Home & Building With A Project Manager

Home & Building with a Project Manager for House Construction in New Zealand.

The planning process for house construction is the beginning of every New Zealander’s dream. Kitset homes or working with set plans and a property building company are a great way for those who want a less stressful home building process, but what if you want a unique or architect designed home? Have you always thought about constructing an architectural home & building without a templated plan, but never been sure quite where to start?

• Project Management Services
• Building and Construction
• Architectural Design

You don't have to be in the building and construction industry to build an architectural home, but you will need guidance from someone who is, someone who knows how the home & building process works. Getting a project manager on board to oversee the process of the entire project is essential for anyone wanting to build a non-standard, architecturally designed house that is unique and tailored for you.

First and foremost, make sure you can emotionally handle building a house from scratch. Home building is very stressful, especially when you are not working from kitset home plans. There will be delay after delay, increased cost after increased cost, and things will go wrong. Home construction can cause pressure on relationships and work life, and take control of you. Do you have the willpower to get yourself through the rough patches of home building? Project managers are there to lessen the pain of home construction and handle everything for you, but don't think this means home building will be an easy ride!

Home Finance
You've decided that you're brave enough to ensure a stressful period of several months or even years of home building. The next step is making sure your wallet can get through that stressful period as well. Financing a building project is much different than financing an established house. Rather than pay everything upfront, you will need to borrow money in increments at different stages throughout the building process. Make an appointment with a home loans bank manager to discuss how much you can afford to borrow, before you start getting ideas in your head.

Research
Once you've got a budget cleared, start scrapbooking for ideas. Pick up architectural home & building design magazines and start snipping out things you like. You'll eventually find you have a particular style. Glue everything into a scrapbook and write down notes of what you like and don't like, and even the names of particular architects whose work is showcased in those magazines.

Find a Project Manager
A project manager is a very wise investment for people who want to build an architectural home but have no experience in the industry. It is nearly impossible to oversee a building's construction from start to finish without a sound knowledge of the process - we've all seen what happens when this is attempted on reality home shows.

The home building process involves multiple tradespeople and suppliers who need to be organised in sequence to ensure a home is completely to a quality standard. Project Managers are your first point of contact once you're ready to start planning your home.

They're in the know, and truly look out for your best interests. They will work with you for the entire building process, from conception to consent to completion, and make sure you're always happy and in control.

Buying a Section
This stage may have come just after going to the bank manager, or not until after deciding on house plans much later. Buying a section is just like buying a house, you need to take all of the necessary precautious and make sure you understand building regulations within the area. Before buying, it is essential to get legal property advice and make sure your dream section is up to par. While your section will be able to work with you, you also need to make accommodations to work with your section's limits. Your project manager will be able to objectively look at your section and will use what they see to help plan the design process.

Working with an Architect
After discussing your budget and making final purchase arrangements on your new section, your project manager will discuss house design ideas with you. Here you'll make clear your wants and needs from your home design: from the number of rooms you require to the kind of kitchen layout you want to the exterior and interior materials you like the look of.

Once your project manager has a clear idea of the kind of design you are after, they will be able to suggest architects who work in the style you wish to construct in. Many project management companies also have in-house architects, but most companies will have good relationships with designers all over the country and will be able to make the appropriate introductions.

It's a good idea to meet with a couple of architects with your project manager, to make sure your design ideas are on the same page, and they understand your needs. The project manager will be able to facilitate all meetings to make sure the architect keeps within your budget.

Consent
Getting building consent can be one of the most stressful parts of building an architectural home. A building consent is the local government's written authority to proceed with construction of a house, to ensure the plans for a building are in line with your province's local building code. Depending on where you live in New Zealand, there are things you can and cannot do with your building depending on the local code. The differentials in local codes more often apply to exterior features such as pools, fencing, decking and so on.

A project manager will handle the consent process for you in its entirety. When plans have been uniquely designed just for you (rather than stock plans) the process is often drawn out, and quite stressful. Often changes will need to be made several times before consent is given. The consent process is extremely demanding however a project manager will be able to ensure you are making the right decisions in order to limit the time it takes to get consent, while sticking as close to your original plans as possible. 

Organising Contractors and Supplies
Your project manager will first liaise with a quantity surveyor, who will determine the exact costings for every aspect of your new home. Make sure you always have contingency funds - again your project manager will be able to tell you when you initially begin the process how much to plan for - on average plan for an extra 5% to be added onto every quote.

Your project manager will then choose a residential house builder that they have worked with before to ensure the quality of construction of your house is met.

The project manager and builder will work closely together throughout the entire project. Together, they will organise all contracts and building supplies, and will be able to get trade deals and discounts over and above what you would be able to get independently, however remember that initial quotes almost always go over the expected.

Project managers will deal with suppliers to make sure materials are ordered and delivered on time, and continually inspect the property (and arrange inspection by officials at the end of each stage) to ensure construction is staying on track. They will arrange with the builder and contractors to return and fix any work not completed or done properly, and finally will arrange final inspection for the code of compliance certificate.

Good Communication
The most important aspect of home building is having good, open communication between all parties involved in the project. The project manager's core job is to ensure the smoothest communication possible between everyone involved, and to keep you in the loop as much as needed, guiding you through every necessary decision and stressful moment.

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Business images from Flickr: Building the Walls, New Zealand Flag and Wellington Buildings.