Renovation project- advice needed

[kauto]

We are almost about to exchange contracts on a property that needs to be rewired, needs a new boiler/central heating , needs new kitchen etc. Having read another thread about renovations I'm worried that we are going to have a difficult time trying to do this living in the house with a toddler and also I don't know where to start. I imagined that you had different companies doing each job, but I've seen threads about having a project manager. Do I need one? or can I do it myself? Do you usually just use one firm of builders to do all the different work in this type of project? Any advice would be appreciated as I now realise I just don't know where to start.

It varies alot depending on how much time/how confident you feel dealing with it and also how much money you have!

Basically you can either go with one main contractor who will organise the relevant trades (electrician, plumber etc) to be there at the right time and carry out the work. This tends to be the more expensive option but can be easier for you if you get a good reliable contractor

Or you employ different tradespeople for the different jobs and you organise (or "project manage") it - this simply means you have to ensure that the jobs are done in the right order so that for example the painter doesn't turn up until the plasterer has finished etc. It is usually cheaper to do it this way but does involve quite a bit of involvement from you and can be tricky to manage the different trades all on site at the same time.

Whichever option you go you do need to have really thought about exactly what you want done first - delays & additional costs usually result from changing your mind & not having planned it all out first.

I've just had the central heating boiler replaced, a structural wall knocked out and steels put in, new utility & kitchen and bathroom replaced, it was a 4 week project. I "project managed" it myself and had one contractor for the structural work, one for the central heating and one for the kitchen/bathroom fitting. The quotes for "all in" where I wouldn't have had much involvement varied from £28k-£40k. By doing it the way I did it the total was abut £15k.

It is difficult to do it living on site with a small child, my ds started crawling half way through and it was really hard to keep him occupied and to keep areas clean for him and to do food for him without a kitchen. However it is possible! Also useful to be on site and keep and eye on the works so if something isn't right it can be dealt with straightaway.

hth

Thanks Cassell, your advice is really helpful. I'm not feeling quite so worried now