🛁 Should You Project Manage Your Own Renovation?

What it actually involves, and whether you should do it yourself

When people hear “I’m renovating my bathroom,” they often picture picking tiles and choosing tapware. But that’s just the fun part.

Behind the scenes, there’s a timeline to manage, quotes to wrangle, and multiple trades to schedule, often in the right order and with enough gap between them so no one’s stepping over each other in the hallway.

So: should you manage the project yourself, or hand it over to a builder or bathroom company?
Here’s what’s actually involved – and what to weigh up before you decide.

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🛠️ What Project Managing a Reno Actually Means

If you’re managing your own project, that means you’re responsible for coordinating everything, including:

• Getting quotes from each trade (builder, plumber, electrician, tiler, etc.)
• Booking and scheduling them in the correct order
• Ordering materials, and making sure they arrive on time
• Dealing with delays, changes, or problems mid-job
• Making decisions quickly when something unexpected happens
• Paying everyone and keeping records
• Organising inspections or council sign-off (if required)

Basically, you’re the glue holding the whole thing together.

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🧰 When Does It Make Sense to Do It Yourself?

You might be a good candidate if:

• It’s a small-to-medium job (like a single bathroom or laundry)
• You’re comfortable communicating with tradespeople
• You’re organised, can handle spreadsheets or checklists
• You’re available during the day for site access or urgent calls
• You’re okay chasing deliveries and last-minute changes

You don’t need to be a builder, but you do need to be the person who keeps the job moving.

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👷‍♀️ When It’s Better to Leave It to the Professionals

Consider paying someone else to manage it if:

• The renovation is structural, involves multiple rooms, or requires council involvement
• You’re busy or can’t be on call during the week
• You’ve never dealt with tradies or building timelines before
• You want a single point of contact and a fixed contract
• You don’t want the stress of managing it yourself

Builders, designers, and bathroom companies charge more, but they also bring experience, subcontractor relationships, and project control.

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💸 Pros of Managing It Yourself

• Can save money. You’re not paying for a main contractor’s markup
• You choose your own team (if you’ve got good contacts)
• You have full control over timelines, finishes, and changes
• Can be really satisfying if you enjoy organising things

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⚠️ Cons of Managing It Yourself

• You’re on the hook for delays, miscommunication, or mistakes
• Can be stressful, especially if trades cancel or overlap
• Some trades prefer working through a builder, not directly with the homeowner
• Harder to coordinate if you’re working full-time
• Easier to make costly sequencing errors (e.g. tiler arrives before waterproofing is done)

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🗂 Tips from Managing Our Own Bathroom Reno

We chose to project manage our own bathroom renovation, and it worked really well for us. Why?

• We were trying to bring costs down
• We had a clear design in mind
• We’d already bought everything ahead of time – tiles, tapware, toilet, vanity, bath – all from various sales and clearances
• We weren’t in a rush, so we could be flexible with the timeline based on when each tradie was available
• We understood the correct order of work (demo → plumbing rough-in → flooring → waterproofing → tiling → fit-off, etc.)

Key takeaway:
It’s totally doable, but only if you plan ahead and stay adaptable. You need to know when each trade is needed and what they require to get started. And you need to accept that delays happen, especially if you’re relying on people who are fitting you in around bigger jobs.

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💡 Final Word

Project managing your own renovation isn’t impossible, but it’s not just picking tapware and calling it a day.

If you’re organised, available, and comfortable being the go-between, you can save money and feel proud at the end of it.
But if you’re time-poor, overwhelmed, or managing a bigger job, handing it over might be the best money you spend.

Either way: the real work is in the planning, not just the building.