That’s a great question. If we go back to a definition a Construction Project Manager is a person providing a service using techniques and software to oversee planning, design, construction and the completion of building projects. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? But what does it actually mean for you and me, two people who may or may not have a great understanding of construction processes?
Let’s have a look into that.
I encourage anyone to consider a couple of things before answering this question. If you were to use an alternative noun to describe home, what would it be? Is it a space? A person? A feeling? What is it? And 9 times out of 10 I hear people saying it’s a space. Four walls covered with a roof. Is that really all you need to create a home? I'm happy to challenge anyone on this. After working with multiple property owners over many years on what they consider the space, design, looks and atmosphere, I believe that home is actually a person.
Let’s look at it from a different angle. Imagine that you have the most beautiful house, the place of your dreams. You’ve worked with the best designers and artisans to create the atmosphere you like in it. You feel like it’s home. But when everyone leaves and it’s empty, the atmosphere is gone. The nice colours, fabrics, textures stay of course but the meaning of them disappears with the people. And I’m not saying that everyone needs a partner to create a home for themselves. Quite the opposite. Sometimes that person could be you. You can be the creator of the atmosphere in your home as well as the other people.
Let’s look at it from another perspective. Two people in a relationship who are not really happy with each other. They have been together so long that they can’t even imagine a picture without one another. But something starts to break in between them. They become misaligned on a personal level. They buy a house, restore it, and create an amazing space for each other. The home of their dreams. Move into the house and… something doesn’t feel right. A few months, maybe years later they decide to split. The space that was meant to bring them together, the dream home has now become a source of biggest tension, something they fight over. Was the space that they created a home?
And finally let’s consider a situation where someone can’t afford a refurbishment. They live in a garden studio / fancy shed. They work hard for the money they have. But that is exactly what they consider a dream home. They rush from work every day, they want to be in this space, they wouldn’t change the atmosphere in it even if they had all the money in the world. Because the atmosphere inside isn’t created by material objects. It’s the people that turn a house into a home.
Why am I actually talking about this here, on a renovation themed blog? Because people are always the first priority for me. This is how I decided to build my business and this is an ultimate life value I wouldn’t have changed to anything else. We can talk about projects all day long, strategize programmes or value engineer the design. But what I certainly cannot do for you is build your safe space around promises that can’t be kept. You need to work on you and your life happiness. I can only make sure your home space matches that.
If you would like to talk further, meet me for a virtual cuppa. You can book that over here 👇