The NSBRC Guide to Managing Money

Manage your budget, manage your build!

Your home building project is likely to be one of the largest single spends in your lifetime.  Looking after your finances, in a controlled and planned manner, will help keep you on track and on budget.  Losing control of your cash can lead to stressful delays, unexpected costs and potentially an unfinished build with no money left.

The NSBRC Guide to Managing Money will give you the foundations for a successful, worry-free project allowing you to focus on the key decisions and enjoy the excitement of creating your new home.  Ideal for anyone taking on a self build, renovation or large scale refurb for the first time, our new virtual course is delivered by an experienced presenter with a background in designing and building homes.

From how to raise finance to budgeting, negotiating on prices to re-claiming VAT, this course will ensure you avoid costly mistakes and maximise what you can achieve with the money you have available.         

Our Guide to Managing Money course is delivered by Potton’s Managing Director, Mark Stevenson.

Having worked as a builder and construction professional for almost 30 years, Mark Stevenson is Potton's Managing Director where he now helps self-builders build their own homes.

Whilst Mark describes himself as a ‘professional builder’ as a result of his career in house building and timber systems manufacturing, he has specialist knowledge of timber construction and extensive expertise in finding land and appraising building plots.

What will the course cover?

Picking the right team

• Financial experts, who are they and when should I use them?
• Financial roles and responsibilities on a building project
• Raising finance
  • Mortgages
  • Qualification criteria and how to look attractive
  • What brokers do and why you might want one

• Choosing and appointing suppliers and contractors
  • How to put an enquiry together
  • Comparing quotations and how to work out which is best
  • Fixed price or day rate, which is better and why

• Dealing with financial disputes and claims
  • How to avoid them
  • How to resolve problems
  • When to pay and when not to pay, that is the question

 Budgeting

• Putting together a build budget
  • What construction costs
  • How to work out a build budget
  • Defining the scope of work and specifications and why these are important

• Site overhead costs
  • What are they and what should be allowed
  • How to run a site on a budget
  • Essential equipment that saves you money
• Contingencies
  • Contingency and abnormal allowances; what are they
  • what should be allowed
  • How to manage them

Professional fees and what you get for your money

• Design & Professional fees
  • How much should you pay - What should you get
  • Professional fee pitfalls
  • How to manage designers to avoid extra costs

• Routes to build
  • What are the options and how do their costs compare
  • The cost of DIY
  • The cost of convenience

Making the most of your money

• Investing money to save money – the importance of life cycle costs
• How to make sure you don’t run out of money
  • Hone your project management skills
  • The importance of design
  • Money saving ideas (checklist)

• How to buy for less money
  • Lowest cost or best value – what’s most important
  • The art of buying well
  • Where to look to pay less

• Managing VAT
  • Understanding the rules; new build, conversions and refurbishments
  • How to avoid paying VAT to improve cash flow
  • How to reclaim VAT

• Financial tools (Excel based)
  • Budgeting tool
  • Cost tracking tool
  • Cash flow tool

Refund Policy - The How to Find and Appraise a Plot Course

Cost of course per booking: £85 gbp for virtual courses / £165 gbp for in-person course (VAT inclusive). If you are unable to attend the course after booking, we can transfer your place to another course date if you notify us at least a week before the event (subject to availability). Please notify us as soon as possible. Please note that we will issue a full refund if you notify us up to 7 days prior to the event start date, if you notify us after this time your payment will be non-refundable.