The Owner-Builder Book: How You Can Save More Than $100,000 in the Construction of Your Custom Home, 4th Edition - Softcover

Smith, Mark A.; Smith, Elaine M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1932272046 ISBN 13: 9781932272048

Publisher: Consensus Group; 4th edition (January 15, 2007), 2007

Synopsis

This easy to understand, step-by-step guide is clear enough for even a novice to understand, Even if you hire a contractor to build you home, this book will greatly help you understand the process. From shopping for a piece of land to getting a loan to dealing with a contractor, the Smiths' advice covers everything about building a home. The authors advise on getting organized and tackling the hardest parts of the process step by step. Included are valuable lists, charts, ideas and questionnaires. Also, how to shop around for bargains and minimize costs room by room.

About this title

About the Author

Mark A. Smith

Email: Mark@OwnerBuilderBook.com

Mr. Smith is President of The Consensus Group, an independent publishing firm. He is author of The Owner-Builder Book: How You Can Save More Than $100,000 In The Construction of Your Custom Home (fourth edition). Along with his wife Elaine, Smith managed the recent construction of the couple's Provo, Utah home at a savings of nearly $180,000. Formerly the Vice President of a commercial construction firm in Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Smith had no previous residential construction experience before building the Provo home. His book combines professional management and commercial planning techniques with home management ideas to effect major construction savings for even the inexperienced homeowner.

Smith is a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Business.

Elaine M. Smith
Email: ElaineS@OwnerBuilderBook.com

Elaine Smith is a retired public educator with over 30 years experience in the Provo City School system. She has taught on every level in the public schools and served as Chairman of the Social Studies Department at Provo High School. She is a former school librarian and Media Specialist, holding a BYU Master's degree in Library Science. Serving as co-author of The Owner-Builder Book, she was an equal partner in the construction of the couple's Provo, Utah Riverbottoms home.

From the Inside Flap

Letter to the Reader

I had no idea I could build a house.

I didn't know the first thing about carpentry, or cement work, or any of the trades; I had no tools; and I certainly didn't have enough money to build the kind of place I knew I wanted.

Yet here I sit in the nicest office I've ever had in the nicest home we've ever owned enjoying every comfort and a breathtaking view of the mighty Wasatch mountains.

Elaine and I built this place. We truly love it. Its a gorgeous house that has everything we want in it and works very well. It's a great comfort because we can manage the mortgage payment and because we go to sleep knowing that we have more equity in it than we owe.

I never thought we could do this because people assume you can't. And the thought that you could do it far less expensively than a general contractor really causes resistance. People told us "no" all the time.

We decided to write a book that would tell you "yes".

Edition details

• Publisher: Consensus Group; 4th edition (January 15, 2007)
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1932272046
• ISBN 13: 9781932272048
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 274