PROJECT MANAGEMENT

SITE SUPERVISION

One of the least expensive ways to get your project built, one of the best ways for you to keep control of the quality of work as well as the costs,  the best way to prevent the builder cutting corners to the detriment of your project, this is especially true if your undertaking a substantial restoration project.  For a successful conservation project its vital that you have experienced and knowledgeable management and tradesmen.  Project management gives you far more control and input into how works are performed, allows you access to our wide circle of contacts in the industry, tradesmen and sub-contractors that have the skills to do your job to high standards, all without a builders mark up. . Restoration jobs are always very fluid, one usually does not know what your going to find behind that wall, under that floor,  you the owner will often want to change plans or specifications as you see the project develop, project management gives you the flexibility to do that without facing substantial change orders. 

We take on project management roles ranging from One hundred thousand to Two million euro, we have the expertise, the managent skills and the tradesmen to run a smooth and efficient building project.

Conservation knowledge and experience is needed throughout the project.  Where we are subcontractors on many jobs, we would see on a daily basis, poor decisions being made, inappropriate materials and methodologies, the simple matter is your average contractor wants to get the job done for as little as he can get away with, and move on, the fact is most contractors just don't care enough about historic buildings to do what's right.

SHARED RISK:
Our project management services, offer you an alternative and cheaper method, one that is being used more these days in the UK and Europe on conservation jobs. Known in conservation circles as 'Shared Risk Policy'. This is effectively a project management arrangement, allowing you to get quality conservation works done for a very reasonable rate. Conservation work is notoriously difficult to estimate as there are so many unknown issues that one faces as the project progresses, and the idea is to get the job done reasonably and fairly to owner and contractor. Pick the right man, the right firm for your job and your halfway there to a successful project.

The advantage from our perspective is RISK, take away our risk and we work cheaper, we don't need to make a fortune, just a living. 

Let me give you some background first to the theory.

When one prices a conservation job it is necessary to build in contingencies for problems in executing the works, obviously this can inflate the overall price. Contractors do this from experience as losing money on conservation work is something we all do too regularly. While our fixed price for the works gives you comfort it does mean WE take on a big risk,  If you can take away our risk then you could get the job done a good deal cheaper. Not necessarily cheaper than the lowest bidder on a tender, but cheaper than the quality builders on the tender. 

Our team is a very experienced at conservation work, we are highly skilled in our trades and we know exactly what should be done and how it should be done, we’re not guessing or experimenting with your house. We did not spend the 10 years of the Celtic tiger working on housing schemes and bungalows, we worked on old and historic buildings as we have done for 35 years, we know what we’re at. You can go hire a regular builder, he may be a fine contractor or tradesman, a good decent man, but will he understand this type of work? Virtually everything done on old stone building is or should be done differently, will he know this or will he be just giving it a lash?

Two of the things you don’t want to hear from your builder:
First, the “good idea”, this is perhaps the most insidious, the builder will certainly believe it’s a good idea, but the question is do you want your house to be experimented on, or would you prefer sound and well researched conservation methods, old houses are littered with failed “good ideas”.

The second is, “it can be done, I did it before”, the question should not be, “can it be done”, the important question is “should it be done”.

A well known conservation engineer once said of a contractor following conservation specs, “but does he believe in it”, the point being if you don’t really believe in the methodology because you think there’s nothing wrong with cement for example, are you going to do it right, or say oh, that will do.

So on that basis, we can manage your project in full, or on an a la carte basis.  If you like, with you hireing some direct labour and subcontractors, We can also hire them on our own books as subcontractors at cost to you.  We would also provide you with our own core tradesmen at flat rate per man per day, plus our other costs and take a flat management fee over and above. 

We can cover the following trades with our own men
Masonry, plastering, carpentry. This covers stonework, plastering, floors stone and timber, walls, ceilings, foundations, drainage, roofing, installing windows doors, glazing, door window hardware insulation.

Depending on the size of the project a combination of our men, your direct labour and subcontractors would be the team. Work to be subcontracted: Electrical, plumbing, heating, manufacture of windows and doors, other specialist works. We can reduce some of these subcontracting costs by doing some of the work ourselves, such as mains for water and electric, some first fix plumbing.

We have a lot of construction equipment available as part of the project management package:

3, Special Lime mortar paddle mixers, 1.5 meter, a 1 meter and a 750mm
1, Mortar pump especially adapted for the use of Lime plasters. This is the equivalent of 2 men plastering
1, three phase generator, for operating on site equipment
375 CFI compressors to operate stone working equipment, sand blasting, hemp spraying etc.
3 phase 3000 psi power washer
Various plastering and stonework tools and equipment
Storage facilities and containers
Scaffolding for 600 sqm of wall, safety netting
Teleporter for moving and lifting materials and equipment in and around the site
NOT IN SERVICE, 20 ton Lorry with Hiab for transporting materials equipment
Van for transporting men and equipment
2 ton digger for drainage and site works
Multiple kangos, drills, jack hammers
Table saw, planer thickneser, various woodworking tools and equipment
Welder, power nail guns, grinders
laser level, transformers, ladders, roof ladders, acros
14ft Trailer, debris shutes for scaffolding, 50mtrs safety fencing

.FOR A QUOTE or TO DISCUSS OUR SERVICES, PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL ALONG WITH A FEW PHOTOS OF YOUR PROPERTY

 www.OldBuilders.com :       CONTACT US HERE