Managing the construction of your new home is by no means easy. You may decide to have your architect or designer take the lead to ensure the project is completed as planned, but it’s not always possible. Building a house is far more complex than you may realise. There are tens, if not thousands, of aspects to consider. Some of the most frequent issues involve treating damp problems, progress failure and treating cracks.
The secret to good project manageable is the ability to think ahead. You will need to know:
- Who is or will be involved
- What materials are needed, and when
- Consider the threats
- Identify milestones that must be completed before the project moves forward onto the next stage.
Documentation
Before you start, ensure that the full contract details are arranged and signed and that building consent has been approved. You should have already allocated your staff by now, and sub-contractor systems should also be set up and notified. Before any physical work begins, the risk analysis should be complete and the sites health and safety plan should be establish to ensure workers are aware of potential health hazards and procedures in place to prevent accidents.
The plan
Creating a project management spreadsheet will provide you with a rough working guide for the length of time the project will take. When constructing your spreadsheet, remember to be realistic. The tasks won’t necessarily be completed within the timeframe you have specified, but it does provide you with an idea of when they might be. A number of factors can affect the timescale of a project, including the weather. Weather conditions affect construction in a number of different ways. For example, concrete structures will not set below specific temperatures or in a damp environment.
The building process
The building process starts from the foundation upwards. When building a two storey home, there is more to consider, such as the depth. Creating your project management spreadsheet around the 8 main building factors enables you to identify what needs to happen when, what is required and potentially the length of time required:
- Foundations
- Walls
- Roof
- Windows and doors
- Plumbing, wiring and gas (first fix)
- Plastering
- Plumbing, wiring and gas (second fix)
- Flooring
Notifying contractors & sub-contractors
The day to day management of the construction of new home can help you identify the next steps you can take in advance of the next task. This gives you the opportunity to notify subcontractors on behalf of the contractor. Typically, you will need:
- Bricklayers and roofers
- Carpenters
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Gas Engineers
- Plasterers
- Floor layers
Although there are no essential start and finish time for all aspects of a build, such as installing an external drainage system, noting down the latest ordering dates for manufactured work such as internal fittings and fixtures ensures they will arrive on time to avoid delays.
As outlined above, managing a self-build home project isn’t a simple task – but it is in no means impossible. There are more assets than the above to consider, but in an ideal world the actual build should follow a similar structure.
