How consultants can add value to your build
Mike Hardwick explains why cutting out the middleman isn’t always a cost-eff ective option
Having a basic lighting plan is one thing, but how can you best translate it into a scheme that will bring your fi nished home to life? You guessed it: use an experienced lighting consultant
A deep desire to make our money go further means we tend to focus on buying materials and skilled labour when budgeting for a project. This is completely understandable – after all, making savings in these areas will yield tangible results, so you get that instant gratifi cation of money well spent.
We’re far less enthusiastic about paying for consultants, however, maybe because the outcomes are not so obvious and the word itself is often considered synonymous with ‘expensive’. Somebody once described a consultant to me as “a person who, when you ask the time, borrows your watch, tells you what the time is and then sells the watch back to you.” In other words, money for old rope.
But the truth is the right consultants can have a vital role in adding value to your project – and they have the ability to save you considerable time and money, too. So this month I’m looking at some of the best professionals to go to, and how their advice can help make your scheme a success.
Planning consultants
These experts can prove critical to the success of your self build journey (and can be just as important to a renovation, conversion or extension).