Estimating Home Building Costs Review

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(More customer reviews)No, I have not read the book. Having said that, please note that the other reviews are for the earlier edition, not the 2010 edition. The negative review should be altered by this new edition.

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Accurate estimates are the foundation of a successful construction business. Leave an item out of your original estimate and it can take the profit out of your entire job. This practical guide to estimating home construction costs has been updated with digital Excel estimating forms and worksheets that ensure accurate and complete estimates for your residential projects. Load the enclosed CD-ROM into your computer and create your own estimate as you follow along with the step-by-step techniques in this book. Clear, simple instructions show how to estimate labor and material costs for each stage of construction, from site clearing to figuring your markup and profit. Every chapter includes a sample cost estimate worksheet that lists all the materials to be estimated. You will never miss an item again. On the CD all these worksheets are provided as Excel spreadsheets. The final chapter shows you how to figure your markup and profit to arrive at a sales price You will earn simple and effective ways to estimate site clearing and excavation. footing and foundation material and labor: concrete, masonry, basements and waterproofing; floor systems material and labor: sill plates, girders, ledgers, joists, hangers, headers, bridging, and subfloors; Stairways: including how to calculate rise and run, tread depth, and stringer length; walls and ceilings: studs, headers, sheathing, bracing, and joists; rafter and roof framing: including calculating rafter length, ridges, rafter supports, trusses, roof sheathing; roofing materials: underlayment, flashing, ventilation, shingles, and subcontractor costs; Interior finishes and trim: drywall, painting, molding, floor coverings, kitchens and bathrooms; exterior and interior trim and finish materials: windows, doors, siding, brick materials, and labor; concrete for floors, walkways and patios; Overhead and profit, including setting your sales price.Once you find how easy the automated Excel worksheets make estimating, you ll want to use them for every estimate. Just enter your project information on the worksheets and Excel will automatically total each material and labor cost from each stage of construction to a final cost estimate worksheet. Specialized worksheets guide you through calculations for common rafter lengths, headers, and estimating areas of walls and ceilings. There are also time-saving factor tables for roof pitch, jack and hip rafter lengths, brick courses, concrete volume, mortar, and much more.--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Be Your Own House Contractor: Save 25% Without Lifting a Hammer Review

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(More customer reviews)In 1990 I had my ten acres paid for, and was ready to being building my retirement home. A friend gave me Carl Heldmann's book, Be Your Own House Contractor. I had a set of plans made from my sketching, and got three bids for building. The cheapest was $97,500.00. I decided to try my own general contracting, with little to no experience in construction. With the help of some friends whom I bounced ideas off of, I started out with a spread sheet of sub-contracters, getting three bids from each in their order of appearance. In six months, we finished our home, and without cutting any real expenses, built our home for $67,500. All due to the teachings and following of Carl Heldmann's book. Even if you do decide to use general contractor, this book is still invaluable in the detail and advise given. I have since given this book to three friends who have built homes, and all three were very impressed with the subject matter. A MUST read, in my opinion, for anyone who is going to undertake building or having a new home built. I know of no where else one get such a step by step explanation covering the do's and don't of every phase of the process.

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Outwitting Contractors: The Complete Guide to Surviving Your Home or Apartment Renovation Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an excellent blueprint on how to have a terrible relationship with almost anyone in the building trades. I haven't read about outwitting squirrels, neighbors, deer, mice and other critters, but if the attitude and approach is the same as in this book....
Any building process, especially a renovation project, relies on fully developed plans, drawings and a well informed owner. This point is glossed over in this book. Oh! You might want to use an architect or designer for big projects like the pyramids, but you really don't need one for small things, like kitchen/bath renovations or room additions... Wait for your builder to do something and then decide that it should/could have been done differently..
Well, you do need a design professional. If you don't know what you want - or even if you do, but don't have it documented relying instead on a contractor's clairvoyance and your own eloquence - you are going to be disappointed in the final product.
...
The real point of this book - although never well expressed - is that it is of the first importance to work with reputable people. A tradesman whose office is in his hip pocket is likely not going to have the resources to do anything more than basic handiman work.
It IS a funny book - unless you want to get your project done.

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Here is a practical handbook on how to save time, money, and aggravation when working with contractors.Remodeling your home or apartment isn't a job--it's a war. How do you defend yourself against the hordes of invaders who come into your home, renovate according to the way they want to remodel; decide there's nothing wrong with a hot-water pipe through the middle of the living room; order bathroom supplies that take three months to arrive and then come when the plumber is on vacation?Outwitting Contractors offers a fresh perspective and invaluable practical information on how to deal effectively with architects, contractors, builders, laborers, and inspectors. It gives you the nuts and bolts of dealing with the process of home remodeling, helps you avoid the many pitfalls that uninformed home renovators encounter, and gives advice on what to do if disaster strikes. Topics include negotiating contracts; determining who's responsible for what work on the site, and in what order the work should be done; making sure that the raw material you ordered is what gets installed; and what to do when the bathtub won't fit through the bathroom door. An indispensable guide, Outwitting Contractors will save you money, agony, and your house.

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Log Homes Made Easy: 2nd Editin Review

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(More customer reviews)Just what it says in his description of why he wrote the book. It is NOT for the owner/builder, however it will make you think. After reading this book any subcontractor or supplier will have to earn his money. I now know what to look for in my future dealings with log home businesses. His contributions to Log Home Living Magazine are invaluable to owners and future owners and dreamers.

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This book outlines what every owner-contractor needs to know before beginning a dream log home -- getting started; comparing price quotes; researching on the Internet; choosing an architect; planning the site, road, well, and septic systems; finding and managing subcontractors; and scheduling and controlling costs. The author also explores the myths and realities of log home life, including maintenance and energy efficiency.

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

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(More customer reviews)The main part of this book contains some useful information and some helpful hints for owner-builders. However, beware a major problem that nearly destroyed the reading experience for me. The writing goes until page 272. But the book contains 314 pages. So what do pages 272-314 contain? Look at the cover of the book, where it says "Valuable Coupons Inside! $100 Value". Most of the 42 pages contain full-page ads for the author's seminars, audiotapes, workshops and special reports. To see this for yourself, go to the "Look Inside" feature (click on book picture) and look at the last page of the table of contents. I found these ads irritating, because although this is supposedly a reference book in and of itself, it asks you to shell out $6.00-$99.00 each item for more information. Excuse me, but shouldn't information like "Staying on Schedule" be included in the "Owner-Builder" book? The author offers the explanation that he couldn't "fit" all of this info into the book. He sure didn't have a problem tacking on 42 extra pages of shameless bids for more money. Get a book that doesn't reach into your wallet, like the excellent "Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home".

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The best available guide to saving money on a home construction project, The Owner-Builder Book shows you how to contract your new home, remodel, or addition at phenomenal savings. Contains a step-by-step description of the process, including how to find and hire good subcontractors, how to get a construction loan, and how to estimate costs and choose features for your project. Includes 85 planning steps and 100 new construction bargain strategies to save you thousands. Includes contracts, agreements, budget and schedule forms and worksheets. Super-index provides 1,500 search terms for total utility. Winner of the National Association of Home and Workshop Writers Silver Hammer Award for Books."...16 easy to read chapters with lots of charts, lists and examples...More practical advice..." Nancy Cook-Senn, The Shawnee News-Star"...this is the book which will tell you how to design and build your own home just the way you want it. It also tells you how to save thousands of dollars in the process...You can also save up to 50% of the cost of a house by becoming an owner-builder...goes through the stages of how to plan, planning, how to buy, developing a network for purchasing your materials, how to get bids, what to look for in bids on different areas, how to supervise your sub contractors, etc...seems to leave very few, if any, stones unturned." Curtis Rivers, Vero Beach Press Journal"Assuming you have the same costs that a general contractor will have, you will save the profit (more than 10 percent average) and the overhead (two to three times the profit) paid to a general...The Owner-Builder Book discusses just how this can be done." Ask the Experts, Country's Best Log Homes"If you don't want to sorry, follow the process outlined by Mark Smith in his book, The Owner-Builder Book." Builders Showcase, Northwest Herald"...covers every aspect of the building process, including planning, scheduling, working with subcontractors, financing, building permits, etc....has, perhaps for the first time, demystified the home-building process for the layman. Consider this to be a textbook." Prince William Region Home Focus"...highlights techniques for materials shopping (what he calls "commando shopping") and planning your home room-by-room to maximize savings." Home & Real Estate Weekly, Daily Times-Call"This new book gives a step-by-step approach to building your own home and saving up to 50 percent on construction costs. Chapters show how to beat contractor pricing tactics, how to deal with paperwork (contracts, permits, and legal and insurance protection), how to manage home building project on a daily basis, and how to avoid common owner-builder mistakes." The Henry Herald"Great practical little book filled with tips to save money when building a home. If you want to take on the project yourself, it's good to know the tricks of the trade first. You'll learn to manage bureaucratic paperwork, how to get subs on your side, and even become privy to "commando" shopping techniques. The Smiths explain how to benefit from new tax laws and how to prepare yourself to get loan approval." Simple Living Quarterly"If you ever have thought of building your own home, The Owner-Builder Book is for you because it is a step-by-step guide for the amateur and covers all aspects of building a home." Robb Northrup, Kitchener-Waterloo Record"When it comes to building your dream home, sweat equity a.k.a. doing it yourself, can help economize. But you don't need to swing a hammer to nail substantial savings. In The Owner-Builder Book Mark Smith leads home-owners through a step-by-step guide of planning, scheduling and financing a custom built house." Michelle Mahfouri, American Press"The 16-chapter book takes [you] from putting a materials list together and putting out bids to subcontractors to shopping for bargains and close-outs on framing lumber, fixtures, concrete and appliances. It also discusses how to avoid first-time mistakes." Kansas City Star"...guides you through...building...and saving considerable dollars that will build [your] wealth without the [typical] risk..." Rocky Mountain News"What are the secrets to...save money on the construction of your home? This book tells all." Kansas City Daily News-Press

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