Help me get my house sorted!

[Girlwithnotattoos]

DH and I naively bought a project house when we have zero DIY skills between us and both work extremely long hours so have very little spare time to acquire any . On the plus side we have saved up a tidy sum roughly 30k which should be enough to sort out the major works.

This is where it gets confusing to (to me anyway, we need windows installed, outside of property rendered, a balustrade installed, new garage doors and driveway. In addition we fancy losing a wall and having bi-fold doors installed. I don't have the time to get quotes meet tradesmen etc. so I think we need a professional to oversee the work. So what do I need? Should I get an architect to draw plans and project manage it? Or just engage a builder? I want the design to flow and all elements to work together and I'm not confident of choosing the right materials eye on my own.

Any advice??

You need to prioritise and make time to identify some suitable building firms capable of doing the work then get them round to take a look and prepare a quote.

These kinds of things are never plain sailing.

Make lists of what you want done and what you need done. Anything that needs to be done before next winter sets in, start arranging now, so it's done in plenty of time. Make sure that no prep work needs to be done first, so you don't get stuck. If the professional that does that particular job is also qualified to do any of the other needs (or wants) for a reasonable addition to the price, may as well get it all done by them, as it will save you money in the long run.

Anything that is more of a "want" or cosmetic thing, put at the bottom of the list, or if you can do it yourself, then do so (on your own time, as and when you can), as it again will leave you more money to pay a professional to do the more expensive stuff.

Keep in mind that £30k will go quickly, it always ends up being more than the initial quote (as problems always show up) and there are almost always delays.