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What our customer's say!

"What Your Contractor Can't Tell You, Great Book!", This is a great book if you are going to embark on building a house. The author is very good at outlining things and it is also not boring. I've highlighted so many things in the book that I didn't know and need to consider or do. A must have for anyone who is going to build a new house or tackle a large renovation!

"Excellent Resource", As a building professional (licensed general contractor since 1991), I think that this book by Amy Johnston is an excellent resource in preparing a person to undertake a building project. The book is chock full of practical, insightful information that gives consumers a 'peek behind the curtain' of building contractors, as well as the building process in general.

Over the years, I have heard of many construction horror stories and am dismayed to see builders with great marketing but little integrity continue to do project after project. If more consumers would take the time and effort to educate themselves about the building process, there would be far less 'money pit' experiences on building projects. This book makes it easy to be an informed consumer.

"Excellent reference - good education for the owner", This book was an excellent resource - helps make you a more savvy owner. You will better understand both the process and the contractor's mindset. Good guidance on where to focus and how to avoid pitfalls.
Would also recommend Hiring Contractors Without Going through Hell.

"an excellent place to start...and revisit again and again", there are thousands of books on the general subject of home renovation. for the important steps that take you from idea/dream to budgeted plan and actual work, this is the perfect guide. ms. johnston is a rare author whose main objectives are to inform and support. readers of this book, if they're anything like my partner and me, will be empowered to pursue their ideas in a realistic, fiscally disciplined way. after reading ms. johnston's book, we feel like agents or real participants in renovating our home, and not hope-filled homeowners eager to make someone else's labor work for us. we know what work we can do, and what work we need someone else to do. this is an excellent place to begin planning an addition or home renovation. it's a text you can return to again and again throughout your process. (i understand that a revised edition will be published in january 2008. i have the first edition, and will buy the new one. these comments refer to the original edition.)

"Very happy with this book. ", I read and I reread this book often. We are getting ready to build and this is one of the most helpful reads that I have found. If you buy this book, you WILL stay one step ahead of the game.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Money Well Spent", As an attorney, I regularly see people who didn't go into contract deals as carefully as they should have. As someone about to build my own home, I read this book to make sure I was doing everything correctly since I knew enough to know that there was plenty I didn't know about contracting, building etc.

This book is fantastic! Even if you're an attorney, you need this book. It provides valuable insight into specific subjects you would never know about unless you'd done these types of projects many times. I can't recommend it highly enough!!

"Learned a wealth of information. ", I wanted to renovate my house, so I called the contractor that hung sheet rock in my basement. We he came to see me he just laughed and explained that rennovating is totally differnt than finishing a basement. He asked questions like "do you have an architech", "did you talk to the town zoning", "what material to you want to use for the floor" blah blah? After our humorous meeting, I read this book. I am only 5 chapters into it but have learned a wealth of information about how to approach my rennovations. There is so much to learn and this book steps you through each piece. The author is not trying to sell you anything but is rather presenting facts about every aspect of a rennovation. He explains all the players involved and how each one can be a friend or become a foe. He has seen dozens of failed projects and attempts to steer you clear of making the same mistakes. This book is a define need for anyone who is attempting their first home renovation. Enjoy.

"Good money-saving advice on your most expensive purchase", Designing and building a new home is intimidating for three reasons (1) It is something with which you are not familiar; (2) you are not likely to have many friends who have done it; and (3) it is VERY expensive. Worse, you feel responsible for every mistake made, and you know that each mistakes cost you money and time. Buying this book is NOT one of those mistakes. Instead, it is the "ounce of prevention" that will pay for itself many hundreds of times over.

Amy Johnston is a professional construction manager and owner's representative. Her wisdom focuses with framing the entire construction project in terms of a tradeoff between time, quality, and money - you can only have two of the three. We're only part way through our new house, and that rings very, very true. We clearly opted for taking a longer time - will we keep that focus as construction progresses? In any case, she gives the insights into each part of the triangle. Better yet, she is fair - she makes sure that neither you, nor anyone else, is getting cheated. Contractors, architects, bankers, inspectors, and everyone else are clearly defined in their roles - though the most important role is the home owner's, which she describes in great detail.

Every chapter is focused on another phase of the project, and her clear writing opens up the mysteries along the way. She describes who is doing what (or should be doing it), and describes what choices need to made - and what the alternatives are - before saying what her choice is.

Her points are illustrated with good references, pertinent anecdotes, and points that she labels "Insider's tips" and "pitfalls". I was pleased to find that I had miraculously avoided some pitfalls before I bought the book, and I expect to avoid many others as a reuslt of her advice.

I was trying to figure out if this book could be described a "home construction for dummies" book. My initial reactiion was that dummies shouldn't be building a house - there are too many choices and decisions, and way too much complexity. But anyone can feel like a dummy when they make a bad decision, based on not enough knowledge and information. With this book, I have far more confidence that I will be well informed, and the problems that will inevitably occur will be minimzed as much as possible. I refer to the book constantly, and appreciate the wide margins that allows for notes to be made.

"Everything you NEED to know about the construction process", This book is an indispensable resource. It is appropriate for home remodels, new home builders, developers, and anyone getting started in the construction business. Read it and you will be able to converse professionally with architects, engineers, builders, and subcontractors. This is not a technical book on how to frame a house or plumb a bathroom. Rather, it gives you an insight into the construction process and a game plan to make sure that you are ready to deal with construction professionals. Amy Johnston's checklists and recommendations for various parts of the process are spot on. Follow her guidance and you will save thousands in time and money and navigate your way through the construction process with confidence.

"Without question, the most important investment in your build/renovation", I bought all the construction books....$1000 worth to prepare for building our house. This book is by far and away the most valuable resource available. I have read it cover to cover three times now, and have referred back to it at the appropriate stages multiple times to be sure that we were following Amy Johnston's very sage advice. It is so well written, and I think I would find it quite entertaining even if I wasn't building a house. My favorite part is her favorite contractor Jerry. The story has all the makings of a Hollywood movie complete with suspense, interesting characters, and a twist at the end. The book provides neophytes like myself with excellent insight into the building industry. Things are not necessarily as they seem on the surface!