Managing a self build yourself sounds like a way to save money, but a badly run site quickly eats any savings through delays, waste and rework. Here is a straightforward look at what professional project management actually costs, how it is charged, and whether it earns its keep on a Devon build.
Most project managers price in one of two ways: a percentage of the total build cost, or a fixed fee agreed at the outset. Percentage-based fees usually sit between 5% and 15% of construction costs. On a £350,000 build in East Devon, that works out roughly £17,500 to £52,500, with the lower end for straightforward oversight and the higher end for full hands-on management including procurement and daily site running.
A fixed fee suits projects with a well-defined scope and clear drawings. It gives you certainty, but be clear about what happens if the programme runs long or the design changes, as extensions of time usually attract additional cost.
The headline percentage tells you little on its own. What matters is scope. Light-touch oversight, where you handle ordering and only want someone checking quality and programme, sits at the cheaper end. Full management, where the project manager appoints and coordinates trades, runs procurement, chairs site meetings and handles Building Control liaison, costs more but removes most of the day-to-day burden from you.
Site conditions in this part of Devon add real variables. Sloping plots around Budleigh Salterton and the wider Otter Valley, restricted access on narrow lanes, and the extra care needed near an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty can all lengthen a programme and therefore the management time involved.
On a well-run build, good project management usually pays for itself. The savings come from competitive pricing of trades, avoiding costly sequencing mistakes, catching problems before they are built in, and keeping the programme tight so you are not paying for extended scaffolding hire, welfare units or bridging finance.
The honest answer is that it depends on your own experience and available time. If you have built before, have flexible working hours and are comfortable coordinating trades, you may only need occasional professional input. If this is your first build and you have a day job, full management is often the difference between a smooth project and an expensive, stressful one.
Before agreeing to any arrangement, get the scope in writing and understand exactly where the manager's responsibility starts and stops. Ambiguity here is where disputes and extra charges tend to appear later.
No. A main contractor takes on the build itself and prices the whole job, whereas a project manager coordinates the trades and programme on your behalf, often for a fee rather than a build margin. Some builders offer both, so it is worth asking how any quote is structured.
Yes, many people do, particularly on simpler builds where they have the time to order materials and coordinate trades. The saving is real but so is the risk, as sequencing errors and poor scheduling can cost far more than a professional fee.
Ideally before you start on site, and often at the design stage, so the build is planned for buildability and cost from the outset. Bringing someone in late to rescue a stalled project is usually more expensive than involving them early.
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