Anyone project managed their own extension (eg arranged trades / timings etc)?

[sugarhoops]

And did it save you money? Was it a massive headache? Did it add loads of time onto the overall build?

We're doing a fairly straightforward (or so we've been told) 2 storey extension, and one way that our architect has suggested to keep costs down is to project manage the entire thing ourselves.

He outlined explained how it would all work (he has done several of his own house extensions himself like this, so has plenty of experience plus lots of good local contacts). My husband is really keen to go down this route if building quotes come back too high. He also suggested that we could purchase some of our own materials too by setting up trade accounts with local merchants.

DH is an extremely organised & practical man, plus runs his own business so is able to leave work as and when required & can easily devote time to project managing during work hours.

Any sucesss (or horror!) stories of people having done this themselves?

We've done it in the past (DH is in the business). We definitely saved a lot of money but don't under estimate the amount of time it takes.
We had an excellent builder but even so I reck

Sorry, reckon at least 2 hours a day either on site, sourcing goods or tracking the finances.
We had a strict budget & came in just under. There were a lot of compromises but we were happy with the results.

Hi
We're doing a sort of half and half arrangement with our builder. It is mega time consuming and quite stressful as every task/decision is against the clock. We couldn't have done it with any builder, he brought his network and contacts to the table . it's a real juggling act but if you partner has the time and the appetite for it great!

I reckon it has saved us 10-20k.o(our build is coming in at 51k ish our highest quote was 71k.)

I'm managing our renovation at the moment. It does take up a lot more time than I anticipated (sourcing materials, being onsite most days to answer queries and make decisions etc) but I'm glad we've done it this way as a) we can keep a good handle on costs, and b) i like to know what's going on and be involved in all the decisions so it's all just how we want it.

If you're organised and want full control go for it, if you're the sort of person who would rather pay a bit more for someone else to take some of the stress away then steer clear :-)

Thanks again for the advice - misswing your costs sound similar to ours - we reckon we'll be quoted around £70k for a general builder to do the lot, but if we project managed, our architect reckons we could bring it in anywhere between £50-60k, thereby saving us £10-£20k.

titchypumpkin - yes we're both mega organised and i'm rather geeky with my spreadsheets so we are fairly confident we could project manage it ourselves. DH runs his own business too, so he's pretty good with stress / juggling managing everything. It does sound great to be able to keep a handle on things plus be involved for the entire process.

We are funding the whole thing from savings rather than a remortgage, so we're being uber strict with costs.

I think we'll get some general builder quotes then i'll draw up a spreadsheet and see if we can project manage it cheaper ourselves

Hi
We're doing a sort of half and half arrangement with our builder. It is mega time consuming and quite stressful as every task/decision is against the clock. We couldn't have done it with any builder, he brought his network and contacts to the table . it's a real juggling act but if you partner has the time and the appetite for it great!

I reckon it has saved us 10-20k.o(our build is coming in at 51k ish our highest quote was 71k.)

We project managed our own build, rang around for prices of everything and saved 1000's in the process. Some supplies take longer to arrive than others so be aware of possible hold ups. If you are having a bespoke staircase get your order in early, they take time to make and you will be using ladders for longer than necessary without them.

I wouldn't recommend it especially if you are in any way unsure - partially because of the liability issue that if there are any delays they will get blamed on your inexperience even if it's somebody else's fault. Delays often increase costs and are the main thing people don't think about when costing jobs. Think about how you cope when things go wrong.
It will take a lot of time & confidence - breaking down a job into it's many parts suddenly presents you with lots of coordination issues & decisions you never thought you'd have to make. It will take a lot of your life to manage more than a seasoned professional who can make quick judgements based on previous experience.
I'm a well experienced architect with many years of managing complex big jobs but managing stuff on your own build is much more stressful - mainly because it's your money & you will need to live with the results.
If none of that phases you then go ahead but although it can save money it won't save time and beware your inexperience may mean it doesn't save you as much money as you think.