Schedule & Cost

Time Management;

It is very important that you work out the project time and the overall cost before you start. We all wish to live in a huge house that has cost us hardly anything and it is built in a very short space of time but this is not usually possible. So often we hear self builders saying we plan to move in before this Christmas but in most cases they will be lucky to move in before Christmas next year. The reason for that is that a lot of people do not plan project time properly or do not have proper agreements with contractors as far as the time they would take to finish their part of the build. It is very easy for a contractor to give you lots of promises at the beginning to get the contract but what some of them do not tell you is that they have also made contracts at the same time with other people for their projects and the result would be that you will see them one day at your site and the next day they do not show up and so on. This is called keeping everyone happy and making sure that they do not lose on any business. In some ways you can not blame them as in this day and age the market is very competitive and they have to earn their income, but as a house builder it can get very frustrating to wait for the labourer’s to show up on that day and they do not. It is also important to make sure that everyone understands what is expected of them for the job, you do not want to end up with one professional leaving parts of the job unfinished expecting the next person on the site to deal with it.                

There are obviously times that you should not expect the builders to show up, for example you do not want a roofer to be on top of the roof when it is gale force 8 or 9 outside or the block layer laying the blocks in severe weather conditions as they would not be straight next day and they have to do the job again. So just use your common sense.

The following table is a guide to the process of your project and the timing should be adjusted depending on the size , Types of Construction , Building Routes, specification of your house and the weather condition:

Project Stages Up to 1 Week Up to 2 Weeks Up to 3 Weeks Up to 4 Weeks  Up to 5 Weeks Site Clearance x         Foundation x         Ground Floor Structure x         Drains/Pipes x         DPC/Radon x         Ground Floor x         Wall Structure         x Cills & Lintels x         Floor Structure x         Roof Structure       x   Roof Finishes   x       Chasing x         External Doors & Windows x         External Doors & Windows   x       First Fixes     x     Interior Plastering   x       Interior Joinery   x       Second Fixes   x       Decorating       x

Remember, the above is only approximate times for an average house. For a more accurate timing discuss this with your architect, engineer , project manager or building contractor.

Costs;

It is also very important that you work out all the costs that will occur during your project before you start, including all the contracts, materials, insurance, and so on plus an extra 20% for unexpected costs.

Make sure that you have decided on exactly what you want in your project and have agreed them with your contractor or supplier as any changes during the project would probably cost you a lot more.

One very important factor on cost saving would be your initial design of the house. The following are just some guides:

1. If you want a lot of space at a lower cost, go for a two storey house instead of a bungalow as a bungalow have a much larger foundation area and roof coverage than a house. For example, on a house all the rooms upstairs share the same foundation and roof as the space downstairs, but if you were to gain the same space on a bungalow you would have to double the foundation and roof area.
2. When you are designing your walls do remember that block layers charge you a lot more for a projects that has a lot of different levels and angels as this makes their job a lot harder and takes more time, so if you can keep it strait and simple.
3. When designing the roof, do remember the more angles and more gables means more material, more time and cost. again if you can keep it simple.
4. Think about the heating and waste system, many options are cheap at the beginning but will cost a lot more over the long term. Go to Natural Energy and Waste Management .

Project  Time Labour Material Insurance Services Others Total Finding A Site               Legal & Finance               Design & Planning               Planning Permission               Finding Contractors               Site Clearance               Foundation               Ground Floor Structure               Drains/Pipes               DPC/Radon               Ground Floor               Wall Structure               Cills & Lintels               Floor Structure               Roof Structure               Roof Finishes               Chasing               External Doors & Windows               External Wall Finishes               First Fixes               Interior Plastering               Interior Joinery               Second Fixes               Decorating               Landscaping               Moving In               Extra’s               Total

In order to avoid any unexpected problems in your project make sure that you have full understanding with all your contractors, suppliers and other professional’s you are dealing with as far as time schedule and cost involved before you start the project.