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Land for Sale & Self-Build Resources
“Since our launch in September 2008 MitehartLand have become the UK’s fastest growing Land For Sale, Self-Build, Building Plots, and Smallholdings portal...”
How to Run a Building Project
You can enjoy great savings compared to using a builder and have much more control — but is project management really for you, and where do you start?
Buying Materials
GET A FIRM IDEA ON QUANTITIES AND COSTS FROM THE START
The starting point for any serious shopping trip for all the materials you’ll need for your construction project is something that’s rather grandly called a ‘Bill of Quantities’. Most builders and industry types will refer to it as a ‘take-off’, but whatever you call it, it’s essentially a long list of the quantities of materials you’ll need along with a price. Years of experience are not easy to replace but the good news for novice self-build project managers is that there are a few new tools available in different forms that will do the same job.
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First of all, investing in one of the project management software programs would be an undoubted help. Easy Price Pro’s Self-build NHE Estimator offers to price up a job, state required materials, advise on lead-in times and estimate a build schedule. It costs £199 + VAT. HBXL’s Estimator Xpress offers build cost estimates, scheduling guidance and cash-flow charts from £500. Even better, it uses Jewson to provide real-life estimates and has even pre-negotiated discounts.
For those just after a simple cost estimate and take-off for materials then the local builders’ merchants might well be prepared to offer free take-offs from building-standard plans. It will take a couple of weeks and provided you are after standard solutions (available, of course, through the specific merchant) then it’s a good starting point.
BUY YOUR MATERIALS FROM THE RIGHT PLACES
Merchants Establish a relationship with a local merchant from the start. As someone managing a construction site you’ll need quick and easy access to, at the very least, the simpler building products such as building sand, timber, blocks, cement and so on. The merchant is still the preferred route for the vast majority of building materials (everything from timber to bricks) and so if you want to buy those materials, you will need to use a merchant. While it’s wise to shop around initially, it usually pays to establish an account with just one local merchant — you’ll be able to negotiate the best discounts through the promise of quantity of sales and you’ll also be able to arrange the best credit terms (you’ll be paying on invoice – terms up to 60 days – through merchants, rather than upfront as you would through conventional retailers). There are, of course, specialist plumbing and electrical merchants who should, in theory at least, supply all of the requirements and much more choice besides. It’s a rather fun experience for the novice – a bit like wandering into the ‘Four Candles’ sketch from The Two Ronnies – but you’ll be able to rely on exceptional free, usually friendly, advice. That said, local merchants can occasionally be intimidating places for novices to use, which brings us to…
DIY Sheds
Although they are not having a great time of it at the moment, thanks to the perceived end of the DIY boom of the 1990s, the major ‘sheds’ (as they are known in the industry) do offer something to the novice project manager. They have prices clearly on display, which is a big help (even if the prices aren’t particularly competitive) and staff who at least in theory can offer some useful advice, although this advice is aimed very much at the accomplished DIYer rather than serious local builder — most of whom wouldn’t be seen dead in one. That said, the new crop of merchant-lite ‘Warehouse’ stores from B&Q certainly helps to address this issue, and it’s worth checking out the so-called ‘Trade Counters’ at these stores, along with Wickes (which is owned by Travis Perkins and always has had a more serious feel). Last but not least, Screwfix (owned by the same people as B&Q, SEE BELOW) is a favourite of the building trade and offers upfront pricing on all manner of materials, complete with guaranteed next-day delivery. At the very least it’s an exceptionally good resource for comparing prices.
Direct/Online
Whereas, traditionally, building materials suppliers would target merchants and rely on them to promote their wares to their customers, the industry is changing and many manufacturers are beginning to work on retailing their goods directly. It’s all a bit hit-and- miss but it’s fair to say that all of the advertisers in this magazine would be happy to sell direct to you.
The Project Managers Toolkit
If you’re a self-builder hoping to take over the role of main contractor/project manager on your project, there are many things you’ll need at your fingertips.
Self-build Set-up Costs & Fees
You’ll need cash to hand as soon as you commit to a project — we think you should budget on spending at least £12,000
Architects/designers – There is no official scale of charges but you can expect to pay around 6% of the contract price for plans leading up to planning permission and Building Regulations approval. If they are to go on to put the job out to tender and supervise the build, then the fees will rise to around 12%.
Designers may or may not be members of a professional body. Architectural technologists may be members of CIAT (Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists). Designers can carry out plans for as little as £500 or have fees of a similar scale to architects. An average cost would probably be between £1,500 and £4,500. But don’t forget you get what you pay for and the cheaper ones may not have professional indemnity.
SAP calculations may be provided within the quoted price of the architect or designer. If not, then for the average house they will cost between £120 and £250 plus VAT.
Engineer’s fees can be variable but for a few steel lintels, calculations are likely to be between £120 and £250 + VAT.
Solicitor’s fees can be very variable but on average, for the purchase of a plot of land for around £250,000, their fees would be £1,100 plus VAT, to include dealing with a mortgage.
Statutory fees – On the same purchase of land for £250,000 you could experience the following:
- Land Registry fees £220
- Local search fee £127
- Mining search fee £50
- Water and drainage search fee £43
- Environmental search fee (optional) £105
- Land Registry search fee £6
- Land charges search fee £2
- Telegraphic transfer fee £30
- Stamp Duty, levied on the purchase of land or property. On a £250,000 plot it’s £2,500 (1%)
- TOTAL FEES: £3,083
Self-build site insurance £600 – £800
Warranty £1,500 – £2,500
Planning fees £335
Services & Plant Hire Costs
Taking on the role of project manager brings with it responsibilities for things easily overlooked. Not any more…
Security fencing 3m panels @ £2 – £3 per week each
Diggers 1.5 tonne £220/week, 3 tonne £265/week or £200/day with driver
Cement mixers £25/week
Concrete pump £285/day
Dumper £77/week
Tipper lorries soil away £180/15m3 load
Scaffolding (2 storey) £35/metre per 8-week hire
Toilet £88 per month
Building Regulations fees £588.60 incl. VAT
Service connections — An average house on a suburban street might experience:
- Electricity supply £900 – £1,500
- Gas supply £700 – £1,300
- Water and sewage supply £1,200 – £2,500
Labour Rates You’ll be hiring the tradesmen — but how much to budget?
DAY RATES
- Groundworker £120/day
- General labourer £80/day
- Semi-skilled labourer £90/day
- Bricklayer £180/day
- Carpenter £160/day
- Roofer £130/day
- Plasterer £180/day
- Plumber £200/day
- Electrician £165/day
- Painter and decorator £110/day
MEASURED RATES
Bricklayers often quote £350 – £450 per 100 bricks laid (allow 60 bricks/m2) and £10.50 – £12/m for blockwork, both labour only
Plasterers may quote on the basis of labour-only measured rates:
- Render and skim coat: £10 – £12/m2
- Tacking plasterboard: £4 – £5/m2
- Skim coating plasterboard: £6 – £7.50/m2
- Two-coat external render: £12 – £15/m2
- Floor screed: £10/m2
Supply-and-fix roofers can sometimes quote on the basis of a rate per square metre but this will be dependent upon the choice of roofing medium:
- Concrete interlocking tiles: £22 – £25/m2
- Concrete plain tiles: £38 – £40/m2
- Clay plain tiles: £43 – £80/m2 (with the handmade tiles costing the most)
- Artificial slates: £28 – £37/m2
- Natural slates: £40 – £60/m2 (with Welsh costing the most)
- All other trades usually price by reference to the time the job is expected to take, converting that to a lump-sum quotation
Tel: 020 7564 7516
E-mail: support@mitehartland.co.uk
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