How to Build a Project Team and Budget

Building the best possible project team and a realistic budget is a very important key to the success of a a custom home or remodel project.  The type of team that you build will have an impact on the accuracy your budget, and will control how and when your money gets spent.  So make your team a top priority, and form the team as early in the process as you can.  Here are two contrasting models with some comments to help you decide which way to go.  There are variations and hybrid versions of these models, but these are the main ones.

MODEL ONE:  Owner as designer and contractor.  You, as the owner take charge of everything.  You only hire people for expertise that you can’t fulfill on your own.  You cut out the middlemen and you will be able to source your tradesmen and suppliers directly.  You build your budget on the fly as your go.  You can go on line to select most products, shop their prices, place your orders, and have them shipped directly to the job site.  You can orchestrate payments and deliveries so they happen in a logical order.  You will need to trouble shoot delays and missing or damaged products as they occur. You will also need to coordinate the timing of the trades that you may need to hire.

This model can work well for simple projects and for home owners with plenty of time on their hands.  It helps to have some previous design and building experience.  It can also work well if you already have relationships with trades and suppliers, or special access to deeper discounts.  This model offers no guarantee that you will saves money.  The deepest discounts are not always available to home owners.  Plan on a longer time frame to complete your project, unless it is a very simple project.

MODEL TWO:  Owner with a designer and a general contractor.  You as the owner hire two main parties, a designer and a general contractor.  The designer guides you through the maze of decisions and takes charge of the technical design and drawings and other design professionals as needed.  The designer coaches you on budgets as you go and steers you away from costly options throughout the process.  The designer prepares and coordinates documents that are used to get bids on all your selections, build an accurate construction cost, get building permits and guide the design during construction.  The general contractor hires all the necessary subcontractors, sources all the products, handles the deliveries and orchestrates the construction schedule.

This model works well for more complex remodels, additions and new custom home projects.  It is good for busy people who are short on time, and do not have much experience with building projects.  This model eliminates guess work, and can likely save you time and money in the end.