My name is Rob Bohm and I’m CLPM’s Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire construction Project Manager.
I’ve worked for CLPM as a project manager since 2014, looking after CLPM clients and project managing most of their building projects in the areas west of Oxford and Reading . Before that, for almost 20 years, I ran my own plumbing and heating installation business based in West Oxfordshire. I’m a fully qualified plumbing and heating engineer and have been working on major building projects all my working life. Over the years, I’ve overseen hundreds of construction projects for both residential and commercial clients, and it’s something that still gives me an enormous about of satisfaction.
I live in the Cotswolds, and get up at 6am. I’m a morning person, so like to start early and always aim to get to site first thing so I miss the traffic, especially if heading East as the roads are a bit of a nightmare as you approach Oxford. I down a bowl of cereal and a mug of tea for breakfast, before feeding our dog and making sandwiches for myself and my son for lunch.
I do most of my planning in the early morning – checking my emails and my phone for texts and scheduling my day. Out here in West Oxfordshire there isn’t much in the way of public transport so I cover quite a lot of miles in my Peugeot and so I always make sure I am as efficient with my time as possible. I generally cover 80 miles or so a day and visit 1-2 projects each day. Much of my time onsite is spent checking progress and then problem solving – either offering advice directly to the client or to the build team.
Lunch is a quick affair – usually 10 minutes spent eating my sandwiches in a lay-by whilst checking my emails and planning what needs to happen at my next appointment. We use a system called Buildertrend which contains our building project programmes and our performance versus the key milestones. I always take lots of photos onsite when I visit – both to confirm progress and to highlight any issues. I then download the images onto our system to enable my clients and colleagues to keep in touch with what’s happening on each of my projects.
As a plumbing and heating specialist, I also work with Tony Duffin, our sustainability expert. Together we help CLPM clients to ensure they select the best options to heat their homes. I routinely work with our clients to review their existing heating system arrangements and assess what they will need as a result of the building works they are carrying out. This might be checking boiler sizes, additional radiators or underfloor heating arrangements. Surprisingly we find this is something that many clients forget about when planning their building projects – and yet being comfortable whilst minimising your running costs in your newly refurbished home is such an important thing! Sometimes the brief is more radical, such as a period property renovation with a complete overhaul from oil to renewable technologies or a new eco-build. In these types of projects, I work with Tony to come up with a total fabric-first solution, often including other elements which have a bearing on the most appropriate heating solutions such as insulation levels, glazing details or photovoltaic arrays.
After work, I like to spend my spare time swimming, socialising and going to the cinema. I’m also a keen rugby fan and avid Gloucester supporter. As an engineer by trade, I enjoy working on my own projects and spend quite a lot of time tinkering with my classic 1961 Mini as well as renovating my 200-year-old Cotswold home.
Are you planning a major building project in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire or Gloucestershire and need a construction project manager? Do you need advice on the best heating system for your renovation, house extension or new build home? If so then we’d love to hear from you. Simply call CLPM on 01923 896550 or email us at info@cl-pm.com.
