Q. Myself and my husband have a family site where we are planning to build our home. We have our finances in place and despite the current inflation we want to move ahead with the project. My question is about builders and project managers and how they interact with each other. I have friends who said they project managed their own projects themselves but we both work full-time so I’m not sure if that would work. Could you explain from the builder’s point of view how project managers, builders, architects, and quantity surveyors (QS) all interact on a project like a house build?
A. It seemed that all the professionals (architects, engineers and QSs) and all the builders (plumbers, electricians, carpenters and masons) seemed to be happily working away in the confines of their own trade or profession, but at the end of the day the poor client was left on the sidelines and projects seemed to run on way past their deadlines and budgets were blown wide open. I couldn’t understand it.
Yes, building is quite complex nowadays, and there are many moving parts, but it is possible with the right approach to manage the process so that the end customer can have some security and peace of mind that their project is running on track.
When you consider that you have a host of trades and professionals involved, how could these well-documented home-building issues arise time after time? The issue is very simple. A project needs a project manager and in the absence of someone in this role, you end up taking on this position of stress and responsibility and by the time you realise this, your project will likely be well off track.
View full article in The Examiner here.
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