Project manager recommendations?

[WWilts]

West Wilts. Anybody know (of) a reliable Project Manager near these parts? Or tips on how to go about identifying candidates?

 

Thanks

 

 

[Gav_P]

Do it yourself. Save a fortune and you will get it done the way you want. 
 

 

Note: I am a project manager.... it’s not rocket science

[PeterW]

Depends on the service you want ..? And how deep your pockets are ..? What do you want them to do for you ..?

[Onoff]

10 minutes ago, Gav_P said:

Do it yourself. Save a fortune and you will get it done the way you want. 
 

 

Note: I am a project manager.... it’s not rocket science

 

Don't you just produce Gantt charts, have a meeting to discuss progress, then change them to suit...then have another meeting? ?

[Gus Potter]

Hello WWilts.

 

Good post.. I hope you are encouraged by the response you get here.

 

If your are embarking on a domestic project then as strange as this may seem you have to like the PM as a person and that is a good place to start. If this a domestic project it is really important to get this off on the right foot. PM's are human too and professional PM's will invest in your project..think about it when they are "off duty"

 

Find folk like that then start to look at the cv..often someone that is really invested can deliver great benefits even though on paper they may not have a mile long track record. They may have for example great contacts with builders. I know a few that used to be right hands on builders that are no longer able to make a living on the tools as they physically can't do it any more. But they know their stuff, almost like the poacher turned game keeper who is on your side.

 

One trick is to seek them out as they tend to be in demand.

 

 

 

 

[Gav_P]

4 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Don't you just produce Gantt charts, have a meeting to discuss progress, then change them to suit...then have another meeting? ?

 ? no comment 

[Gav_P]

100% agree with Gus here... especially regarding your personal relationship with them being critical.

 

4 minutes ago, Gus Potter said:

One trick is to seek them out as they tend to be in demand

Finding a PM with experience in self build type construction with the high level of quality and attention to detail, is really hard to find. Possibly because there typically isn’t good money in PMing small builds (below £1m) so they move off to bigger projects quickly. 

[PeterW]

23 minutes ago, Gav_P said:

Possibly because there typically isn’t good money in PMing small builds (below £1m) so they move off to bigger projects quickly. 

There is good money in it, but a lot of clients don’t want to pay as the proportion of fee to build cost increases, hence my comment about what you want and how how deep your pockets are ... 

[Gus Potter]

53 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Don't you just produce Gantt charts, have a meeting to discuss progress, then change them to suit...then have another meeting? ?

Now we have got ball rolling. On off often makes a good point and boils things down. Always enjoy on off's responses.

 

WWilts.. don't be put of the PM route. You may find the right one for you just drops in your lap!

 

Gav_P you also hit it on the head.. good PM's (especially younger ones with family commitments etc) also tend to follow a route where they can be rewarded for their skills and this can often only happens on larger projects. It's a pity really as the small projects can be as equally challenging.

 

There are some cracking big high value projects posted on BH but in general BH projects are much smaller. Up near Glasgow there is a huge amount of extensions ~ 20 - 80K going on and the say extra 10% for a PM  (maybe with contract administration) cost is not what folk seem to want to bear. R_Sole has made some good posts about this, worth looking up in my view. Sole explains it in more technical depth. The contractor's push, cynically as they don't want to be supervised and so on. TBH the number of times that I see clients that could have saved more than the PM cost is remarkable. 

 

Architect's and SE's can often provide the same service at a similar rate. One good skill of a PM.. which takes a lot of experience is to get a client to recognise that if they spend too little the thing they think they are buying will not actually do what they want. But a good PM will get what they want at a fair price. I have copied a quote from Ruskin at the end of this post for all.

 

But the market is such that all clients think they won't be the ones to be ripped off. It's only later when something goes wrong do they realise that it could have been different.

 

What I have stated above is the "ideal" scenario" but the reality of life is that often folk think/ know they don't just have that spare cash to spend on the professional fees. In summary yes as a self builder extender you can cut out a lot of the professional fees but there is no free lunch.. you have to put in the work to realise these savings. If you are on a high salary say then the PM route may be best for you.

 

Ruskin 1819 - 1900

“It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that’s all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”

 

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Gus Potter
left handed typos and spell checker! I should just give up , my maths is ok though!

[WWilts]

Thanks for responses. 

200 sqm new build, 2 floors. Live on site, back garden development.

Family illnesses etc mean not enough time to do a good job on project management. Ideally hand over building regs drawings & quantity estimates / programme of works. Have a reasonably good contract in place. Get involved in cosmetic details such as kitchen/bathroom fittings, entrance surround. Receive keys of finished house. Take time away without scuppering the progress.

Alternative route available architect (already know & like them) + builder/master contractor

If someone knew of a good PM they could recommend, might take that route depending on the details.

[Redoctober]

12 hours ago, WWilts said:

Thanks for responses. 

200 sqm new build, 2 floors. Live on site, back garden development.

Family illnesses etc mean not enough time to do a good job on project management. Ideally hand over building regs drawings & quantity estimates / programme of works. Have a reasonably good contract in place. Get involved in cosmetic details such as kitchen/bathroom fittings, entrance surround. Receive keys of finished house. Take time away without scuppering the progress.

Alternative route available architect (already know & like them) + builder/master contractor

 

Hi @WWilts -  Perhaps you do need to explore possible "turnkey" routes or as you say, employ a Builder who will take on that responsibility too. Your build doesn't sound as if it really needs a PM on board - It sounds as if your circumstances are making you feel you need one. 

 

The things you list such as drawings, quantity estimates / programme of works and even a contract can all be sorted / sourced individually by yourself. I'm sure if you asked for the collectives experiences on these matters, then you may find yourself emboldened to undertake them yourself. If that is all you are looking for from a PM, then I would suggest you don't need one.

Take a look at my blog - you will see that although I was on site the majority of the time my duties amounted to no more than making decisions, sourcing materials and sweeping up.

No PM employed - just me and I am no different to anyone else undertaking a self build of the nature you describe.

 

Good luck.