Self Build - Project Planner

bomber2009

Hi,
Does anyone who is currently self building have a spreadsheet or a MS project planner that they are using to manange their builds? This would include all of the different aspects of managing self biuld and when each part should commence?

I am trying to decide between self build and main contractor. All the advise and my own head says to go with the main contractor but with the cost savings i am tempted to look at managing some parts myself.

Also, is there any solution that comes middle of the road cost wise between main contractor and self build? If I get someone to manage the project for me does it work out cheaper than main contractor?

Any advice welcome.

bomber.

Technophobe

Hey Bomber,

Sorry, I dont have a file for ya, but in terms of decisions regarding self build v a Contractor, I can tell you that I had the same decision to make... In the end, I went with a mixed approach whereby I employed a Project Manager to manage the build....I still ended up doing alot of research stuff myself becuase I wanted to, and am very happy with the results so far....hope to be in for Summer....

One thing to note is that it will definitely take longer than going with a main contractor, but in my opinion, you will save money and will have more control over things as the build moves from stage to stage....

my pennies worth...

sydthebeat

Technophobe wrote: »

One thing to note is that it will definitely take longer than going with a main contractor, but in my opinion, you will save money and will have more control over things as the build moves from stage to stage....

my pennies worth...

rather than phrase it as "you will save money" i would substitute "you will earn the money you save"...

This isnt money for nothing, you will have to become the building contractor and all responsibilites which go with this including insurance, health and safety, building reg compliance etc etc.

bomber2009

Technophobe wrote: »

Hey Bomber,

Sorry, I dont have a file for ya, but in terms of decisions regarding self build v a Contractor, I can tell you that I had the same decision to make... In the end, I went with a mixed approach whereby I employed a Project Manager to manage the build....I still ended up doing alot of research stuff myself becuase I wanted to, and am very happy with the results so far....hope to be in for Summer....

One thing to note is that it will definitely take longer than going with a main contractor, but in my opinion, you will save money and will have more control over things as the build moves from stage to stage....

my pennies worth...

Thanks for the info Technophobe. Did you use a specialised project management professional or was it the engineer/architecht? I like the idea of having more control over different parts of the build without all the overhead of having to organise and coordinate different trades etc. I know a few trades people too who I might get preferential pricing from and would like to get them involved in the build - this wouldnt work with a main contractor i presume. I will also be doing plenty of research and chosing all the materials anyway so there is no benefit there to going with main contractor.

Tell me this though - (and this might sound like a silly question i know). How does it work applying for a mortgage when doing a self build. If you go out to a main contractor for quotes then you can go to the bank and say that it is going to cost me X amount to build the house as per builders quote.
However, if you are going self build do you still have to cost everything so that you know the exact amount that you need to borrow? Or does the bank do its own evaluation on what they think it will cost you?

Thanks,
bomber.

archtech

Bomber,

The attached file will give you a reasonable indication of things to consider in terms of the direct labour V main contractor route. Its not by any means comprehensive.

It was part of the presentation I done a few years ago for an information evening organised by a local financial institution for people building/or intending to build their own houses.

archtech.

gman2k

bomber2009 wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone who is currently self building have a spreadsheet or a MS project planner that they are using to manange their builds? This would include all of the different aspects of managing self biuld and when each part should commence?

I am trying to decide between self build and main contractor. All the advise and my own head says to go with the main contractor but with the cost savings i am tempted to look at managing some parts myself.

Also, is there any solution that comes middle of the road cost wise between main contractor and self build? If I get someone to manage the project for me does it work out cheaper than main contractor?

Any advice welcome.

bomber.

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but if you are coming on here asking for a template for a build then you are starting out on day one from a wrong footing.
Bomber, for what it's worth - what's your experience of the construction game?
Look, building a house is not like getting the recipe for a cake and then heading off to the shop to buy the bits, then back to the kitchen and baking it in the oven.

Every build is different, every house has different sizes, materials, site, services etc.
A project planner will have to be designed in exact accordance with your design.
For example -
Site: steeply sloping site, and you find that you need to get a rock breaker in, or you find parts of your site are badly drained, and your groundworks contractor advises to put in extra land drainage.
Windows: you decide you want alu-clad windows from a certain manufacturer, they want to measure for the windows when the opes are constructed, and get delivered to your site 12 weeks later.
Walls - you have some stone cladding, but your blocklayer heads off on another project for a month cos he doesn't have the time for you!
Plumber - you need your plumber to be on site on week 10 to put in first fix, but he now says he can't come to you for 3 weeks....

What I am saying (again) is that every project is different, and you need to get someone who is very experienced to design a project planner for you.
And after all that: If you are doing a self build, you can throw the planner out the (unbuilt) window ope on day one, because there's not a chance in hell of being able to stick to it.

If you go down the self build route - do you know what you are getting yourself in for?
Some examples;
You are now responsible for site set up, where do you go to get your container for storing items on site, how do you secure the site, do you know where the guy dropping off the steel for the foundations should drop it?
Your blocklayer rings you up the day before the he's meant to start the footings and asks where is the water? where do you get a watertank, how do you fill it? Is there a stream nearby you can pump from? etc etc etc

Best of luck with your build, but I would advise you to have a good long chat with someone who has gone through this experience, and also the main contractor route.:)

Technophobe

Hey Bomber,


No, I didn’t use a specialised Project Management company although I did price them; in the end I went with a very experienced person involved in the construction industry (but not an Engineer).
I did this on the basis of knowing him and his work and that he was a stickler for perfection and that he was “old school” in terms of the standards he expects from the people he works with. I am also fairly resourceful and have many friends in the industry including engineers etc, and with his contacts also, I was satisfied that we could do a very good job between us….

I was also prepared to do a lot of research and work myself and so as Syd says, it is money hard earned as well as saved and I went into this fully aware of the time it was going to take…. Be prepared not to have too many free weekends etc for the foreseeable future even if you employ a PM…..there will always be a need for meetings etc to make decisions/solve issues and lots more....

It definitely does allow more control and flexibility as the build progresses but as Gman2k states be prepared for lost weeks (and the accompanying frustration!!) where it is not possible for tradesmen to overlap or tradesman go off for a day or two etc. (although the current recession has eased that issue slightly I would think….)

BUT, I have enjoyed the process so far and am near completion, and would not change the approach I took...

So, in summary, if you are prepared to do the time and work and are the sort of person who enjoys that, then it could be a possibility for you, but only with the right people on Board in terms of the PM and engineer etc…
BUT if you value your free time and don’t want this type of commitment in terms of time and energy, then think again..!! Or if your normal job;) doesn't allow you flexibility, it certainlywould be an issue I would think..

In terms of mortgage, you really need to do some research here, as you seem a bit vague on it….

You could/should get a QS to price the build from a very detailed specification of works and this will give you an idea in terms of what finance you need to apply for…. but don’t forget the bank will only give you a certain % of the estimated finished value of the house as stated by an independent Valuer

Hope this helps

hongler

bomber2009 wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone who is currently self building have a spreadsheet or a MS project planner that they are using to manange their builds? This would include all of the different aspects of managing self biuld and when each part should commence?

Bomber,

I've just started looking into this and decided to use OpenProject:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/openproj/files/

You can make a gant diagram easily enough with the program, however for printing you'll need access to a plotter, A2 would be the min. sheet size for a complicated project.

Here's a link to some demo videos:

http://openproj.org/demonstrations

HTH

gman2k

hongler wrote: »

Bomber,

I've just started looking into this and decided to use OpenProject:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/openproj/files/

You can make a gant diagram easily enough with the program, however for printing you'll need access to a plotter, A2 would be the min. sheet size for a complicated project.

Here's a link to some demo videos:

http://openproj.org/demonstrations

HTH

Good free software, obviously not as good as MS Project, but totally useless without indepth construction knowledge and the steps and times needed, sequencing etc for a particular build.

irishshadowfax

Hey Bomber, I was looking for the same thing, in the planning phase now, but I'd like to start getting quotes for materials and scheduling now. A simple detailed excel file would be perfect, I've found an 'ok' one on iaosb.com alright

http://www.iaosb.com/html/schedual___cost.html

Rgds, Ger