What’s a Site Manager and why are they important?
You've done your homework and chosen the Bristol builder you trust with your home extension or refurbishment. The contract is signed, the start date is set and you're ready to begin.
But there's a question worth asking: who will you actually be dealing with once work starts?
Chances are, it probably won't be the person you've been dealing with to date. It'll be your Site Manager – and for the next several months, they'll be the most important person on your project.
The person at your home every day
Your Site Manager is the one coordinating deliveries, checking quality, solving problems, updating plans and keeping your project moving forward. They're also the person you'll be speaking to when you have questions, concerns or just want to know how things are progressing.
In many ways, the Site Manager is the face of your building project. Day-to-day, this is the person you're trusting with your home, your money and your peace of mind.
So it's worth understanding what this role actually involves – and why having a properly qualified, experienced Site Manager makes all the difference.
What a construction Site Manager actually does
On a substantial building project, a good Site Manager is juggling dozens of responsibilities simultaneously:
Ensuring compliance with CDM 2015 and adherence to the Construction Phase Plan. Your Site Manager makes sure the Construction Phase Plan isn't just filed away, but it's being followed every single day. They ensure safety measures are in place, risks are controlled and everyone on site knows what they're doing and how to do it safely.
Updating the plan as work progresses. Projects rarely go exactly as originally planned. A good Site Manager updates the Construction Phase Plan to reflect changes, documents them properly and ensures everyone's working to the current plan, not last month's version.
Managing progress and efficiency. They coordinate the sequence of work, schedule subcontractors, manage deliveries so materials arrive when needed and keep the project moving forward. They're thinking three steps ahead to prevent problems before they happen.
Quality control. Your Site Manager inspects work as it's completed, checks it meets specifications and building regulations, and addresses any issues immediately – before problems get covered up and become permanent.
Managing site visitors and deliveries. On any given day, you might have architects visiting, building inspectors arriving, suppliers delivering materials and subcontractors coming and going. Your Site Manager coordinates all of this while maintaining site security.
Completing daily logs and records. Professional Site Managers maintain detailed records of work completed, tradespeople on site, materials used and any issues that arose. This documentation protects everyone.
Holding 'Toolbox Talks' with the team. These are regular short briefings where the Site Manager goes through specific safety issues, upcoming tasks, changes to the plan or new risks. It keeps everyone informed, aligned and working safely.
It's a demanding role that requires technical knowledge, organisational ability, people skills and constant attention to detail. Which is why proper qualifications matter.
What qualifications should a Site Manager have?
Here's something many homeowners don't realise: there's no legal requirement that someone managing a building site must have specific qualifications. Under CDM 2015, they need to be ‘competent’ – but what that actually means is open to interpretation.
The industry, however, has clear standards. A properly qualified Site Manager should have:
SMSTS (Site Management Safety Training Scheme). This five-day health and safety course covers legal responsibilities, risk assessments, CDM 2015 regulations, accident reporting and method statements. It costs between £500 and £2,500 (depending on the quality and duration of the course) and needs renewing every five years. If your Site Manager doesn't have current SMSTS certification, they're not properly qualified. For the record, the last course cost for a Dybowski site manager was £2,500).
CSCS Card (Construction Skills Certification Scheme). For site management roles, this is typically either a Black Card (Manager level, requiring NVQ Level 6) or Gold Card (Supervisor level, requiring NVQ Level 4). These prove the holder has the knowledge and qualifications for their role. An NVQ Level 6 can take 12-18 months to complete and costs several thousand pounds.
First Aid at Work certification. This three-day course (around £200, valid for three years) ensures someone on site can respond properly to accidents or medical emergencies. We choose St. John’s Ambulance ‘First Aid at Work’ courses.
All of this training costs money and takes time – these aren't quick online courses, they're serious professional qualifications.
Why some builders cut corners here
Given the costs involved – both in training and in employing someone full-time to manage rather than build – some builders take shortcuts.
They might use an experienced tradesperson to ‘keep an eye on things’ between jobs. They might have someone with the title ‘Site Manager’ but without proper qualifications. Or they might have the company owner dropping by occasionally but no dedicated site management.
This saves them money. But without proper site management, quality control suffers, safety planning becomes box-ticking, progress slows and you end up dealing with multiple different tradespeople instead of having one knowledgeable point of contact.
Why this matters for your Bristol build project
When you're having substantial work done on your Bristol home, having a properly qualified, experienced Site Manager means:
- Someone competent is in charge every day
- You have a reliable point of contact for questions and concerns
- Problems get caught and fixed while they're still minor
- Your project runs efficiently with fewer delays
- Everyone's working safely – your family, the tradespeople, visitors
- You're protected if Building Control or HSE inspectors visit
Essentially, a good Site Manager is your guarantee that someone knowledgeable, qualified and accountable is looking after your interests every single day.
How we approach site management at Dybowski
For us, having properly qualified Site Managers on every substantial Bristol project isn't optional, it's fundamental to how we work.
We invest in SMSTS training, CSCS certification and ongoing professional development because we know it makes the difference between a project that runs smoothly and one that doesn't. Our Site Managers hold Toolbox Talks with the team, maintain detailed daily logs, update Construction Phase Plans as work progresses, inspect quality at every stage and serve as your reliable point of contact throughout the build.
When I say “no shortcuts, no compromises," this is part of what I mean. Yes, employing qualified Site Managers costs more. But that cost is part of delivering the quality, safety, and peace of mind you're paying for.
Questions to ask your builder about site management
When you're choosing a Bristol builder for your project, ask:
- "Will I have a dedicated Site Manager and what are their qualifications?"
- "Does your Site Manager have current SMSTS certification and a CSCS card?"
- "Who will be my day-to-day contact during the build?"
- "How do you manage quality control on site?"
A builder who answers confidently and can show you their Site Manager's qualifications is demonstrating professionalism. A builder who gets vague or says "we all keep an eye on things" is showing you where they're cutting costs – and that's rarely where you want corners cut.
Trust built daily
Your Site Manager is the person you'll be trusting with your home every day for months. They need to be competent, qualified, reliable, and genuinely committed to delivering quality.
When you choose a builder, you're not just choosing a company or a price – you're choosing the people who'll actually be there, day in and day out, building your project. Make sure those people have the qualifications, training and professionalism your investment deserves.
Because trust isn't just about the sales pitch or the company reputation. It's built daily, by the person managing your site, solving your problems and making sure your project is done right.
Planning a substantial renovation or extension? Let's start a conversation about how we manage projects professionally.
