It is the American dream… being in a position to design and build a custom home. Nobody would ever blame you for being excited about taking on such a project, but take a breath, and ask yourself if you have the time and skillset to take on this project alone. One way to ensure the project stays on time and budget is to bring in some additional help, such as a residential construction project manager.
Benefits of Residential Construction Project Manager
- Representation
- Reducing Overall Home Construction Costs
- Project Controls
- Risk Management
- Time
Representation
When you hire a residential construction project manager, you have an objective expert now running the project. Things can and will get emotional during a custom home build, which is why you may need that buffer between you and the builder or contractors. Project managers are experts in their field, so they can address the situation objectively, offering you input that will save you money and keep the project on time and within the expected budget. Their experience will also come into play by spotting possible conflicts and dealing with them before they set the project back.
Reducing Overall Home Construction Costs
The sooner you catch something that needs to be changed, the more money you save. This is why you want a residential construction project manager with the latest programming, such as 3D image virtual walkthroughs, where you can see your home come to life from the plans, down to every little detail. If you don’t like something aesthetically, it can be changed in the programming to show you the new look. Otherwise, you may not catch these issues until the project has begun and after supplies have been ordered. This one feature alone is worth bringing on a construction consultant or project manager.
Project Controls
First and foremost, this adds an additional “check and balance” to ensure decisions are made based on quality, costs, and scheduling, not just to satisfy the owner or appease the contractor. Having this additional buffer allows the owner to make a more educated decision on possible changes to the design.
Scheduling is also a significant contributor to project controls. When you are dealing with custom home build, there will be scheduling conflicts or delays due to weather, especially in a state like Oregon, among other possible delays. But, that does not mean construction must be totally shut down. A construction project manager will be able to anticipate possible delays, and rework the schedule to ensure the build stays as close to schedule as possible.
Risk Management
We have devoted entire posts to risk management, but it has to be mentioned again because of how vital this is to the project coming in on budget. A good risk management plan will protect the owner from liability during the build. A residential construction project manager is another set of eyes to protect the owner from possible hazards on the job site, such as using hazardous or defective materials. The project manager also monitors the contractors to ensure proper safety measures are in place when contractors work on-site.
Time
Time is an expiring commodity; you can never get it back once it is gone. Most new homeowners taking on a custom home build do not realize how much time overseeing a project requires. If you are already working full-time and have a family, you can forget about having enough time to manage a construction project like this. You have to ask yourself, do you really want to spend every spare moment in your day working on this project, or would you rather have an expert handle it for you?
If you want to learn more about residential construction services for a custom-built home in Oregon, click here. Or, if you would prefer to talk to a Better Build Now team member to see what services would work best for you, call us at 888-402-4180.