Rating: 
Summary: No good for Northeeasterners and midwesterners
Review: The author of the book dwells on materials and methods that are commonly used only in the southeastern part of the country, where he is from. (He actually recommends heat pumps, which are not a very good bet in the colder parts of the country, he also has very little to say about basements, and seems to discourage them as well). I read the whole book, and I do not feel well prepared to be my own contractor. The author never discusses issues like panelized and modular homes, and that could be a way to simplify construction and save money.
Rating: 
Summary: Concise, money-saving organization of your building project.
Review: The author provides an easily understood yet detailed plan to organize the building of your home. Various steps of the building project are well-covered and crucial elements...such as legal requirements for lien waivers, insurance and code requirements are spelled out clearly. I found this book helpful in deciding if I would be able to manage the general contractor process, and was intrigued at the idea of saving up to 25% of labor costs. The sample contracts and other forms were a plus.
Rating: 
Summary: This is an excellent book! It' concise & non-technical
Review: The concept of self-contracting really works. We contracted all the work on our home, chose all the things that we wanted and that we could afford and got our dream home at a savings of more than 25%. We weren't going to do it because of all the naysayers we ran across, but Mr. Heldmann's book convinced us we could do it, and we did! Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: very good overview
Review: The fellow who "knocks" this book doesn't know what he is talking about. The fact is...when you add up all of the fluff in the construction of a home, and if you have reasonable intelligence and if you plan well, before you break ground, you can in fact save 25%-30% on the cost of a new home.And, that does not include the 5-6% for the realtor and the 2-3% for the mortgage broker, etc. If you purchase a component system, chances are you will pay far too much for the home, despite the claims to the contrary. I have been involved in the construction of over 3000 homes in the past 4 years. This is truly the best kept secret in America for the person who wants to do a bit of work, for a very big pay day, down the road. That being said...it ain't for the dummy who wants to make decisions as he or she goes along , once the project is underway. Make your plans...do your homework and let 'er rip. Real estate has always hidden a multitude of sins, due to leverage and inflation. Wouldn't you rather start with an extra 25% in your pocket, right out of the gate?
Rating:
Summary: No good for Northeeasterners and midwesterners
Review: The fellow who "knocks" this book doesn't know what he is talking about. The fact is...when you add up all of the fluff in the construction of a home, and if you have reasonable intelligence and if you plan well, before you break ground, you can in fact save 25%-30% on the cost of a new home.And, that does not include the 5-6% for the realtor and the 2-3% for the mortgage broker, etc. If you purchase a component system, chances are you will pay far too much for the home, despite the claims to the contrary. I have been involved in the construction of over 3000 homes in the past 4 years. This is truly the best kept secret in America for the person who wants to do a bit of work, for a very big pay day, down the road. That being said...it ain't for the dummy who wants to make decisions as he or she goes along , once the project is underway. Make your plans...do your homework and let 'er rip. Real estate has always hidden a multitude of sins, due to leverage and inflation. Wouldn't you rather start with an extra 25% in your pocket, right out of the gate?
Rating:
Summary: very good overview
Review: The fellow who "knocks" this book doesn't know what he is talking about. The fact is...when you add up all of the fluff in the construction of a home, and if you have reasonable intelligence and if you plan well, before you break ground, you can in fact save 25%-30% on the cost of a new home.And, that does not include the 5-6% for the realtor and the 2-3% for the mortgage broker, etc. If you purchase a component system, chances are you will pay far too much for the home, despite the claims to the contrary. I have been involved in the construction of over 3000 homes in the past 4 years. This is truly the best kept secret in America for the person who wants to do a bit of work, for a very big pay day, down the road. That being said...it ain't for the dummy who wants to make decisions as he or she goes along , once the project is underway. Make your plans...do your homework and let 'er rip. Real estate has always hidden a multitude of sins, due to leverage and inflation. Wouldn't you rather start with an extra 25% in your pocket, right out of the gate?
Rating: 
Summary: Of little use if you are serious about building
Review: This book is a complete waste of time if you are serious about building your own home. Other than giving you a brief overview of the process, it lacks the important details needed to be a contractor. It also does not include the most important tool in the home construction process - a DETAILED outline/chart of a PROJECT SCHEDULE. Recommendation: "The Complete Guide To Contracting Your Home" by McGuerty and Lester. Packed full of details, cost saving tips and a comprehensive project schedule. Truly a great reference guide!
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Overview
Review: This book is straight-forward, and easy to understand. It provides a generally good overview of the home building process and many valuable tips, but lacks in-depth detail. If you're trying to decide whether or not to build your own house, this will give you a good "taste" of what's involved. However, it's NOT an all inclusive step-by-step guide.
Rating:
Summary: Making a Toad look like a Prince
Review: We design custom homes and sell a custom component package to customers in the USA. About 15% of my customers are owner contractors and I have worked with over 50 owner builders in the past ten years. This book is deceptive in that it exaggerates the potential savings and downplays the potential pitfalls. A typical custom home contractor has a 15% profit margin based on National Home Builders Association reports, I concur with that as well. Saving 25% is a dream unless you not only act as the contractor but do much of the work yourself. For every successful owner built project I see there are 5 that are a complete fiasco. Unless you have considerable carpentry and building experience, know how to deal with subcontractors and all the pitfalls of working with them, and have full time to devote to you homebuilding project then don't even attempt to build your own house! Keep your sanity and marriage intact and hire a good contractor. My experience with owner builders is that they don't know how to negotiate with the trades, they are unaware of the workmans comp insurance and lien pitfalls and in many cases they pay the subcontractors more than they should because of their inexperience. Save the cost of this book and go to a movie instead. Unless you are the unusual one in ten owner builder who has all the right skills and the personality to handle a difficult learning curve you would be well advised to look elsewhere for saving money, perhaps building a slightly smaller house with a contractor would be a wiser option and in most cases the contractor built house will be much better built and worth much more money when all is said and done. Spend some time doing research on the web about being your own contractor and read about all the horror stories. You don't make your own car, sew your own clothes, grow your own food, or assemble your television. Use good common sense and realize that owner building you home is a crap shot at best and a personal and financial catastrophe at worst. The best thing I can say about this book is that it will give you a good overview of the process of homebuilding but it will in no way equip you for the realities of building your own home. There is no substitute for long term experience, this book makes a toad look like a prince, pretty far fetched in my experience.
Rating:
Summary: Making a Toad look like a Prince
Review: We design custom homes and sell a custom component package to customers in the USA. About 15% of my customers are owner contractors and I have worked with over 50 owner builders in the past ten years. This book is deceptive in that it exaggerates the potential savings and downplays the potential pitfalls. A typical custom home contractor has a 15% profit margin based on National Home Builders Association reports, I concur with that as well. Saving 25% is a dream unless you not only act as the contractor but do much of the work yourself. For every successful owner built project I see there are 5 that are a complete fiasco. Unless you have considerable carpentry and building experience, know how to deal with subcontractors and all the pitfalls of working with them, and have full time to devote to you homebuilding project then don't even attempt to build your own house! Keep your sanity and marriage intact and hire a good contractor. My experience with owner builders is that they don't know how to negotiate with the trades, they are unaware of the workmans comp insurance and lien pitfalls and in many cases they pay the subcontractors more than they should because of their inexperience. Save the cost of this book and go to a movie instead. Unless you are the unusual one in ten owner builder who has all the right skills and the personality to handle a difficult learning curve you would be well advised to look elsewhere for saving money, perhaps building a slightly smaller house with a contractor would be a wiser option and in most cases the contractor built house will be much better built and worth much more money when all is said and done. Spend some time doing research on the web about being your own contractor and read about all the horror stories. You don't make your own car, sew your own clothes, grow your own food, or assemble your television. Use good common sense and realize that owner building you home is a crap shot at best and a personal and financial catastrophe at worst. The best thing I can say about this book is that it will give you a good overview of the process of homebuilding but it will in no way equip you for the realities of building your own home. There is no substitute for long term experience, this book makes a toad look like a prince, pretty far fetched in my experience.
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