Do I Need A Project Manager For My Extension?
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We are often asked by renovators whether they should invest in a project manager for their extension.
First time renovators can feel overwhelmed and therefore paying a project manager to oversee the build can be money well spent. Especially for larger extensions, the benefits of appointing a project manager can be huge, taking so much of the pressure off of the renovator.
There are other options though; you can choose to project manage the work yourself or appoint a main contractor who will oversee the work. We chat about all of the options and when we recommend each route.
If you are thinking about a renovation project in the near future and need some help with where to start with your project, try our renovation advice session.
Renovation Advice Session
What Does A Project Manager Do?
The project manager will coordinate the build, ensuring the extension is delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.
As well as coordinating the various trades to carry each job at the right time, the project manager will also coordinate with other parties such as the kitchen designer. They will have tight control over the project timescales as well as the budget, so they must have excellent organisational skills.
There are three main options when carrying out an extension; you can choose to project manage the work yourself, work with one main contractor or hire a project manager.
Much of your decision as to whether you should hire a project manager is determined by the size of your project, the complexity, your availability and expertise, and also your budget.
1. Project Managing The Extension Yourself
What will you be responsible for?
If you project manage the extension yourself, you will be responsible for organising the various trades. You must have a clear project timeline of who will be expected when, ensuring that the relevant parties carry out their work on time.
You will also need to order much of the materials, as well as organise things such as the digger or the skip hire.
As the main point of contact, not only will you be liaising with individual trades but you will also be coordinating other interested parties. This may include liaising with the building control inspector, organising a build over agreement with your local water supplier or working with a surveyor on obtaining a party wall agreement with your neighbours.
What are the benefits?
In addition to project managing the work, some renovators also get involved in the demolition or build themselves, saving a lot of money along the way.
There are also other potential financial benefits which come with project managing the work yourself. You obviously will save through not hiring a project manager, as well as save by working with individual trades rather than one main contractor.
Typically, building contractors will be VAT registered but you may find some smaller firms won't be, so you could save considerably by working with individual trades.
What can be the drawbacks to project managing the renovation yourself?
If you have no prior renovation experience, you may find the detail hard to get grips with. When coordinating individual trades, keeping the project running smoothly can be a challenge. If for example the brick layer isn't happy with the foundations, you may find yourself not knowing what has gone wrong and how best to solve it.
Project managing the extension yourself requires a great deal of time too. You will have to be on site and able to answer any questions when they crop up, so it's not for someone with a very busy life - you have to dedicate yourself to it like a job.
You may also find that the extension will take far longer as you may have gaps whilst you are waiting for each trade, as it can be hard to coordinate.
Lastly, with renovators struggling to find one good builder to carry out an extension, trying to find a separate electrician, plumber, joiner, roofer etc could feel very draining.
So we only recommend project managing the work yourself if it's a small project or you have some prior experience and you have the time to dedicate to it.
2. Hire One Main Contractor
This hybrid approach is what we recommend for most standard extensions - working with one main contractor who will coordinate the various trades. The main contractor will either employ all of the various trades directly, or they will have 3rd Party trades who they will use.
What are the benefits of working with one main contractor?
The builder will act as the project manager although most won't take a fee for this, it's just part of the role of a main contractor. Having that one person coordinate the work and ordering the materials will take a huge amount of pressure from you.
They will also be used to working with the structural engineer, for example, and solving any issues that arise during the renovation. Similarly, they will ensure the right person is there at the right time and can work with the trades to ensure the work is done to a high standard.
Are there any drawbacks to using one contractor to project manage the work?
You will still need to be involved in the project, often working between your architect and builder to solve any issues. The builder will also need you to be available to make some decisions that need to be made fairly quickly.
If you are sourcing your interiors such as the kitchen, flooring, paint etc yourself, you will also need to coordinate this with the builder, making sure the products arrive on time so you don't become the bottleneck in the build.
You are also reliant on choosing a good builder and so you will need to check the builders references and certificates, making sure that they are suitable to carry out the extension project.
3. Appointing A Project Manager
If you are appointing a project manager, the most popular option is to hand everything over to the lead architect.
Your architect will have already taken your project up to the point of the build and can therefore carry on easily with the actual build. You could alternatively use an independent project manager or interior designer who carries out this work.
What are the benefits?
Their attention to detail is invaluable and worth the money, particularly if your extension is design lead and has a lot of architectural detail. By handing the project management to an architect, you can even leave the entire project to them and have very little involvement, although this will come at a premium.
Architects are skilled in design so can focus not only on the build but also the final decor and styling.
Are there any drawbacks to using a project manager?
The biggest drawback is the cost. If you are paying your architect, they may charge you a fixed fee per week or a percentage of the construction cost.
The cost can vary hugely depending on the scale of your project, your location in the country and how much of the project you want them to look after. It might be that you just need them onsite several times a week, or you may want a turnkey solution where you walk into your completed home without any hassle of the extension.
Even though the project manager's role is to ensure the extension is delivered on time and within budget, like all large projects they may encounter challenges which mean this won't be the case. Structural issues might arise and prices may increase, both of which are outwith the project managers role which means your extension may take longer and go over budget.
We only recommend using a project manager if you have sufficient budget and the project is large enough that it needs the additional support that one main contractor can't give it.
Published: January 4, 2023
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