The Owner-Builder Book: How You Can Save More than $100,000 in the Construction of Your Custom Home

Rating:
Summary: GOOD START - Even if you aren't subcontracting out your home
Review: Arm your self with knowledge with this book. They show you how to budget your expenses, schedule the sub-contractors, make the lenders see you as a contractor, avoid liens and lawsuits, avoid mistakes, lower your property tax, and most importantly ... owner builder savings secrets. The authors have really made this there personal diary. They have done the research for you and passed it along. They have experienced it first hand and know what it takes to be a Owner-Builder yourself. They give you the confidence to do it yourself. You can't go wrong with this book unless you buy it and don't read it. It has become a reference book for me that has come in very handy.

Rating:
Summary: Must reading for anyone remodeling or building a home.
Review: Ever dreamt about a custom built home? This is the book for you. Mark and Elaine Smith saved 44% of the cost of building their own home, thanks to their painstaking planning, savvy supervising of sub- contractors, and getting the best possible price on everything that went into the construction. The Smiths share their experience and strategies in this fascinating book. It's incredibly detailed, with valuable lists, charts, ideas, and questionnaires (like what to ask potential subcontractors), yet easy reading. Even if your construction project is more modest, say, remodeling your kitchen or adding a deck -- this is must reading.

Rating:
Summary: Start saving money right here
Review: Filled with personal anecdotes, blank pages for note-taking and the all-important several pages of readers' testimonials.

Rating:
Summary: lacking in actual construction information
Review: I found the book helpful in areas such as financing,getting subs to show up on time, and getting good prices on material.
I was looking for very specific info regarding the actual steps of constructing your own home. I need to know exactly what type of foundation is best, how to calculate much fill I'd need for the project and so on. If you're looking for a factual book on home construction, this is not the one. I'll keep looking.

Rating:
Summary: The Owner Builder Book
Review: I found the book, and audio tapes to be very helpful in guiding me through the process of managing an Owner Builder project.
The information was well organized, and appropriate for someone who is a first time Owner Builder. I especially liked the examples and analogies that the author used, as well as the advice. The strength of the book was that it was prepared by someone who actually was an Owner Builder, with emphasis on how to contract and manage subcontractors. I also felt that the computerized spread sheet was an excellent tool for organizing the bids for materials on the project.

Rating:
Summary: good book on business side , not technical though
Review: I got this book with the author's autograph on it. I enjoyed reading it. It primarily teaches you how to manage the project, although it does not really go into the technical side of building a house. But, what is the most important thing of the building project ? it is the management right I guess. Overall this book is useful if you have not done it before.

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful book!
Review: I was fortunate to come across this book as I was making my decision to owner build my custom home. This book was an excellent resource and it allowed me to go in to my construction effort well informed and ready to tackle the project. From tax insights, to planning and organizing techniques this book covers everything that I needed to know. It's step by step plan of attack, and it's insightful and fun to read reminders truly helped me get into the drivers seat. In the end, I was able to save a substantial amount of money in the construction of my home, as well as avoiding several headaches, and mistakes along the way. The owner builder book chronicled owner builders like myself who had a story to tell, and insider tips. I also learned strategies that enabled me to take advantage of tax benefits. In owner building, knowledge isn't only power, it's tremendous savings.

Rating:
Summary: Makes one good point
Review: If nothing else, this book will convince you paying construction professionals is money down the drain. The author, a marketing consultant, relates his experiences as owner-builder. There are undoubtedly nuggets of wisdom amid the endless anecdotes, but nothing not found elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this book!!
Review: If you are considering building a house, whether owner building or contemplating a general contractor, this book is a MUST HAVE. Mark and Elaine are the real deal; they are people who are not in the construction business who have done it, and in this book they share the intimate details of how they saved big $$ owner building. I can't imagine negative reviews for this book coming from anyone other than general contractors.

Rating:
Summary: Take this book with you when you take the plunge
Review: If you are contemplating the notion of building your own home--or at least serving as the general contractor, do yourself a favor and read this book by Mark and Elaine Smith. With highly readable text that offers ton's of excellent advice the Smiths encourage and support you to take on this frightening--but potentially hugely rewarding--endeavor.