Build It Right!/How to Put Value and Quality in Your New Home

A guide for buyers of custom-built homes reveals common problems in home design, relates how to create a user-friendly home, and discusses how to get the best out of a builder or contractor

Ferguson explores how to ensure the quality of house design and construction for the buyer more than the builder, and since few have the time to build their own homes anymore, he makes a timely addition to the how-to universe. Ferguson bought a house and soon became annoyed by the niggling things wrong with it that were the results of shoddy planning and workmanship. A systems engineer, he was well able to critique design problems, and in his book he shares his insights with consumers. He emphasizes the things you might encounter upon moving into a house and then noticing something's not as you'd like it--not major faults such as a cracked foundation (anybody could see that) but matters involving such things as hollow-body and solid doors, wall board installation, and the optimum number of hinges for hanging doors. His explanation of many further details--such as roof slope, placement of pipes within walls, and corner-cutting strategies contractors employ--really makes his book a valuable resource for those building and remodeling as well as purchasing houses. Mike Tribby

This well-designed book on the building process, which details common pitfalls and ways to avoid them, grew out of an investigation of more than 500 homes. Ferguson asserts that the more user-friendly the design to the individual's lifestyle and/or situation, the greater the quality and value of the house, and he backs up his assertion with careful arguments. If Stephen F. Collier's Raising the Rafters (LJ 4/1/93) details with whom to discuss the building process, Ferguson's book shows what to talk about. The absence of an index hinders access somewhat, but a detailed table of contents and numerous appendixes help. Recommended as a think-piece.
Alex Hartmann, INFOPHILE, Williamsport, Pa.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.