This week in the Examiner, Kieran McCarthy of KMC Homes provides advice on Sourcing labour for your home build or renovation.
Q.Direct labour or contractor? I am carrying out a full restoration on a totally derelict house, with an extension. Which would be best for my project?
A. In a very simple project, (let’s say building a garden room for simplicity) you could very easily argue that a direct labour approach would be cheaper. You would be employing all the subcontractors yourself and sourcing all the materials. You could make nearly every last decision on the project yourself and you could gear these decisions towards fastest build, highest quality, cheapest price or whatever blend of these metrics suited your world view. The issue arises when you start to look at more complex builds, when there is more to building than merely assembling all the necessary tradesmen and materials and coordinating them. Now you actually need to be expertly project managing them and impart a level of experience and in-depth knowledge of what’s happening, what’s next, and what to look out for. It all boils down to a few key judgement calls, the outcome of which may not be evident until months or years after the project is finished.
View full article in The Examiner here.
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