31 A few jottings from Max.

Many people in the ‘industry’ say we have done extraordinarily well in getting this far so fast.  Not having done this before [a new build] I have felt that we have made many mistakes, and could do better next time – though there will be no next time for me.

What follows are some thoughts on the reasons why we might have ‘done well’. – in no particular order.

I think from the outset we understood the difficulties / challenges posed by  architects /engineers and their working drawings.  [and this is of course nothing to do with whether it is good Architecture or not]  I spent hours looking at their working drawings to understand them and then for the basic build drew my own set that we could use to build from. – something that I and a joiner could understand and very importantly, the sequence that things must happen in. This way there were fewer surprises, and materials were on site and were put together in roughly the right order.

I often feel that many builders of Modern Architecture don’t fully realise what they are taking on, and that also professionals do not have sufficient practical experience of how ‘things’ are put together.

Many of the details are quite difficult to achieve in practice [foundation design, or windows up to the ceiling so that the ceiling plaster has to be accurate or you can’t open the window, tolerances very small etc etc.].  We were fortunate that as the client, and also an architect, we were not afraid to change their details etc, so that we could get on and build and I was also confident with the detail.  If I didn’t feel happy with a detail or proposed ‘How to build it’, I changed it. 

After all, you have to pay for it and you have to live with it.

What would actually happen in say 5 years time if the cladding sagged?

We decided to be the general contractor.  No one understands the building as well as we do, and as the design is a one off, non traditional with many special details, it would have taken a long time for a General Contractor to get into it.  We did speak with two GCs early on, but time and again they, and some of our current trades’ people, thought – "this is how one usually does this detail, so we will do that detail here".  Wrong. 

This means working very closely with our team to ensure we get what we want.  Also being the GC, we save about 15 – 20% of costs – their fee for managing the work.

We have had a good team of tradespeople.  Knowledgeable and hands on.

This is partly luck and partly research.  We spent a lot of time before we started building interviewing different people, getting quotes and visiting their sites etc.  Seeing is believing.  You see firms that are lean and mean where management also go on site, and others where there is too much fat – which clients pay for.  Quotes are often 100% different.  £14k for the roof or £31k for the roof.  £15k for the steel or £36k.   Some of these relationships have been built up over 6 – 12 months starting when I did an initial budget exercise in Jan 2012 and keeping in touch with the firms.

Our ground workers have been excellent and hands on - helping us build foundations etc in a very wet December.  Knowing where to take short cuts and where not.  This concept has saved us £1000’s all down the line.

We have only had to let one trade go for poor performance.

Knowledge base.  We knew broadly what we wanted from the start, and although we have a good idea of building trades, when we started this project our skills in planning and building control were out of date.  We tried to bring ourselves up to date quickly, and before any building started.  Building Regs have, and are changing yearly, and this could mean you are caught on the back foot being bounced into doing things that you feel are not quite right, or specifying things – 'just to be on the safe side’.  Every time I hear this phrase I cringe, because what I think this means is – 'I don’t really know [even though I am supposed to] so let’s double the size or add another…. '

Not good enough!

Planning.  They say measure twice and cut once.  So think about what you have to build and organise to get it done - quickly.  My time is free, but two tradesmen have a daily cost - one needs to keep them fully occupied - and they can work fast. 

We generally planned for the ground work – but you have to live with the unknown here, so there is only so much you can plan for.  Use experts with hands on knowledge.

After we got the ground works done/steel frame up, we took Jan – Feb off and started again on March 4^th.  This 2 month break was very valuable as it allowed us to think through ALL the issues that needed to be managed in the next phase.  These planning phases enable us to be highly productive and cost effective when we are actually working on site.

We have just stopped again for two and half weeks to plan the final build phase – at the end of which the windows, roof, cladding, plastering, and kitchen will be in together with water and electric. [end of June] Then probably another pause to think about joinery. [and a rest]

Materials / logistics.  As my tradesmen are expensive I cannot afford to run out of materials [just like a supermarket having a stock out.]  In October we did a major costing exercise with 5 building material suppliers.  Our material list was fairly comprehensive and therefore worth a lot.  We got some very competitive quotes on this bulk and generally chose the cheapest firm to work with.  I am buying now at October prices and get good service as a good client.  I don’t buy every thing from the supplier, as they are generalists and our build is Code 5+ and has many specialist items, but we have a relationship that is worth while. 

I use ebay, screwfix and a host of specialist suppliers, who generally manage to deliver some obscure nut or glue from Birmingham to Bath over night.  Impressive.

Most of the building is enclosed in a sheeted scaffold box which we has proved invaluable.  For a wooden house this has allowed us to be efficient in working full days, attracting good trade people who know their work will not be interrupted, getting lower quotes from some trades – (imagiine putting a roof on in the rain, and being effective in being able to plan ahead with some certainty).

Site access has been a nightmare as delivery lorries get bigger and bigger and our access is poor. A major source of stress for me has been: - will they send the lorry they promised? – no more that 24ft, does it have a crane on? and what the driver is like?  I can’t describe the number of times I have had to block the road as we scramble to unload materials.  But the gods have been kind, and the locals tolerant.  We have also had our fair share of luck.  We were unloading a pallet [1.8tons] of 18mm chipboard and were going to put this via our Hi Mac directly onto the roof from the back of the site.  Half way down the slope the load slipped off the forks and shot down the hill.  The load went between two of our transit vans missing each by 5mm.  Mighty relief all round.

I have found that at least half my day is spent in thinking what we need next, ordering materials, unloading into the dry, and finding out what we are short of.   I have been surprised and impressed how productive many trades are, with air tools, lasers, mobile workbenches etc.  I need to keep on top of their next move. 

The other half of the day is often taken up with explaining drawings, getting their views and organising work.  This means that most hands on work that I do takes place after 4.15pm when trades knock off or at week ends.  This can make for a very long day.  This build has been an unremitting slog from Nov 5^th. Weekends are working on site / preparing for Monday trades or thinking about issues.  The site appears to be very windy – we have had an appalling winter in weather terms, but the end in sight.

We have missed some order/delivery dates, saved a lot of cash on some items [ground works, frame, some materials, but spent more on the little things [which really add up] – air tight membranes, fixings, fireplaces, etc but on balance we are currently on budget.  I thought we were to have our Grand Design moment recently – just before the adverts, when the clients are either getting a divorce, going bust, or are 5 years behind schedule.  One of our suppliers is incredibly bad at communicating with us.  It starts with delays in delivery – next week not this week, then you chase them, and they don’t call back – it goes on, and because they never ring you, one feels – after some weeks of missed deadlines, that the worst is happening.  Then someone rings you and says "we will be there tomorrow".  Huge sigh.

So if we have been productive etc, it’s down to quite a few things. 

There are many items I would change if I were doing this again, - which I’m not, but this is the content of a future jotting.