Complete Building and Project Management Solutions

How does project management work?

Control Management are with you from the start, as soon as you start thinking about a building project or once you have had the drawings completed we can take you through to completion. We will manage the job dealing with schedules, arranging payments, liaise with building control, structural engineers, architects, surveyors, organise the various trades and check quality and progress.  We will make sure there is none or very few 'extras' so the project remains within budget and on time.

Building companies in general?

When you call in a builder you are faced with various choices. Do you go with a small builder who lacks in resources? Or do you pay a premium for a bigger company whom may have a lack of personal commitment? Either will operate in the same way but on a different scale. They initially price the job with the intension of using sub contractors. This basically means they hire other specialist companies or trades men to carry out work on there behalf. They will include this in there quote and then put in there profit margins of anything between 30% - 100% mark up.

Some companies may use there own men whom they will refer to as multi trades. This will show in the finish. Other tactics used by builders is to top end pricing. Basically what they do is put in a cheap price for say decorating knowing there is not going to be any additional works. But they will top end the quote in plastering or excavating foundations so if there is additional works they can justify there expensive costs. You would not necessarily notice when looking at the quotation, you would probably only look at the description of works and the end price. This can be eliminated if you are experienced with managing contractors.

How does project management save you money?

What we can do is arrange the quotations and prepare tender packs (Normally at least three per trade i.e. electricians, plumbers etc.) The various contractors will then prices up for exactly the same job. This minimises the risk of extras being added to the bill when items are missed out.  As professionals we will know what should be listed in the quotes and produce an itemised list. But rather than use a one call does it all company we will use individual trades, hence saving on the profits and mark ups used by builders.

Example:

A loft conversion has a market value to a builder of £28k - £30k + VAT.

By managing the sub contractors on your behalf and ordering materials we can reduce the cost to £20k, whilst using individual trade's men whom may not be VAT registered thus saving on the VAT as well. This is exactly what property developers and house builders have been doing for years. They have the advantage of knowing the industry inside and out, unfortunately you're everyday home owner does not. This is why domestic home owners approach builders from a one contractor solution.

What we do;

We will project manage by arranging trades, ordering materials, approaching the suppliers on your behalf, again saving on mark ups and profits. We will charge a set fee for our project managing which is quoted for before any work is done. You will also have the peace of mind of having a professional working for you with your interests at heart and not the profits in mind. You will get the most comprehensive and thorough job possible.

We will deal with the trades and suppliers for you. We will be working for you the client, relieving you of the hassle of chasing tradesmen, being fobbed off, being charged extras, projects running over time and we will be keeping a close eye on quality. Also we can liaise with architects if drawings and plans need to be amended, arrange for building inspectors to visit and asses structural engineers report. We do not handle any of your money; you will pay the trades direct once we have passed the works.
This gives you 100% control of expenditure. Our service will also include a schedule of works, taking in to consideration things like school holidays, best weeks not to have a kitchen, making sure there is always a working toilet and bathroom, neighbours concerns etc.

We will provide breakdowns and cost analysis spread sheets for each trade. We will check out tradesmen's working history (references). We will use our contacts in the local building network to source the best trades and stay clear of the bad ones.
Arranging a free consultation. You can give us a call or send us an email, please outline your requirements. We will then contact you and arrange a meeting. See our contacts page.

Step 1. We will visit your property, discuss your requirements and then calculate a projected project cost.
Step 2. We will email you our proposal i.e. a realistic time scale, trades required, estimated costs for the job and our management fee. We can also recommend architects if required.
Step 3. If you are happy with everything that we have proposed we will set the wheels in motion. We will complete a detailed break down of the whole project from colours, to location of sockets, to styles of doors. This will then be broken down into trade categories and again into stage categories.
Step 4. We will then discuss and arrange for the various companies and trades men to visit the property and provide us with quotes. These packs will be set out identically to make awarding the various contracts easier.
Step 5. We will discuss time scales, calculate disruption, asses the quotes and award the contracts.
Step 6. We will compile a schedule of works calculating the different trade durations, source materials and then commence work.
Step 7. We will begin managing your project and everything associated. We will recommend progress meetings at weekly intervals.
Step 8. Project completion, we will ensure that all inspections have been carried out by building control; final payment will not be given to any trade until all certificates are issued and work is checked.
The running of the project is very involved; this will be discussed in depth after our initial consultation.
We look forward to hearing from you and hope we can help with your next project.