What does direct labour or a self-managed build mean?

How it works in Ireland

Managing the build yourself means hiring the groundworker, framer, roofer, electrician, plumber, plasterer and other trades directly. Each trade answers to you, so each has its own price, programme and payment stages, and problems must be pursued separately. It can cost less than a main contractor, who adds a margin for coordination and risk, but delays and rework can absorb the saving.

The route changes three things beyond the daily work.

Insurance. A policy sold on the basis of a main contractor may not fit a build you run yourself. Tell your insurer how you are building, including whether you pay trades directly or work alongside them. Ask each trade for a current certificate of public liability cover, and employers’ liability if they have employees.

Safety. You are the client under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013. You must appoint a competent project supervisor for the design process before design starts and one for the construction stage before construction starts, where more than one contractor is involved, there is a particular risk, or the work will last more than 30 days or 500 person-days. Hiring several trades directly triggers the appointment. Keep the safety file for the finished house.

Building Control. You still name the builder in the commencement documents, and you normally appoint an assigned certifier unless an eligible single dwelling opts out of statutory certification.

Your lender will want to know who is building before it approves a drawdown.

A common mistake

Treating a trade’s certificate as full protection. A trade’s policy covers that trade’s work, and it may not cover damage caused by someone else or work passed to a subcontractor. Ask your broker which policy pays if a trade’s worker is injured and which pays if a visitor is, and get the answers in writing.