Showing posts with label Residential Construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Residential Construction. Show all posts

12/18/2009

Review of Build Your Own Home on a Shoestring (Paperback)

I only wish I'd had "Build Your Own Home on a Shoestring" sooner in our home-building project, but since we're still in the midst of it, we'll put it to good use!

This book covers everything you need to know about building your own home, including financing, choosing the perfect location, designing your dream home, dealing with contractors, and much more. It also offers a ton of money-saving tips, tricks and secrets -- things that might be overlooked without the guidance of a book like this.

The chapters are arranged in sequence, providing a handy step-by-step guide through the entire process. Also included is a "running total" so you can keep track of your savings as you work your way through the project. A wonderful glossary explains everything from subfloors to soffits. And best of all, the authors have done a great job of making it readable, easy to follow, and interesting.

Let's face it. There's a LOT of time, money and energy involved in building a home, and it's not something to be taken lightly. If you're doing it yourself, you need the advice of someone who's "been there and done that," and that's just what the authors of "Build Your Own Home on a Shoestring" have done.

If you are building a home or just thinking about it, buy this book. You'll be glad you did.

Product Description
The cost-conscious guide to building your dream house.

Now readers can manage the construction of their dream homes and save big bucks in the process. This book guides prospective homebuilders through each stage of the homebuilding process-from planning and financing to design and construction-and shows them how to reduce, even eliminate, costs along the way. Readers will learn how to:

- Buy the right piece of land at the right price

- Find the best loan and negotiate closing costs

- Get free design advice from professionals

- Buy the floor plan of their dreams for next to nothing

- Negotiate the best prices on materials and supplies

- Save thousands on plumbing, electrical, and heating and cooling systems

- Cut costs on walls, flooring, and interior rooms

- Keep contractors and subcontractors on schedule

- Handle unexpected delays and expenses

About the Author
Henry Nonneberg, Jr., is the owner of Atlantic Coast Executive Appraisers. He's purchased and refurbished four residential properties and is presently overseeing the planning and construction of his family's next residence.

Gwen Moran has been a small business consultant and marketing expert for more than a decade. She's been featured on NBC and CNBC as well as in New York Times, International Herald Tribune, PR Week, and others. A marketing columnist for Entrepreneur magazine and a writer for USA Weekend, Family Circle, Woman's Day, among many other publications, she is the author of Survive and Thrive Marketing.

Chris Bradley is a licensed General Contractor and the owner of A Better Construction Company, a Long Island-based home improvement and general contracting firm.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Build Your Own Home on a Shoestring (Paperback)

12/04/2009

Review of Crafting Log Homes Solar Style: An Inspiring Guide to Self-Sufficiency (Paperback)

How does one build a new home and help the environment at the same time? "Crafting Log Homes Solar Style: An Inspiring Guide to Self-Sufficiency" is a complete guide to someone who wants to build an environmentally conscious home whether to live in or for a vacation home. The solar panels will also pay for themselves eventually with all of the money one is bound to save on electricity bills with the constant stream of renewable energy from the Earth's greatest source, its own Sun. Highly recommended for anyone who is pondering building a log cabin, and a must have for community library environmental collections.

Product Description
A down-to-earth guide to building solar-powered log homes, complete with how-to illustrations and photos, plus enlightening stories from log home owners across the country. Follow the authors' journey of handcrafting an off-the-grid log home in the Colorado Rockies and discover how renewable energy is a perfect match for modern log home living, from small weekend cabins to expansive year-round homes. (The completed revised edition of "Logs, Wind and Sun")

About the Author
Rex and LaVonne Ewing currently live and work from their solar- and wind-powered log home overlooking Colorado s expansive Front Range. Their three-year project started in 1999 when they left the plains of northern Colorado and moved into a primitive mountain cabin, where they lived with few amenities while handcrafting their new log home. Once completed, they set out to produce a book that would tell others just how attainable their dreams of off-the-grid, log home living could be. "Logs, Wind and Sun" was released in 2003, and in this updated version, they have included several profiles of other off-grid log home owners who have successfully pursued their dreams.Rex mastered his log building skills in the 1980s when he built two log homes. After that he spent several years as CEO of a well-respected equine nutrition firm, where he formulated and marketed numerous nutrition products worldwide. In 1997, he wrote a best-selling book on horse nutrition: "Beyond the Hay Days: Refreshingly Simple Horse Nutrition", and has since written books on renewable energy, including "Power With Nature", "Got Sun? Go Solar", and "HYDROGEN Hot Stuff Cool Science". His articles can be found in Log Homes Illustrated magazine, and Countryside Journal. LaVonne is owner of Image Resource, a graphic design firm that specializes in book design, art catalogs, and corporate identities.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Crafting Log Homes Solar Style: An Inspiring Guide to Self-Sufficiency (Paperback)