So after fighting, and winning a silly planning case, we are now submitting warrant drawings and going out to builders for quotes.
Our Architect is good at doing technical drawings but pretty rubbish at process type stuff. We have never undertaken work like this so feeling a bit exposed when it comes to contractual side of things. I don’t want to go down the QS route as I know that puts off a lot of builders but I do not want to get shafted on costs and timescales. How do we go about putting in place a contract with clear expectations, liabilities, quality standards, payments schedules, retentions etc. Do we just roll over and use builder side contracts, do we use the RIBA Domestic Building Contract or do we bite the bullet and go down the QS route. Build is likely to be around £175k so pretty major project.
I would look to get a decent QS/project manager/contract administrator and see what they suggest; probably a JCT Homeowner contract, or possibly even a Minor Works (though that might be overkill). They're designed exactly for this sort of thing and cover all of the issues you raise.
More info here:
For that money, get a qs.
Use a JCT and don’t trust your architect to achieve good value.
After initial bids on our project I re-wrote the tender document to group the deliverables and quantities by trade.
This had the result of enabling me to read across the tenders and find the lowest price per trade and then stitch that back up to a total contract value (adjusted because if you pay bottom for everything the quality of the finished job just gets compromised).
The Architect was adamant the project could not be brought in for any less than £117k - I brought it in on time at £79k. This was 6 years ago but the principle probably still stand today.
probably a JCT Homeowner contract,
...is what I was going to suggest.
Before you send it to builders for tender , read it and try to understand it as best you can.
There'll be stuff in there that you need to do as you go along other than just sign it and stick it in a drawer until it all goes breasts ascending.
A contract is best used if you administrate it properly.
When you send it out for tender, get as detailed a breakdown as you can of the works and ask for a programme of how they intend to achieve it.
This should detail what order the tasks need to happen in and how long each should take. In reality there will be tasks out of sequence and the timescales might be out but it's useful to have if they aren't making progress.
Tie any interim payments into completion of key tasks rather than on time elapsed. This will incentivise the builder to get it done rather than hit you with a bill just because they've been there for a month.
JCT states it contract has jurisdiction in England and Wales, I live in Scotland. Issue?
Is the RIBA Domestic Building Contract and suitable alternative?
JCT states it contract has jurisdiction in England and Wales, I live in Scotland. Issue?
There are kilted versions produced by the SBCC.
Kilted versions? Ideal. That'll be the McJCT contract then.
Isn’t this where the OP sends a PM to @perchy?
Do you intend to be hands on? What’s the risk on the project like? Personally I spent circa 150k on day rates and no contracts.
That meant me taking the risk on the project. If you want someone else to own the risk you’ll pay for that.
Ymmv - but I wanted control of the absolute detail and I found the people I could work with to make that work. They made money I saved money.
Get a QS to review the plans, or do it yourself via Spons. That’s £300 or so worth spending so you have a bench mark.
For that money my first concern would be making sure you get a good contractor with a good history of completed builds/ satisfied clients. The smooth running of the build and a quality final product should take precedence over penny pinching. At that budget I wouldn't employ a QS but I would employ an architect capable of overseeing/ administering the contract and delivering the final product. JCT is what I have used.
