Project manage extension

Grz.26

Hello all,

I was hoping for a little advice on a extension we have just been granted to build by the lovely people at planning control. I was hoping to project manage it my self as people have mentioned that you can save approx 1/3 of the price of what a builder woudl charge??

The question is where do I start? The extension is at the moment a typical lean-to type thingy in plastic, which will be knocked down. I need steel work for beams, foundations? etc..

Its as if i just need someone to say right this jobs next, then this one.. etc.

Any help apprectiated. - Is it better to project manage? Or builder?

Kind Regards.

Richard.

Cavan28

HI RichardProject managing any kind of building work without the required knowledge is always going to be a nightmare. Have you had previous experience of managing anything building related? Or experience in a trade?Will you be organising materails for site? Do you know where to get them from or what you should be paying? Sorry for all the questions but if you dont know what you are doing then you will end up costing yourself more money rather than saving a third of the price. hope this helps

Grz.26

yes it helps, very much so, and the answer to all those questions is no, ive never this ever before or had any experience. its good to know though as i could be diving into a big money pit...

i would like to save as much as poss..obviously..

Cavan28

Where are you based? IMO the best thing to do is employ a builder who will organise the whole thing. If you had the experience or contacts then you could bring in all the relevant trades yourself and save yourself a few quid. This however can be very stressful and you need to know what you are doing otherwise it will be a disaster!

Grz.26

I am in SE, Kent. I have friends who are all in the trade and i know people to do various bits a bobs, but stress, and ill like it done fairly quickly as well..

robv_3

General labours or a demolition company to get rid of the existing lean to. Will need to arrange for rubbish to be taken away. May have issues with existing foundations.

Ground workers to dig footings and pore footings followed by oversite and build up to dpc. Can use general labours but would need someone skilled to set out the site and over see the work. Don't forget you will need materials / water / electric and somewhere to get rid of rubbish. Arrange two/three visits from building control officer.

....and on and one...

If you have never done it before expert a very slow build.

Cavan28

Maybe one of your friends can run it for you then? At least that way it will be someone you trust, and point you in the right direction should things get messy. If you need any help just let me know, im not a million miles from you so prices etc should be the same. Just message me if you want to pick me brains (well whats left at least!!)Good luck!!

Tucker

I managed my own extension and did some of the work myself (3 x 5m single storey with a big knock through to the house) - no previous experience except competent DIY skills. It was built from scratch and water tight in 5 weeks, so it can be done.

I did have the benefit though of a work colleague with some experience of building projects and I found a good brickie who kept me on my toes with what materials I needed to organise next etc.

And yes, I saved a fortune. Spent £11K including £1000 on fees for Building Control / structural engineers calc for beams / ground rent fees etc, against £19,500 quoted for the job by a builder (excluding the fees!).

A couple of things though: It's stressful. There's pressure on you to organise materials, things will not always go to plan and you MUST be able to drop what you are doing and sort it out. I have a flexible job, so I took time off at short notice to sort out materials that didn't arrive or were wrong and often had to go off and get things to make sure the job didn't grind to a halt.

Secondly, don't under-estimate how much time you will have to afford to managing the work. It will be more than you think. I took the first 10 days off work to be there, otherwise it would have been a disaster. I was never off the phone, waiting for calls back, going off to source materials etc....

Lastly, you will need to find a good builders merchants. You'll be getting to know them well and will need their patience because you will test their resolve! Work this bit out before you start and get prices for the first batch of materials in advance.

Grz.26

There are some really good bits of advise here. Thank you very much for taking the time to get back to me.