Build It Right!: What to Look for in Your New Home

Rating:
Summary: OFF TO A GOOD START!
Review: Based on other reviews I chose this as my 1st official book to research building a custom home. Until reading this I never realized how much planning is actually involved in the process. Let's say I was under the illusion that an architect/designer would know what I mean by "fantastic home". This book has provided me with a more knowledgeable perception in an organized and easy to understand style. This book won't answer ALL your questions but will give you an idea of what to look for elsewhere. As I begin to purchase other books - Build It Right! -will remain a guide for creating a more functional yet attractive layout for my home. The sections I found to be the most informative are related to kitchen exhaust systems and finding a suitable lot. And I personally would've appreciated more pictures.

Rating:
Summary: Must get this book if you're planning/building a house!
Review: I had my final checklist ready to go to build our home and I checked this book out of the library. It had several things I had not thought of even after talking with people, including a family member who has bought a new home five times. I am glad I came across this book before I turned in my final requests to the builder. I give it a 4 just because it is a few years old and I only skimmed it--didn't read it cover to cover.

Rating:
Summary: A Must read if you are building a home!!!
Review: I've been nothing but impressed with this book! It gives you a complete comprehensive guide of what and what not to do when building a home. The author discusses HVAC types, stove vents and their installation, where to place the light switches, types of doors and why and a complete breakdown of the kitchen from cabinets to dishwashers just to mention a few topics. (He covers it all) The things you honestly wouldn't think about and items often missed or ignored by a builder. If you are planning on building your home give this a read, it could save you a ton of money and certainly squash quite a few common mistakes that make a big difference after you move in.

Rating:
Summary: The best book written for the first-time builder!
Review: Not only was this book easy to ready, but it was extremely informative. I bought several books after my husband and I decided to build a new home and this was the best. Whether you're doing your own contracting or hiring one, this book explains, in detail, what makes a good home and what is sloppy or poorly designed construction. It makes you think of things you might not have -- such as leaving enough clearance when building cabinets so you can walk around the open diswasher, or checking to make sure the interior doors all swing the right way so they don't open into each other. It talks about insulation, cabinets, heating and air vents, placement and number of electrical outlets you should have, etc. Truly, a wonderful book. I followed almost every suggestion that applied to our construction.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read on building a new house ...
Review: The author does an excellent job of walking the reader through the residential build process, beginning with lot selection, choosing an architect and builder, design, and construction. This book is rich with helpful, practical, and useful information on a variety of topics, including windows and doors, the electrical and non-electrical wiring, HVAC, and plumbing. The suggestions offered are straight-forward and are common sense ideas that will help anyone building a new home. Recommendations such as wiring garage door openers to an electrical switch that can be turned off while the house is vacant as a security precaution, installing a basement floor drain for high-efficiency furnaces or if a humidifier is installed, using a mixing valve to bring both hot and cold water to an outside hose bib, are just a few examples that are offered. I found the section on kitchen design/layout, countertop selection, and exhaust systems very useful, as it caused me to alter some of the design I had previously done in the construction of my home, which will prevent me from experiencing certain issues that I may have otherwise overlooked.

Having built 2 homes previously and having read 4 books on this topic in the past 2 months, I can tell you without reservation that this is the most-comprehensive, organized, and easy-to-read book I have found available on this topic thus far. I would highly recommend the material for anyone who is either building a new home or planning to undergo a renovation of their existing house. For first-time home builders, you will find this book invaluable.

Rating:
Summary: Linoleum confusion and comment on tile
Review: There is a lot of good information in this book, but there is also a lot missing as well as some misleading information. I'd recommend this book to someone that was planning on building or remodeling with the caveat that they also read from other sources or better consult with established professionals in each and every trade on the project.

The strong points of this book include good discussion of doorway layouts, spacing in kitchen and baths, things to look out for that could be problems and good questions to ask or things to consider when planning. Pointing out problems and potential problems that a homeowner may face in the future makes this book worth the money, after all, if after reading this book an owner solves or prevents just one simple mistake, the book has paid for itself many times over.

The weak points of this book are why I suggest reading elsewhere or consulting with professionals. I am an electrician by trade so I read the chapter on electrical first. It wasn't that any of the information was really bad or mistaken, but simply that I felt it didn't mention a lot of things that could and should be brought up when planning.

The author makes a point (several times) about having three conductor wire run to any potential ceiling fan location. While this isn't bad advice, it's incomplete. Many of the top of the line fans use remote control switching and don't require an extra wire. The best fans I have installed use a remote that is battery operated and the ceiling fan itself is wired to a two conductor wire that isn't even switched. If an owner picked up one of this fans they would now have a switch on the wall that did nothing or worse a switch that if turned off would cancel out the auto temperature function of the remote.

While pointing out the importance of having an extra outlet outside for things like Christmas lights, he fails to mention the nice addition of eve high outlets wired to a timer.

There are many reasons to consider timer switches, especially for outside wall and path lights. The best is a 7 day 24 hour electronic timer that fits in the space of a regular switch. These can be programed to go off at various times through out the night, a nice feature when on vacation or simply for added security.

The use of lighting controls, dimmers, timers, etc. is barely touched on or not discussed at all. While these systems can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, all but very meager budgets such at least consider the options available because for some applications the extra money can be justified.

The use of dimming xenon lighting for undercabinet use instead of fluorescent is not discussed. I believe it is a much better option.

I also noticed some problems in other trades. The use of insta hot water heaters is mentioned as a good way to save energy in the kitchen because the hot water doesn't have to travel to get there. I am not sure what the author was basing this information on, but it isn't correct. First off he implies that an insta hot can supply water at the sink but he doesn't mention that there are two kinds of systems. One is the insta hot that keeps about a gallon of near boiling water for use in making coffee, tea and instant soups and oatmeal. While this is great for people on the go or someone that doesn't want an elderly member of the family turning on the tea kettle and perhaps forgetting it; it is not an energy saving device. The second kind of insta hot is a small unit that doesn't store any water, it just heats up the water as it passes through the unit. It is really only designed for one purpose only hand washing. In the discussion on supplying extra or insta hot water for bathrooms, the author mentions that planning for the space and supplying electrical or gas are the considerations. But what about venting the unit if it is gas? This is a big consideration and would make adding a second unit not very cost effective. The best solution would simply be to add a circ pump and if necessary increase the size of the water heater. The way the information is laid out in the book would probably just confuse the non-professional.

The biggest problem I had in my reading of this book was when I read the author describe linoleum as the floor of choice in the kitchen. I nearly quit reading right there and then and threw the book in the trash. To his credit he does mention that in certain parts of the country tile is the way to go and if you live in those parts it's ok to go with tile. I happen to live in Southern California where linoleum is the flooring used in apartments and condos and cheap o tract homes. I can't believe anyone would recommend linoleum over tile. Tile stands up for years and if one breaks, which is unlikely, it can be replaced with another tile. If linoleum rips, which it's easy to do when moving appliances around, it is not as easy to fix as replacing a tile and regrouting, it will have to have a seam and seams tend to come apart after time. Plus linoleum over the years tends to get dull with wear while tile can be cleaned and resealed, linoleum is a print on paper and once it wears out or is ripped or scratched it can't be taken back to it's pristine state. While I personally hate the current trend in fake wood floors (laminates) because I think they look fake, I think a compelling argument could be made to use them over linoleum. The author of this book obviously doesn't mind linoleum, which is fine, but he fails to make a case for the other options as well as he could have and should have so that the reader could make informed choices.

Finally I would like to say that despite my misgivings and the problems I found, I'd like to reiterate that anyone going into building or buying a new home wouldn't be hurt by reading this book and even a simple suggestion or solution to a problem would pay for the cost of the book, but don't stop with just this book. It leaves too much out.

Rating:
Summary: Grandiose checklist
Review: This book is about the pieces-parts (as the commercial used to say). There are little sections on just about every piece in the house: plumbing, countertop material, HVAC, security etc. It also talks quite a bit about proper design, such as: which way a door should swing,; when to use pocket doors; where to put the dishwasher (better yet: where NOT to put the dishwasher); how to vent the dryer; what size kitchen hood to use; etc.

As I mentioned, he writes one or two pages on nearly every visible or finish piece in the house (notable exceptions: framing materials and foundation). His primary focus is functionality and user-friendliness of the house, followed by quality and durability of the materials.

Buy this book BEFORE you decide on a floorplan. It will help you spot design flaws. As you move through the building process, refer to it often as you are required to make decisions on materials, surfaces and appliances. A great reference source but not a "how-to" or "construction timeline" book.

Rating:
Summary: Short on Information
Review: This book is actually written by a builder with many years of experience, writing for the new homebuilder who is in the process of designing a new home. He shows diagrams throughout the book of many design flaws that people build into their homes every day, and points out how these can be avoided. Don't be one of the people who get caught with one of these easy-to-avoid design flaws--BUY THIS BOOK!! It's easy to understand, and worth every penny.