Advice on Projects

Bringing in a self-build project on time and on budget can be a daunting prospect. Jason Orme provides some tips.

While it is likely to be mildly stressful, your first experience of managing a construction project will draw on many of the skills and experiences that your day job gives you. The most important skill is dealing with people — you’ll have to get the best out of workers who aren’t going to care about your project as much as you. Plan ahead. Think where potential prob­lems might lie and ensure that building materials and labour are on site when you need them to be. You need to be aware what products are on long lead times and, just as pertinently, stay in regular touch with subcontractors in the run-up to you needing them.

The key to bringing in projects on budget is to stick to your original decisions. It sounds straightforward, but planning your major purchases – kitchens, bathrooms – well ahead of time means that costs are clear from the start. It requires a lot of forward thinking but if you aren’t able to visualise end products, then at the very least be pragmatic with your project: don’t be a stickler for details that aren’t important in the grand scheme of things.

Lastly, keep some perspective on the whole thing. Letting your builders come up with solutions to the problems they encounter is a great tactic — the process is a lot more enjoyable if you can take bad news with a little bit of good grace.

I wish I’d known...

To think of the landscaping…
Either set some money aside (£20,000) or plan from the start what you intend to do with the scheme so that you can work it into your builder’s plans.

That decisions need to made very early…
Buying ahead means that you are able to ensure that you can plan bigger and difficult purchases into your schedules. Decide where sockets and switches, sinks and taps will be early on, plan in your room layouts in order to work out where everything is going to sit and work around them.

That if you always listen to your builders, you won’t get what you want…
Builders will invariably opt for the simplest path when it comes to choosing products.

That money drains away very quickly...
Get used to writing more cheques for bigger sums than at any previous time in your life. Make sure you have the finances in place and plan ahead where the schedules will mean money goes quicker than ever.

To not try too much DIY…
It’s easy in the early stages of a project to pencil in ‘DIY’ for what seem like simple tasks: landscaping, decoration and second fix carpentry. The facts are that unless you are experienced and skilled in these areas, doing things yourself means just two things: the project slows down because you can’t do things as fast as the professionals, and that the final standard is unlikely to be as good. Save money on fixtures and fittings, but don’t turn a project into a prison sentence by over-emphasising the amount of work you can do.

It’s easier than you think…
There will be problems, of course, but maintaining a positive attitude is critical — don’t exaggerate the importance of small issues. With a bit of organisation and a positive outlook, you’ll soon be wondering what all the fuss was about.

A week by week self build schedule

The following is intended for illustrative purposes only and is designed to present the process of building your own home. It is based on a traditional masonry construction.

• Week 1: Find Plot.
• Week 2: Get Design; apply for planning permission; begin to find builders.
• Weeks 3-8: Await planning approval and Building Regulations approval; shortlist and contract a builder to begin upon approval.
• Week 9: Upon approval, commence work; set out site and dig foundations.
• Week 10: Build up to damp-proof course and commence oversite.
• Week 11: Build up to first floor structure.
• Week 15: First floor structure constructed.
• Week 16: Build to wall plate height.
• Week 18: Build chimneys/gables.
• Week 19: Roof structure built.
• Week 21: Roof gets battened, felted and tiled.
• Week 24: Rainwater goods and windows installed.
• Week 25: Internal first fix carpentry begins (window boards, door linings etc).
• Week 26: First fix electrics and plumbing (getting services to outlet positions).
• Week 28: Drainage connections.
• Week 29: Plasterboarding.
• Week 30: Floors and ceilings installed; plastering out.
• Week 31: Second fix carpentry
• Week 32: Kitchen and bathrooms installed.
• Week 34: Finishing off second fix plumbing and electrics.
• Week 36: Boiler commissioned; tiling/decorating.
• Week 39: Moving in.

Read the rest of the 30 Minute Guide to Self-Build:

• Advice for the First-Time Self-Builder
• Advice on Finding a Plot
• Advice on Labour
• Advice on Planning
• Advice on House Design
• Advice on Finance