Hire a contractor or self-manage project?

[Rufus77]

I’m hoping someone out there can give us some advice on our house refurb. We’ve moved into a house which needs a lot of work doing but as complete beginners, we don’t really know where to start. We’re currently trying to decide whether or not it would be a good idea to hire a contractor to just oversee the whole project or whether we should manage it ourselves. What are the pros and cons of hiring a contractor and can anyone give us a rough idea of how much they charge (percentage-wise on top of the actual work cost)?

 

If we went it alone, what order should we do the following jobs in?:

 

• Some roof work (we think the rear elevation of the roof might need to be replaced)
• Fascias, soffits and guttering
• New windows and doors
• Electrics - rewire
• New boiler and possibly radiators
• Damp proofing 
• Plastering
• New kitchen
• New bathroom

 

Any tips and advice would be gratefully received.

 

[Russell griffiths]

Why not just get a builder to price it all, he will have his own contacts. 

You just need to choose all the fancy fittings. 

 

He will self self manage it without really being asked to. 

 

You just need a clear clear direction of what you want. 

And be realistic with a budget. 

[Bitpipe]

Pros of a single contractor is that they have the experience, access to trades and you do all the work under one contract & price.

 

Downside is that you are reliant on their trades (good or bad) and there will be not much scope for cost reduction, however you do get input on the visible elements (kitchen, bathrooms, fittings etc).

 

For a house refurb, I would suggest a single contractor and be prepared for them to price in 'the unknown' as there may be some surprises when they strip back the fabric or have a contingency reserved.

 

I'd normally advocate to PM the project yourself but a refurb is not a self build from scratch and you may struggle to get trades to even quote never mind take on the job in the current climate.