For many, the idea of self-building a house can seem like a daunting prospect. The name alone conjures up thoughts of having to be particularly hands-on when it comes to self building your dream home or extension. This doesn’t have to be the case. There are several routes to building a home or extension, each with varying levels of direct involvement from the people who will eventually live in it.

It’s important to consider how your own personal circumstances will apply to the process of each build route including:

• Cost implications and your budget
• How much time you can give to a project
• Your level of skill and expertise

All three factors will have a part to play in your self-build decision making. The level of involvement you choose is entirely up to you. There are financial benefits of taking on as much of the work as possible. Going down the self-build route means you can tailor the process to suit just how much time and budget you can devote to your project.

Here we look at the main build route options available for self-building a house and how they may best suit particularly potential self-builders.

Package build self build house companies 

Package build companies offer varying levels of product and service offerings from shell only to design and shell packages up to a full turnkey service.

With a vast array of service levels to choose from, your build can be as hands-on or hassle-free as you want it to be. Of course, finding a package build company that ticks all of the boxes may be difficult. For example, you may like the idea of a turnkey service but want more choice, flexibility and this route may be way over budget. Remember you will pay extra just for the privilege of them organising a project manager, on top of the project management costs.

Another example could be, you love the designs and craftsmanship one company offers but they don’t offer a turnkey service and you don’t want the hassle of managing the project. By hiring a project manager alongside using a package build company, the level of involvement from you can be the same as if you were to go down the turnkey route. You are more likely to have more choice too when it comes to choosing things such as kitchens and bathrooms. Because you have hired the project manager yourself, you won’t pay a premium for a company organising this for you. Find out more about design and build packages here. 

Turnkey

If you are either unwilling or unable to get too involved in the day-to-day processes, a ‘turnkey’ approach may be for you. This is where you delegate every aspect of the self build to a single company. It is the simplest and therefore the most expensive choice. All that is required on your part is to tell the company what you want and to arrange the finance before choosing the fixtures and fittings.

Main contractor

Once you have signed off your design you could appoint a main contractor or builder. This person will run the building site, organise the subcontractors and possibly handle all the procurement.

This route isn’t entirely hands-off. You’ll be expected on site and at the end of a phone frequently.

Using a main contractor sits in between managing the project yourself and hiring a project manager. While you’ll still need to oversee the site, the main contractor will take the extra organising work off your hands. This will free up a lot of time.They will bring in the majority of their own materials and use their own network of local plumbers, electricians and so on to complete the project.

Project manager 

An independent project manager can be employed to act on your behalf with the running of the project. They can manage either parts of the build or everything from start to finish. Of course, their services come with a price tag but this will allow you to remain either entirely hands of or hands off in the areas you feel less confident with. This reduces your involvement but still allows you to have significant input throughout the self build.

Project managers come with experience and a wealth of contacts which can save time and money in the long run, therefore their benefits may outweigh the additional cost of hiring one.

Professional project managers may be employed in their own right, but make sure you check their credentials. They should be able to undertake various aspects of your building project. This includes the pre-construction phase: producing cost reports for banks and building societies, assisting in finalising the specification and design, obtaining and assessing quotations, employing trades on our behalf and agreeing a programme of works with each contractor.

Once construction is underway a project manager should visit the site at appropriate stages and liaise with Building Control, contractors and the statutory authorities, issuing in writing any variations, conducting interim valuations, agreeing all final accounts and producing regular cost reports.

A project manager is a common choice for those who are looking to self-build a house but not undertake any of the wok themselves or those who are looking to undertake parts of the build themselves. They will eat into your budget, but bring with them experience crucial to a successful project.

DIY project managing your self build house 

Many self-builders elect to organise their own projects by employing separate trades themselves when managing a self build house. 

There are huge financial savings to be had when taking this route, but the responsibility can sometimes prove overwhelming. DIY project management is often the choice for those on a tight budget. Undertaken successfully, it cuts out the middle man and organising everything yourself can save as much as 10% to 20% of the overall cost.

This is an option not to be taken lightly as it may mean compromising your day job. Not only should you be prepared to research the topic carefully, expect your life to no longer be your own. Successful project management usually entails working closely with a trusted main contractor. Read our tips on how to successfully manage your self build here.

Mix and match

Many self-builders decide to mix and match several approaches when managing a self build. Projects can be split into different sections. This is commonly up to, and after, weathertight stage – and different approaches are taken for each section. You might feel that you can handle the decorating and landscaping yourself. Maybe you need a builder to manage the rest of the project for you. You might want a project manager for the critical first half of the build. But you may feel you can handle organising the internal trades yourself.