The House You Build: Making Real-World Choices to Get the Home You Want (American Institute Architects)

Until now, homeowners have had to choose between the twin worlds of budget-friendly mediocrity and unaffordable fantasy. Responding to this gap, acclaimed architect Duo Dickinson demonstrates that a customhouse doesn't depend on a fabulous price tag. The House You Build offers a third way of building that is grounded in the realities of time and money, but focuses on your fondest hopes and dreams. Here are 20 real-world situations where unique and imaginative homes were built on real-life budgets. When you build on a budget, there are no right answers, only careful choices. There are 20 dreams in this book, and these dreams came true. The House You Build is the first book of architect-designed homes that presents the real costs of their construction including design fees, the Six Rules on Getting What You Want (and can afford), a broad range of house styles from all over the country, and homes that accommodate a wide variety of lifestyles.

A self-styled maverick within the profession, Duo Dickinson, AIA, is an architect in Madison, Connecticut. He is the author of five books on residential design, including The Small House (McGraw-Hill, 1986) and Small Houses for the Next Century (McGraw-Hill, 1995). His design philosophy has been summarized in The New York Times as: "Design it small, make it as beautiful as possible, and practice every trick in the book to keep it as cheap as possible."