We’re completing our short series on finding a builder for your passive house kit with thoughts on project management.
Navigating your home’s build
In the first two parts of this short series, we concentrated on the process for identifying possible builders for your passive home using EkoBuilt’s pre-certified kit.
Part 1: Our Passive House Kit explained, Finding possible builders, What to look for in a builder, Specific skills, What a potential builder will need, Ensuring a quality build
Part 2: The building process, Pricing expectations, Financing, Why a builder might not want to work on your project, Items your builder will price, Land related pricing
There is a larger decision to be made around your build, which is project management. If you have the time and you’re comfortable with the tasks, it might make sense to do this yourself, but if you’re not, then a general contractor can be a great idea.
Acting as your own general contractor
We do have owners who opt to project manage or be their own general contractor for their house build.
This requires time, energy, and effort on the home owners’ part, so it might not be the right option for everyone.
If you do choose this DIY option, then you would:
- look for a carpenter or framer to assemble and install the EkoBuilt passive house building envelope, including wall assembly, roof assembly, windows and doors – in order to put together the weathertight shell for the house
- identify and manage trades for various items in the build (e.g. plumbing, electrical, drywall, etc.)
If you’re interested in acquiring our weathertight shell as prefab panels, this could make the job of managing your own build somewhat easier.
Finding a builder who can manage everything
If you have a builder who can be the general contractor and project manager, this will be a big timesaver for you.
Suddenly the constant scheduling and handling of issues (materials being back ordered or late, scheduling conflicts, the wrong item(s) arriving, etc.) will be taken off your hands, leaving you with more time.
If you’re already busy enough, only needing to focus on decisions about the build, rather than stickhandling the actual build, may be exactly what you want.
Even without project management, once your project is underway there will be plenty of decisions you still need to handle, from paint colours to lighting fixture styles, cabinetry, and much, much more.
If you choose to be your own general contractor
If you decide that you’re going to jump in to act as your own general contractor, we offer a consulting package that can take some of the pressure off.
With our package, you won’t have to worry about any technical conversations with the subcontractors, and we will be there to help you sequence your build and provide a sounding board for various decisions and requirements in the build.
If you truly have the time, focus, and energy, and you are confident you can find the various trade contractors, then you could realize a big cost savings on your home’s build by going this route.
Whatever decision you make, we hear again and again that our Build Your Home Webinar for home owners is hugely valuable.
Ready to start planning your passive home? Give us a call.
