FINALLY! A book that takes the mystery out of building a custom home, written by trained professionals who have been designing and building new homes for over 30 years. John and J.J. Cogdill are third and fourth generation home builders who have seen the mistakes homebuyers make time and time again. They have written this easy-to-read guide to help prevent the common first-time, second-time, and millionth-time homebuyer mistakes from happening to you. Inside The American Dream/The American Nightmare, you will find: Top 10 myths and monsters that plague homebuyers, How to set a budget and why taking bids almost never works, How to screen your builder and find the right one for you, What to remember while designing your home, Items to look for while finding your new homesite, Contracts and finalizing your home design, What to expect during the homebuilding process, and much more!
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Building a custom home is a very complex process...I think they are providing a good service to people. -- Florida Times-Union, June 22, 2000, Charlotte McKamy of Home Builder Press
For potential homebuyers,...this book is a must read. I give it 5 hammers (out of 5). -- Manning Building Supplies Update, 30th Edition, 1st Quarter 2000
I would recommend any perspective homebuyer to read this book from cover to cover before making any (homebuying) decisions. -- Tom Martinson, Chief Building Official, Clay County, Florida, December 21, 2000
I would...recommend this book as a must read for anyone who is considering building a home. -- Dr. Ronald O. Boatright, PhD, President, Florida Real Estate Institute, September 13, 2000
Whether or not you have built before, this book will be an invaluable guide for you and your family. -- Dr. Leon Wetherington, Associate Professor, University of Florida School of Building Construction
For potential homebuyers,...this book is a must read. I give it 5 hammers (out of 5). -- Manning Building Supplies Update, 30th Edition, 1st Quarter 2000
I would recommend any perspective homebuyer to read this book from cover to cover before making any (homebuying) decisions. -- Tom Martinson, Chief Building Official, Clay County, Florida, December 21, 2000
I would...recommend this book as a must read for anyone who is considering building a home. -- Dr. Ronald O. Boatright, PhD, President, Florida Real Estate Institute, September 13, 2000
Whether or not you have built before, this book will be an invaluable guide for you and your family. -- Dr. Leon Wetherington, Associate Professor, University of Florida School of Building Construction
From the Publisher
What makes this book unique is the fact that the writers, John and J.J. Cogdill, are actually home builders who are building homes today. Most of the books you will find on home building are not written by people who are experts in home construction; consequently, these authors do not have the expertise to know whether the information they are writing is actually the way the home building process works. Therefore, the information they write may or may not be correct, depending on whose opinions they have surveyed. Since John and J.J. are actual third and fourth generation home builders with over 30 years of construction experience, you can rest assured that they are experts in their field.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Guide to Builing in a Subdivision,
By "hwrobotham@earthlink.net" (Pleasant Valley, CT United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The American Dream / The American Nightmare: The Authoritative Guide to Building Your Custom Home (Paperback)
I have read over 6 books on how to build you house recently. This was by for the least helpful because it is targeted to people building in a subdivision using a tract builder. Although the authors seem knowledgable in general contracting procedure they continually reiterate the pros of subdivisions and the cons of custom buiding on your own lot.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
HAPPY READER, HAPPY HOMEBUYER,
By
This review is from: The American Dream / The American Nightmare: The Authoritative Guide to Building Your Custom Home (Paperback)
When my husband and I started thinking about building a custom home, the idea really frightened me. I decided to tackle the process as I do everything else... read everything I can find on the subject. This book explained the process of building a custom home from start to finish in layman's terms. My husband and I both read and reread the book and felt it gave us the inside track on the entire event. We found ourselves asking the right questions. I am happy to report that this book allowed us to enjoy the home building experience and fullfill our American Dream. I would recommend this book to anyone who has even considered the idea of building. Forewarned is Forearmed!!!!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your time or money on this one.,
By MM "Surf-Boy" (Allegan, MI) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The American Dream / The American Nightmare: The Authoritative Guide to Building Your Custom Home (Paperback)
Poorly written book by a self-serving builder, don't waste either your time on money on this one. The information contained in the book gave very little pratical information from the buyers perspective.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
For more than thirty years, I have had the greatest job in the world - designing and building custom homes. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Dreamland Estates, United States, Material Estimate, Unit Price, Better Business Bureau, Client Lot, Footage Stretch, Glossary of Mortgage Terms, Section View, Veterans Administration New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
For more than thirty years, I have had the greatest job in the world - designing and building custom homes. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Dreamland Estates, United States, Material Estimate, Unit Price, Better Business Bureau, Client Lot, Footage Stretch, Glossary of Mortgage Terms, Section View, Veterans Administration New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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