The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home

I bought a number of books on construction contracting prior to having a new home built. This was one of two that I found very useful, and I would recommend it as a reference for folks building a home, especially if you've never done it before. The book includes basic construction techniques and terminology that I found helpful in communicating with my builder; a rough timetable for steps in the construction process; and a wealth of sample documents that helped me think about how to manage my paperwork, especially the change order process. Glad I bought it!

Even if you aren't sub-contracting your own home, this is a great book. The diagrams of the foundation to the plumbing was easy enough for the novice to understand. There are checklist included for every stage to make sure that things are being done right the first time. This helps save lots of money on costly and time consuming mistakes. You might not be planning on doing most of the work yourself, but you have the tools in one book to help you make sure that the sub contractors are doing it right. It is your house and your money, with your new found knowledge you will have the upper hand thanks to this book. No one will be the wiser after you read this book that you aren't a contractor yourself. There are also project schedules, reference sheets, plan analysis checklist, item estimate worksheets, subcontractor agreements, affidavits and more in the book to help you get started. You can use the ones in the book or use them as a starting point to make your own. There is a glossary in the back to help with those words that salesmen, subs, or bankers may throw at you. You will be armed and ready. The price is great for a book packed with such helpfull information.

This book was the best bargain I made while building my house. It saved me thousands of dollars in materials savings, increased productivity, and unforeseen expenses. The schedule and checklists were particularly helpful. I knew exactly what to look for in workmanship at every stage of the project. I contracted the house myself and the subcontractors were amazed that I knew so much about construction. If they only knew...I've read all the other contracting books. This one is the best hands down. The computer section and suppliers lists were really helpful too. I find it highly amusing that the only negative review of this book came from a professional contractor from Canada. He should be worried! With this book you will be empowered to contract your own home, or at least know what to expect when hiring someone else for the job.

We had never built a home and was very anxious in doing so. This complete guide allowed us to proceed without trepidation. The results were remarkable! The checklists were especially helpful.

This book is a must have for anyone planning to build or contract their own home. I was amazed at the complete detail of everything. Unlike most how-to books, this one is organized like a project manual, with checklists and inspection criteria. I have no doubt that anyone could build a house with this book as a guide. I especially liked the sources lists and the chapter on computers.