Hi, I have plans drawn up by an architect for refurbishment of my home. He is too busy to project manage the work and draw up detailed working plans.
Plans are paid for, but now I need to hire a project manager.
Total budget for the project is 200, 000. How much should I expect to pay the project manager (percentage of total or a fixed rate?), and are there guidelines anywhere online?
Can I respectfully suggest you might be jumping the gun a little here.
I think you need adequate information from a design team as opposed to expecting a project manager to carry out this work or pressure the builder to start doing work on design matters, detail matters and services co-ordination. Renewing the services in an older property could run to €50,000 so you need to know what needs to be done and cut your cloth accoding to your measure with what you want to be done.
You say plans are paid for, but the architect is too busy to draw up detailed working plans.
I'm not 100% certain what you've paid him for - was a planning permission required to extend the house and is that the level of design you are at?
Many architects calculate fees on a Planning /Tender /Contract [site] /Certification breakdown, with upto 1/3 of the fees due at planning lodgement. This means that you are not prepared for site just yet.
Given the onerous requirements of Part L at the moment, you will need to have - as a workable minimum, a set of General Arrangement Plans and Key Details to allow the work to be priced.
These need ot propose a strategy for conservation of fuel and energy which yileds the nevcessary long and short term benefits.
If you're marrying in an older masonry walled, lime mortar based premises with a new build possibly timber framed extension you need to create an interface point and manage work differently either side of it, perhaps a hall or lobby arrangement but this should have been already assessed pre-planning.
Because of the work involved I would strongly suggest an initial safety plan is prepared, even in bullet point form, to focus designers and contractors
You should have a survey done of the existing house with service run approximate or known locations marked on it - drainage and water pipes and live cable locations, etc.
An engineer should be requested to comment on the proposed refurbishment and bring forward structural solutions, including beam and padstone/spreader design.
Where you're introducing an MVHR system you need to consider existing and proposed spaces in relation to maintaining fire proofing between alert and sleeping occupancies and garage spaces.
With a lot of servicing, overall co-ordination and a detailed specification from a competen M&E is indicated as opposed to leaving it to the electrical and plumbing contractors on site.
Some of the works may require Prime Cost or Provisional Cost Sums but these should be kept ot a minimum or you will end up almost with a Time and Materials contract, with estimates getting thrown out the window.
You also need to sign off on the work described in the documentation
With the GA's details, engineering and M&E information to hand you should have the works priced by a competent QS.
The QS can advise you on builders who would be interested in and competent to carry out the work and will advise on as well as what contract to use and whether a bill of quantities is required.
€200,000 could easily become €300,000 if the costs aren't fully assessed including all details and specification signed off on.
HTH
ONQ.