The impact of Professional Planning v Doing It Yourself on a self-build project
Two couples wish to build their own Grand Design House (as seen on TV). They have only discussed the idea and neither couple has done anything like this before. They don’t know where to begin, where to build, what to build and how long it will take. Both couples have a budget in mind but don’t know how much it will cost.
Both couples are working full time with no children. Both couples are very excited.
Couple A – How hard can it be?
Couple A decide to Project Manage this themselves, as it looks easy on TV, and dive right in and start looking for land, look up architects, builders, electricians, plumbers, etc, going to viewings, looking on the internet for hints and tips and draw up a to do list for each of them to “keep things moving”.
Couple A start scribbling notes, designing spreadsheets, sketching how they think they would like it to look, making calls to various trades and disciplines often working late into the night.
Couple A are working with architect number two as the first one didn’t seem to understand what they wanted and couldn’t deliver on time. A small delay but the drawings can now be submitted for planning.
Couple A start selecting kitchens, bathrooms, and try to work out where everything will go and pass this back to the architect. The architect, with much toing and froing, finishes the design.
Couple A can now start speaking to Contractors for quotations. The project seems a bit behind where they believed it should be, but couple A aren’t really sure.
Couple A are very busy ordering materials but not in any particular order, whilst still appointing contractors. Still not sure when the build will start. They finally get the builder started but feel they are now behind where they should be.
Both couples experience a problem with bits of the kitchen damaged & missing, Couple A found out as it was due to be fitted and experienced a big delay to the kitchen starting. The contractor left site waiting to hear from them.
Couple A were dealing with one problem after another and found they were having to spend more and more time on site using up holidays from their regular jobs. Contractors were getting frustrated as they were often waiting on decisions, as they couldn’t always get hold of Couple A when decisions needed to be made.
Couple A were still spending all their spare time at site trying to get things finished, arguing with contractors, arguing with each other and feeling a bit low about the whole experience. They were now 4 months over what they believed would the finish date and were over their budget including the contingency pot by more than £20,000. They would need to borrow more in order finish the build as they had used all their spare savings. They finally finished 6 months late at a cost of £33,000 over budgets.
Couple B – Let’s get professional help.
Couple B interviews several candidates, then selects and employs a Planner/Project Manager (PM) who has a lot of experience in new builds. The Planner/PM discusses all the couples requirements, wants, wishes, expectations and develops a scope and a preliminary plan with several sections including Research & evaluate, design, legal, funding, selection, permissions, services, construction, completions, finance, payments with an initial emphasis on finding the right area and piece of land as per the couples requirements.
The Planner/PM also works out the couple’s availability for the project around their current jobs. When they will be available for meetings, decision making, and tasks, that can only be done by themselves.
The Planner/PM has many contacts and provides a list of multiple trades and disciplines to meet the requirements and acts on behalf of the couple in contacting, discussing the project and evaluating potential contractors required to meet the requirements.
Couple B meet with the Planner/PM once a week or fortnight to discuss the plan, progress and what is coming next. They feel in control.
Both couples find and purchase the land they are to build upon. Couple B, via the Planner/PM, have already submitted a design for Planning Permission as per the plan
Couple B continue with the planned regular meetings and finalise details for design and quotations
Couple B feel they are on track according to the plan. Materials start arriving and being checked ahead of the build. Building starts as per plan.
Couple B had checked the kitchen well in advance and re-ordered the damaged & missing items which were delivered after the start of the kitchen but by agreeing to re-organising the plan with the Planner/PM no actual time would be lost.
The construction of both houses didn’t go without several problems, but Couple B felt that with regular meetings and a plan to guide them they had minimised the delay and additional costs involved.
Couple B house was finished, and they were really excited to be moving in and, even though they had run over plan by 3 weeks, had managed to keep cost within the contingency budget (20% of original).
The outcome?
Couple A were still spending all their spare time at site trying to get things finished, arguing with contractors, arguing with each other and feeling a bit low about the whole experience. They were now 4 months over what they believed would the finish date and were over their budget including the contingency pot by more than £20,000. They would need to borrow more otherwise in order finish the build as they had used all their spare savings. They finally finished 6 months late at a cost of £33,000 over budgets.
Couple B house was finished, and they were really excited to be moving in and, even though they had run over plan by 3 weeks, had managed to keep cost within the contingency budget (20% of original).
