Written by So… You Want To Build a House: A Complete Workbook for Building Your Own Home
Build your dream house without getting a headache! From selecting the property and meeting with an architect through resale considerations and construction, So You Want to Build a House walks you through every step of the building process painlessly, on-time, and on-budget.
List Price: $ 19.95
Price: $ 12.30
Buy it before you build!,
I know absolutely nothing about building a house and my realtor told me about this book. The book has all the categories from property selection thru flooring selection and made it so easy to figure out and create a real budget for my new house. I followed all the tips and filled-out the forms in this book and took them to the bank when I applied for my construction loan — the bank was so impressed – they knew I had a handle on my budget for my house. The book made it really easy to do and took me step-by-step through the entire process. It has an area to record everyone I needed permits and inspections from and helped me keep everything so organized. There are even forms to compare prices of things like cabinets and itemize every detail of everything needed for construction. It made my construction project a lot easier – the book helped me because I went over budget in one area, but I was able to adjust another area as the book suggested so I stayed on my budget. I used the info in the book to decide where to cut some costs and wher I could spend more so my appraisal would be good. And I did a schedule and knew when the house would be finished. My construction budget was $350,000 and the final price on my house was $352,530 — my banker couldn’t believe it – he said no one ever stays so close to their budget. I told him it was because this book broke everything down and was so easy to follow. It even has forms to keep the phone numbers of everyone who worked on the house so I have an easy reference sheet if I need to contact anyone. People usually say they will never build again, but I definitely will and use this book again.
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|Read this book before you start!,
J.M. Gore is a realtor & William Null a builder, and together they have written a very helpful book. From the introduction–where you learn the importance of gathering information to make decisions, staying in your budget, and avoiding delays–to the comprehensive workbook (plenty of room for schedules, materials, subcontractors, etc.) and index, this is a useful book; and it also includes samples of the various forms you’ll work with. The authors cover the basics of surveys, soil testing, easements, architects, house plans/blueprints, construction loans, liens, hard & soft costs, the importance of the value of houses in your neighborhood, resale and upgrades values, etc.; and they list and discuss the things that add to your construction cost: roof pitch, gables, plumbing and wiring, ceilings, fixtures, cabinetry, flooring, and change orders!
Having written a book myself about building a house, Building a Cool House for Hot Times without Scorching the Pocketbook, I was impressed by their book; they cover what you need to know, and they also point out that each house and property is unique, plus they’ve included examples of problems that homeowners have had to deal with. I learned a lot, including pitfalls I missed, fortunately. I’m keeping this book for building my next house.
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|good overview,
I bought this book to see what the process of building a house is all about and this book provided just that, a brief overview of whats involved. I finished this book in about half an hour (didn’t do the worksheets) and while its helpful, it lacked the specific information I was looking for (for ex., where should I submit the house plan? what exactly is a lien?). For first timers like me, this book generates more questions than answer. Overall a good starting point, with the dozens of worksheets which may prove to be helpful later on, but if you are looking for detailed information… you need another thicker book.
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