is also more than a directory.

Websites change. Companies redesign them, alter their services, merge, disappear or move in completely new directions. Since 2010, our own SiteAtlas technology has been taking regular screenshots of websites and retaining previous versions when a significant visual change is detected.

Where archived screenshots are available, the site shows the number of earlier images that have been retained.

This creates a growing visual history of the construction industry on the web.

For long-established businesses, the archive can reveal how their website — and sometimes the business itself — has evolved over many years.

Independently built and maintained

1-2-3-4-5 is an independent project developed by Ah Ha Software Limited.

The website collection, screenshot system and monitoring tools have been developed in-house rather than assembled from a commercial directory or third-party website archive.

Sites are regularly revisited and checked. New screenshots are compared with previous versions, changes are recorded, and invalid or unsuitable websites are reviewed and removed.

The result is a directory that is continually being maintained rather than simply accumulated.

Part of SiteAtlas

1-2-3-4-5 forms part of SiteAtlas, a collection of visual website directories built around the same screenshot and website-monitoring system.

Each SiteAtlas directory concentrates on a particular area, while 1-2-3-4-5 focuses on construction and the businesses, products and services that shape the built environment.

The aim is simple: to make the construction web easier — and more interesting — to explore.