Extending not using a 'package' builder and being own project manager.........

[nappyzonecannotcycleuphill]

We have had a few builders round to quote us on 2 storey 3m extension accross width of house they say oh yeah about 36 then we get quote back for 42k or there abouts not including this that and the other so realistically were looking at it then becomming £44½k plus the new bathromm suite (2k)which makes it all just beyond our reach.... Has anyone sucesfully project managed their own extension and has it saved you any money doing it this way or was it just more of a nightmare more expensive inthe long run? Any tips? Failing that i will put a few extra lines on the lotto tonight!

Tell me your tales of project management....

You can save money doing it yourself but it will be a very steep learning curve and you will feel very, very stressed. Tradesmen will let you down on a daily basis, they will sense any lack of experience and many will exploit this financially or in terms of productivity. I think if a few builders are all quoting 45kish, then that is probably what it will cost: you can save money by taking on some of the work yourself if you are up to it or sourcing materials and fittings yourself - the internet is wonderful for this and you can probably make many more savings in this way than trying to manage a build if you don't know many builders and do not have much experience. (For example, you could get the bathroom fitted out really nicely for much less than £2,000 by shopping around.) Alternatively, depending on the layout of your house you could go for shell finish/first fix and do the additional work a year on when you have had a chance to save.

thanks lala - whats shell finfish/ first fix?

I dont think i can handle stress and mess aand a toddler! Going to go for the extra lines on lotto!

We project managed a complete renovation and one storey extension ourselves (last year). Saved money, but it was the most stressful thing I have ever done (was pregnant with a toddler and spent weeks and weeks crying most days!). Very steep learning curve and very time consuming.

Shell finish if they build the structure and make is weatherproof (so walls, windows, roof, floors but nothing else - no plastering etc); first fix is the next stage where they put in the pipes for the plumbing, the cables for the electrics etc but don't put in bathroom/light switches etc.