The concept of hiring a project manager for home projects is one that I think is foreign in our industry and could use some explanation on the benefits.
Here’s an example and a story I have heard on too many occasions. You have a home project; let’s say you are renovating your kitchen. You research the various general contractors out there and reach out to two or three that either you found on Houzz, or from a friend of a friend. You get the quotes for the work and they are a little all over the place, but finally you are able to narrow it down and select one vendor. Maybe not the cheapest quote you got, but definitely not the most expensive one either.
After finally deciding on the vendor and signing the contract, you pay whatever deposit for the work. The project kicks off, and already out of the gate you have issues with timelines and the project moving much slower than you had hoped. Or like some other scenarios I have seen, the general contractor walks away from the project without giving any reason why and takes your 50 percent deposit. Many times, even when projects are “complete”, the work isn’t done to the client’s satisfaction. Whatever the case, a project manager can help.
Hiring a project manager, someone that understands construction documents and timelines, project plans and budgets, material selections, etc. is beneficial to you as the customer. They can remove all the burden of trying to understand all the ins and outs of the project.
Think about it. You hire a realtor or an accountant because they know all the ins and the outs of their industry, and they are the subject matter expert. They bring you in when you need to be involved, but handle everything else when you don’t need to be. The same goes for a project manager.
A project manager is also the advocate for the client. They are the one working between you and the general contractor or vendor selected. They are advocating on your behalf so that the project stays on budget and on time. They are there so that you don’t need to have the tough conversations with the general contractor or vendor on why the project budget isn’t being met or why the project is being pushed another month. They are there to represent you as the client.
The idea of having a project manager is something that is used more widely in commercial projects but something I feel extremely strongly about even in smaller residential, new-build homes or small commercial projects. It is important to have someone who is the advocate for you as the customer and carries all the back-end legwork so you can enjoy more of seeing the process from start to finish versus getting into the day-to-day details.
If you like what you have heard and are starting a project soon, give me a call. I would be glad to talk through more about how this process can work for you. I promise to be your number one cheerleader so the end result is stress-free and perfect!
