Product Description
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…. More >>
So… You Want To Build a House: A Complete Workbook for Building Your Own Home
Written by a real estate broker and a builder/developer, this book informs the reader on page 11 that “When you hire an architect or a draftsman to design a house, the house plan becomes your property.” Not So! The AIA Document B151 tates that the plans are “instruments of service.” It goes on to say that “The architect and the architect’s consultants shall be deemed the authors and owners of their respective Instruments of Service and shall retain all common law, statuary and other reserved rights, including copyright.” So much for the real estate broker and builder’s advice!
Unike most of the miriad books advising people on the subject, however, the authors at least suggest that the owners might want to “get aquainted with an architect.” They point out that “… some circumstances or communities may require a [architect's] seal for your house.”
This is definitely not a book for anyone with a serious interest in architectural design. There is nothing about what an architect does to increase the value of your investment.
John Milnes Baker, AIA (author of “how to Build a House with an Architect” and “American House Styles: A Concise Guide)
Rating: 2 / 5
This book is too basic with not enough real substance. There are certainly valuable points, insights, and recommendations, however there isn’t enough “meat” in the book compared to other books on the market. I would not recommend this book unless it were only going to be used to add to an already well-read library on the topic. If you’re looking for “the” book on building/designing your own custom home, look elsewhere.
Rating: 2 / 5
I think this is a pretty good book, and I would recommend the print version. It sounds like the Kindle DX version may also be good.
However, the whole point of the book is the worksheets. I suspect you’ll want to photocopy these and play with different options as you figure out how to build your house.
The worksheets are pretty much illegible on the original Kindle (1.0 or 2.0), and even on the DX, I think they would be awkward to photocopy.
Other than that, this is a reasonably useful book, content-wise. I also recommend Building Your Own Home for Dummies (Brewster) and Designing Your Own House (Hirsch). Both of those titles are fine on the Kindle (no worksheets).
Rating: 2 / 5
This book was an easy read and had some good information in it. It also has helpful worksheets that I intend on using as a template to make my own.
Rating: 4 / 5
AS a construction project manager and author, myself, of a book on that subject (”Get Paid for a Change”, subtitled, “The Contractor’s Blueprint for turning Extra Work into Extra Money–through Change Orders”, I was very interested in this book. I live construction project management every day, and really am aware of what happens on virtually every building project: changes to the original design and unanticipated site conditions. In fact, this is so prevalent that my columns “Full Contact Project Management” are carried in four trade magazines.
To that end, this book is a real help to the would-be owner-builder. I believe that you can never have too much information on a subject, particularly when you are about to risk your own money on it! This book will go a long ways toward helping you make informed decisions. Even if you just decide after reading this book that you are NOT going to build it yourself, but will hire a builder, or that you should hire a superintendent, you will soon realize that the $20 you invested in this book paid huge dividends. You really need this book!
Gary Micheloni
Rating: 5 / 5