Remodel! an Architect's Advice on Home Renovation

This book gives you step by step instructions - to the point of including samples of phone questionnaires, Request for Proposal letters, the agenda for the architect interview, etc. It tells you how to interview for an architect and a contractor, and what to expect at each stage of the remodeling process. It relies heavily on formal AIA procedures, but if you're investing a lot in a renovation and you're new to remodeling, the AIA procedures are probably the best way to go. If you read just one book about remodeling, I recommend this one! (Too bad it's out of print.) I also recommend Rusk's On Time On Budget for more good info (but Rusk does not give all the details that Gibson gives).