Customer Reviews

Be Your Own House Contractor: Save 25% Without Lifting a Hammer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In 1990 I had my ten acres paid for, and was ready to being building my retirement home. A friend gave me Carl Heldmann's book, Be Your Own House Contractor. I had a set of plans made from my sketching, and got three bids for building. The cheapest was $97,500.00. I decided to try my own general contracting, with little to no experience in construction. With the help of some friends whom I bounced ideas off of, I started out with a spread sheet of sub-contracters, getting three bids from each in their order of appearance. In six months, we finished our home, and without cutting any real expenses, built our home for $67,500. All due to the teachings and following of Carl Heldmann's book. Even if you do decide to use general contractor, this book is still invaluable in the detail and advise given. I have since given this book to three friends who have built homes, and all three were very impressed with the subject matter. A MUST read, in my opinion, for anyone who is going to undertake building or having a new home built. I know of no where else one get such a step by step explanation covering the do's and don't of every phase of the process.

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.

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!

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.

A very good guide to help you understand the process of building a home and saving money. It also covers areas on calculating building cost, understanding the steps to completing your new home from buying a lot, to moving into it. Lots of info to help you avoid making mistakes on your first home.

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!

I am very glad i read the other reviews of Mr. Heldmann's book besides that of the "reader from Hartford". It is obvious that the "reader" didn't read the whole book, as that which he (or she) claims to be lacking is in fact covered totally in chapter 8, "building the house". I was very discouraged from "building my own house" before reading "Be Your Own House Contractor", because other books made the process seem overwhelming. We broke ground last month and are well underway thanks to this fantastic, encouraging, non intimidating book.

Carl Heldmann breaks down build process into simple steps. His emphasis is that if you hire reputable subs for each job, being your own GC is simple - and he gives plenty of insight as to finding good subs.

Mr. Heldmann recommends against doing any of the labor yourself (unless you are an expert in the trade) since he places a high value on your time, which many owner-builders tend to undervalue.

Heads Up! The book has been updated. The 5th edition just released in April of 2006 has been fully updated and includes Carl Heldmann's new Web site, where readers can get loan information, daily updates on interest rates, and cost estimate worksheets for planning and tracking building expenses. Other new features include new chapters on renovating and restoring an older house and a Spanish glossary of common building terms.

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?