This page...
We describe the professionals who can manage your house-building project for you.
Architect or designer-managed
If you are using a registered architect to custom-design your home, they will probably offer a full service which includes managing the project. In fact, they will probably prefer this option.
If the plans are being drawn by an architectural designer or an architectural draughtsperson, they may also offer this service.
Keeping on the architect/designer means paying for their services and you may be tempted to stop using them once the plans are drawn to make some savings. This could prove to be false economy. The plans are only written instructions. Are you confident that you will be able to interpret them when the builder asks a question about them? If they are interpreted incorrectly, there could be costly mistakes, and it may not be clear who is liable for the costs once the architect has stepped away from the project.
Company-managed
When you use a group housing company, or kitset/pre-built home, the price usually includes the services of a project manager. Often you are buying the section, plans and building services as part of the package and don’t have to organise any of this yourself. But it doesn’t mean stepping away and not taking any interest in the project.
David bought a section in a new subdivision and used the company that was developing the subdivision to design and build his new house. The company organised everything. He had a positive building experience and was very happy with the results. But he has some advice – be involved. He and his wife had lots of input, they lived close by and watched progress daily. They got onto problems immediately, for example, they noticed the kitchen oven gas-fitting was in the wrong place the day before installation. They kept in close contact with the project office and found this worked well for them.
Builder-managed
When you hire a builder on a full contract, depending on what is in the terms of the contract, they can manage everything from getting a designer, hiring the subcontractors, liaising with you on variations and getting materials on site.
Or, you might have a hybrid arrangement where you use an architect or designer to do the plans and have an overview of the entire project, as well as monitor the budget and progress payments, but the builder takes on the hiring, and acquiring of materials and organising inspections.
The responsibilities need to be clearly spelt out in the contract.
Other professionals
Other professionals, like quantity surveyors, sometimes take on the project management task. This can happen by default, for example, when the project manager you engaged lets you down.
Diana and Geoff had major renovations done, firstly remodelling downstairs (Stage 1) and then adding a second storey to their home (Stage 2). They had problems with the architectural designer and his electrician in the first stage, so they employed a project manager to oversee Stage 2. After one change in builder, another building contractor took over the contract and finished the construction phase of Stage 2. They then discovered that the project manager had been less than truthful and he was subsequently convicted of fraud. Their advice is to get paperwork for everything and check out the credentials of the people you employ.
Project management companies
There are companies that specialise in providing project management services for building construction. They are usually involved in apartments or commercial sites but often manage ordinary home-building where the house is a complicated design or at the expensive end of the market. Or they get called upon by busy people who want someone to take the whole project off their hands.
Most project management companies are happy to be approached and discuss your new house with you.
Small firms, or people working alone, also offer their services as project managers.
You will pay a fee for their services. Check with the individual companies and managers to see how their fees compare to those of the architect, or the margin you pay the builder to manage the project. But, as with any project management, what you pay in fees can often be saved by avoiding the expensive mistakes on a badly-managed building site.
Look under Project Management or Building Consultants in the Yellow Pages to find names of project management companies and individuals.
BRANZ Accredited Advisers
The Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) has accredited Accredited Advisers who can manage a house-building project. They may be employed to manage residential house construction, including those needing special features, (for example, a home that has to accommodate people with disabilities).
BRANZ Accredited Advisers are independent, professional building consultants. They will visit the building site, and advise or report accordingly. Some are qualified in dispute resolution procedures, including mediation and arbitration.
They also provide the following services:
- Maintenance management reports.
- Final inspections for new buildings.
- Advice on solving technical problems.
- Pre-purchase or pre-sale reports.
You negotiate a fee with an accredited adviser and decide in the contract how much of the project you want them to manage.
BRANZ can provide you with more information about using accredited advisers.
If Amy had used an Accredited Adviser, she could have saved herself some major problems. She lives with two family members who use wheelchairs. She used a builder to design and build a house and gave clear instructions that it had to accommodate the special needs of the occupants.
She now finds the bathroom and toilet don’t provide enough space to manoeuvre a wheelchair, and other design flaws have left the house unfit for its purpose. She could have benefited from the expertise of an Accredited Adviser who understood the special requirements of people with disabilities.
