Advice sought

[teaboyjim]

Do I need to hire a project manager to get my house finished? Ripped kitchen back to bare brick, kitchen needs a rewire and the central heating needs new rads.

 

[Ian H]

I did mine on my own.

Ripped out everything I didn’t want, got the electrician in to make any adjustments, did my own plumbing, got the plasterer in, electrician back again, fitted the kitchen, bathroom and all the doors.

Then did the roof which I should have done first

 

[^woody^]

The project manager has to be someone who is not doing the work, otherwise there is inherent bias in his management and decisions, and all he becomes is the builder just building and doing what he likes.

Project managing is about organising, dealing with contractors and maybe suppliers, checking that work is correct (and any rectification), and authorising payments and variations to the contract. Can you do this?

If not, an independent builder may be able to do this but not just any old builder, he has to know how to project manage not just build. Otherwise, someone like building surveyor normally does this.

 

[teaboyjim]

I did mine on my own. Ripped out everything I didn’t want, got the electrician in to make any adjustments, did my own plumbing, got the plasterer in, electrician back again, fitted the kitchen, bathroom and all the doors. Then did the roof which I should have done first

Are you having experience with building before or did you do this from scratch?

 

[teaboyjim]

The project manager has to be someone who is not doing the work, otherwise there is inherent bias in his management and decisions, and all he becomes is the builder just building and doing what he likes.

What do you mean when you say there's an inherent bias do you mean if he's getting paid to do the work he has motivation to make the jobs as big and expensive as possible?

 

[Ian H]

I pulled out the old copper only because it was visible along skirting boards and down walls, otherwise I would have left it.

I used mostly plastic when I put it back, all plastic on the water supply and only copper in the room with the boiler and the short lengths coming up through the floor to the radiator valves on the heating.

We had a rewired, I fitted all the back boxes and the electrician ran the cables and connected everything up.

I’ve done bits before (Fitted kitchen and bathroom, boarded walls) but this time I fitted my own windows and doors, internal doors/skirts/archatrave, fitted a new loft floor and staircase into the loft, brickwork, lintels, tiling. I didnt do any electrics, gas or plastering myself and hopefully I saved thousands.

My daughter is just getting her first house that needs everything doing so looking forward to that.

 

[^woody^]

Thanks for your reply Woody! How do you mean when you say there's an inherent bias do you mean from the point of view if he's getting paid to do the work he has a natural bias to make the jobs as big and expensive as possible?

Yes.

If he is managing the work and doing it, then he's just a builder and is doing it generally to his own convenience and benefit, and this is not "project managing".

 

[johnny2007]

Since retiring I have managed a few project not knowing the builders.
Landlords were glad they spent the money, especially the one who kicked out a "builder" using an "electrician" who thought it was ok to reuse white twin & earth wires (90s?) he had removed from somewhere else for a new installation.
One lady said my services were too expensive to manage a loft conversion (£2300).
She gave the keys and the architect drawing to the builder and left for a month.
When she returned she called me in tears because she had accidentally given the builders the wrong plans and ended up with half size loft conversion and a cold deck roof.
Just about legal headroom.
The builders did a great job, but unfortunately they followed the wrong plans and never questioned why they weren't extending the full width.
She cried like a little girl when I went to see the almost completed loft and the builder told her the cost of "fixing".
Should've spent the £2300.
I had the good plans.