The Homeowner's Guide to Managing a Renovation: Tough-As-Nails Tactics for Getting the Most from Your Money

This book and "What Your Contractor Can't Tell You" by Amy Johnston have been my bibles as I prepared to put out a contract for our home remodel. Both give me a sense of what the likely issues may be and how to address them. Both offer an overview of the construction process, an analysis of alternative ways of managing a construction process, and suggestions on how to head off many problems and deal with the inevitable ones when they come along. This book gave me slightly more a sense of holding my hand than the Amy Johnston book did. The second half of this book walks you through a construction process week by week with ideas of how and when specific problems might come up. I thought the Amy Johnston book was a little more clear than this book on some issues. So I wouldn't recommend one book instead of the other. I really think you should buy both. After all, you're probably going to spend considerably more than either book on your remodeling. Just understanding one issue better (e.g. why a time and materials contract might not be to your advantage; how you can use alternate bids to hold your options open as you see how the construction progresses; etc.) can save you not only more than these books cost, but hours of heartache. I admit both books could have been more helpful in indicating how to create the bid breakdown (the sheet you use to ask the contractor how he arrived at his bid price). But with the information these books provided, I'm sure I'll get much more information than I would have had I used the single sheet bid breakdown that's commonly used around here. If you're thinking about remodeling, you should definitely buy this book.

One of the biggest mistakes most people make, it seems, is to embark on a renovation project without reading up on it. This great book helps prepare for countless projects, small & large, BEFORE tackling each. I count this as an extremely valuable book with a trunkful of information & ideas along with good solid info to read up on. Whole chapters on making a choice whether to move or remodel, discussing the budget, choosing a contractor, contracts, etc, etc. There's good solid information to absorb which will be invaluable. Part One is full of things you should know beforehand and Part Two helps gear in on the project step by step. I would highly recommend this excellent reference to any out there that are anticipating some future renovations. Early on is a good time to take the time to read up on all the generalities which I promise you, most especially for the novice, will be most valuable. And if you're one of those who have had a renovation in your past, you might be surprised at what you will learn from this book that will definitely help the process move on so much more smoothly for you.

I stumbled on this book on my library's DIY shelf and was impressed as I read. It is NOT about being your own General Contractor. (In fact she presents some good thinking points on why you wouldn't want to be your own GC). It IS about Construction Project Management. Includes stuff you should think about before writing the contracts, making decisions, how to handle delays and problems, pay the bills, and how it all fits together. The stuff the homeowner has to take care of when they have someone else working for them. I would recommend that anyone undertaking a significant renovation read this before they start hiring.