Self build, Project Manager, Or Contractor

clairebear22

Hi,
Myself and my fiancee are planning on starting to build our house early this year, we have site and planning permission all done, we are ready to build once we get mortgage approved. My problem is i know a bit about building and some stuff i could do myself to save money, but i wouldnt be confident enough on organising a self build, and in my line of work i cant be taking or making calls all day.
At the minute i have priced two project managers and one building contractor, the building contractor was €80000 dearer than cheapest contractor,
im going to price more building contractors,
My questions are,
What are the differnces/benefits between a contractor and project manager?
Anyone know the average set fee for a contractor and project manager?
Can anyone recommend any good project managers or contractors in north louth area?


Cheers

con1982

Firstly, only get quotes from builders who have been recommended to you. It's a good idea to check out their previous work too.

Send tender drawings and specification to four or five of these builders. I normally tell the builder how many others are pricing (but don't say who). In my opinion you are more likely to get a realistic price this way.

The lowest price isn't always the best price. The house is expected to stand for 50+ years. Things like width, height and finishes are easily checked. Quality is more diffiult. Even a full time architect/engineer can't watch the builder 24/7. So think about the cost of quality.

You can build with just a Contractor. Probably cheaper initially because you save some money on professional fees. The problem is, the Contractor has a lot of power and there is no oversight.

A Project Manager can be an Architect/Engineer/other construction professional. Their job is to manage cost, time and scope.

Professional fees are normally between 5-10% of the cost of construction.

sterling10

Hi OP,

I was like you this time last year about to get my PP and get my house built. I had the local tradesmen saying i should def go self build no bother, we'll help you out. I then had others who did self build saying to get a contractor that theyd never do it again.
I also have very little experience in building/construction so i decided to go with a main contractor going the following:

Got BER done on my house, so i had my insulation, window and some heating requirements.

I then approached an independent building consultant who i gave the BER too, told roughly what spec i was hoping to achieve with the build, and what i'd exclude from the build if i went with a contract.
I then got 5 building contractors that were recommended to me from various people and the building consultant gave drawings and building spec to few reputable ones he know. I was then able to get a comprehensive overview of what prices i was getting back and they all had to be back by a certain date, these were then assessed by this consultant and all the companies paper work, insurance H&S etc were assessed and then finally the consultant recommended a builder. I got some quotes from others by going the direct route way but looking at the prices there was only a saving of 10/15K.
When i decided on the main contractor, the contract was set up and signed by both parties.

And since it has started on October, i have not looked back at all, i could not be happier. I had a flexible ish enough job as in i can answer phone at any stage, can pop out here and there but stuff come up in work unexpected and i would not have been able to start until prob this month. The Builder had been way above my expectations, he gives plenty of notice when a decision has to be made, comes up with recommendations on potential improvements, discusses potential problems and outlines options A,B and C that we could use.
By giving it to a contractor, the wife and I can use our time to investigate the finishes to the house and give alot more time on this without being under pressure to make an important decision on finishes without proper thought. While we have some stress with the build, we are sheltered somewhat from it!
The main contractor is able to get through the work alot faster and as its a standard enough house, there isn't anything that cant be solved by someone like him.

So far, my experience with a building contractor, i will be recommending it to everyone that ever asks me in the future.