Customer Reviews

Build Your Dream House For A Song; and own it free and clear in five years.

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To assert that a house can be built "for a song" may be slightly hyperbolic, but David Cook's book is so laden with intriguing money-saving ideas that any owner-builder who uses just a handful of Cook's ideas is bound to save thousands of dollars on the construction of a house. To do so, however, takes time, planning, plenty of energy, and a place to stockpile the lumber, ducts, plywood, salvaged windows, drainpipe, even the land, that Cook says can be picked up virtually for "a song" and/or barter at auctions, salvage yards, fire sales, construction sites, and so forth. In the house that he built himself, Cook installed kitchen cabinets that he had bought for a fraction of their worth years before he had a kitchen. (A German manufacturer displaying the cabinets at a trade show sold them cheap to avoid the cost of shipping them home.) To find an architect to do the required drawings of his house, Cook dropped in at the school of architecture of a nearby university in order to find grad student to do the work. Cook's methods are fascinating. While reading the book I kept wishing that I had thought of that in years past while building the equivalent of two and a half houses of my own. To think of all the money I could have saved if I only had had David Cook's luck, insight, fortitude, ability to take advantage of a bargain, and, of course, his book.

I've been reading and researching low-cost homesteading for about a year now, so I was very excited to come across this title and see what else I could learn from a first-person success story.

Sadly, the answer was not much and what *was there* wasn't terribly detailed. There are other, better books that will leave you prepared to act upon the ideas David Cook only touches upon.

The first that comes to mind is Rob Roy's "Mortgage-Free". Ironically, a reviewer for that book thought it wasn't detailed enough. Apparently, they hadn't read this book first.

The truth is that no one book can prepare and educate you for the experience of "getting back to the land". But, while we're on the subject of land, I'd recommend Les and Carol Scher's "Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country".

I live in California where the price of owning my own home seemed to prevent me from ever realizing my dream. With the information in this book, I learned how to acquire land inexpensively, acquire materials inexpensively, and have my home designed around available materials. And, I found out that you don't have to know a lot about building to build your own home. I am very grateful for this book and the seminars the author teaches.

David Cook does an excellent seminar in California. In Berkeley '05 it was $35 for 3 hours. David uses his excellent book as a text. It is an optional purchase for $20. See http://www.buildyourdreamhouse.com for dates.

If bought at the seminar, David includes a free half hour consultation. All in all, that's an offer you couldn't beat with a stick. Though you will get more out of the seminar if you have already read the book. Second copy anyone?

If considering building a house for a great deal of money, making David Cook's acquaintance would be a very smart move. Plus it better allows one to assess the practicality of the ideas in his book and the character of their proponent. That and consulting him made it a terrific bargain.

Verdict: He is a nice man. I believe him.

For examples of people not to believe, google "John T. Reid" and look at his ratings of real estate investment gurus. 90% very bad news. A word to the wise - check "Bill Nickerson" there and also for books by Mary and Sam Weir. Both good; very very good. But very different to self building. Bon voyage ;-).

A masterful overview of the process of building your own house that makes it seem both straightforward and eminently doable. David Cook's personal experiences at saving a great deal of money make any canny reader want to go and do likewise.

The hard work needed is not ignored. If you don't want to, David Cook says you can still build your own house without lifting even a hammer. But most of his readers will be eager to wield the hammer, the nail gun and especially the backhoe.

If this book jumps off the shelf at you when you see it; or you laugh out loud or give an involuntary shout for joy, maybe you need to build a house, aided by Mr. Cook's excellent advice.

Real Estate Investing yes, Dream Home no
The book focuses on how to make money in real esate investment by building and selling homes. Few of the suggestions appear practical for someone who works at a 9-5 job. Also, both the home design software programs recommended in the book received very negative reviews on Amazon. The book is pitched toward someone who likes to work a deal, not a potential homebuilder with a dream.