How to Plan, Contract and Build Your Own Home | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard M. Scutella
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $15.98
You Save: $18.97 (54%)
New (35) from $15.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 112325
Media: Paperback
Edition: 4
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 752
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.2
ISBN: 0071448853
Dewey Decimal Number: 690.837
EAN: 9780071448857
ASIN: 0071448853
Publication Date: July 21, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New! May have ink mark on book edge and/or very light shelf wear
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Product Description
The Classic Blueprint for Do-It-Yourself Homebuilders Updated to Reflect the Latest Materials, Techniques, and Options! Covering everything from hiring the right vendors to choosing fixtures, this information-packed guide is a step-by-step roadmap for building a new home or remodeling an existing one. The heavily-revised Fourth Edition focuses on the latest technologies, materials, money-saving options, and environmentallyfriendly methods, allowing homeowners to save money, get more for their money, maximize their usable space, decrease maintenance costs, and choose from an exciting array of new options.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 I built my house using this! My builder was impressed!! September 5, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book gives excellent strategic advice. It is not a tactical manual on how to build a house with your own hands, but rather informs a buyer on how to get the job done and which decisions are critical (e.g. site selection, architecture design selection, and builder selection). If you want to learn how to install drywall, then this is not the book for you. If you want to get a general idea of how it is done, but want to learn more about specifications from an owner's perspective, then this is the book for you. Some of the best advice in the book is really in the chapters on builders (how to select them, and how to work with them). This 'soft sceince' is the critical knowledge that I needed to build my own home that I would not have obtained otherwise. The sample specifications list using a HUD form proved to be invaluable to me. I didn't need an architect after that.
Good Introduction to the Building Concepts September 1, 2005
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have a slight problem with the title of this book. Will it enable you to build your own home? Yes, if by build your own home you mean hiring carpenters, plumbers, electricians and the like. But no if you mean grabbing a hammer, pipe wrench and a roll of wire.
This book is a general introduction to the concept of building a house. Here's what to think of when you are planning a house. Here are some of the basic concepts of plumbing. Think about wiring like this. It's a general introduction to nearly every aspect of building a house from footers to roofing.
Could you use this book to act as your own contractor. Probably if you study it really carefully, have some experience yourself or someone you trust to spend a lot of time talking to you.
The orientation of the book is for you to really get a contractor. But by reading the book, you know a lot more than most people, you'll save a lot of time, and you'll understand the jargon that they use to describe parts of the house.
A quick education . . . April 15, 2005
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
We bought a house to be built, but had no experience or background in construction. This book was a tremendous help in getting us up to speed and it allowed us to be conversant, and more importantly watchful, of the developer and contractor. I was able to intelligently review plans and specs after reading through this book. It did not make me an expert, but I am light years ahead of where I was before I picked it up. Essential for anyone planning to build or buying new construction that is yet to be built/completed. Highly recommended.
How To Plan, Design & Contract Your Own Home January 10, 2005
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
This book is very helpful for you to work with and speak the language of your contractor. It is not designed for you to be your own contractor, but to work with one that you select. In Part II "How to Build It", the book shows how a house is put together. If you never lift a hammer throughout the entire construction process, it still pays to know how a house can and should be put together. The difference between mediocre and excellent construction involves a ridiculously small materials cost. Knowing construction methods and materials will also assist you in your dealings with whichever contractor you choose.
 Good book for information but not instruction January 6, 2005
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I bought the book with the intention of using it as a guide as I built my new home. I found it more of a research guide to use in the process of preparing to build or purchase a new home. The "how to" portion is absolutely not there. It is a good book and well worth the money, but not what I was looking for. I was looking for something to "knock the cobwebs off my brain", since it has been over 20 years since I was involved in home construction in my late teens. I just bought another book on line, "How to design, build, remodel and maintain your home", hopefully this will meet my needs.
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