Customer Reviews

How to Plan, Subcontract and Build Your Dream House: Save Up to $50,000 or More as Your Own General Contractor

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a wonderful and very comprehensive book covering every aspect of building a house in all climates. It contains information that I have not seen anywhere else. i.e. The chapter on looking at and evaluating a building site is very informative and insightful. Every step of the construction process is explained in detail. There are diagrams showing construction details, grading techniques and even showing how to survey and lay out a foundation yourself. There are special chapters on understanding electricity and it's role in your home, Radon and most importantly in this time of rising energy costs, how to insulate for maximum effect for both heating and cooling in hot and cold climates. I especially enjoyed the anecdotes and real life examples taken from the authors vast experience. Mr. Jaeger has the knack of explaining complicated things in a clear and easy to understand way. I am most impressed with his offer to answer all reader questions by E-mail and I can verify he keeps his word on that. I've never before heard of an author offering free consultation but he does. He answers all questions about the book and/or your own project. I read the prior "review" by "greeba" and I wonder how much of the book she actually read because she missed all the important lessons. She admits she got her knowledge from watching "The Brady Bunch" so how much can you expect? The paper is standard paper used for high speed electronic printing and I only noticed a few minor typos. The line drawings are technical diagrams, not illustrations. If you want pictures I suggest you watch the television programs that show all aspects of actual building in progress. Check out, "Hometime", Bob Villa's "Home Again" and "This Old House". Actually, I thought the picture of the Taj Mahal (the ultimate dream house) on the cover was a neat touch. What Mr. Jaeger provides from his 45 years experience as a pro builder, that pictures cannot supply, are the techniques and strategies of planning, managing and coordinating a construction job and a vast wealth of information you wouldn't ever think of. The most important lesson is Mr. Jaeger's instruction on how to get sub-contractors to do what you want willingly and how to keep them showing up. He also tells you how to avoid the pit falls and rip offs common in the construction game. This book is my home building Bible. The value of a book is not in the paper or a few typos or some pretty pictures as "Greeba" thinks. The real value is the information it contains. This book will help you save many thousands of dollars and contains all the information you will need. Any questions? Ask the author. For a proper perspective on this book check out all the reviews especially the one by George Ehrenhaft, an experienced builder. HE knows what he is talking about.

If you want to have a house built, this is a great book to start with. The author is a general contractor who has seen it all and wants to educate readers about the building process. His intention is to prevent others from the pitfalls and scams of building, and simultaneously he explains the science behind plumbing, electricity, sewarage, insulation etc. He also discusses the attitudes and scams of subcontractors and local bureaucrats. This is not a how-to book; the purpose is to educate you enough so that you know what questions to ask as your house goes up.

He begins with purchasing the land and ends with the final detailing of the house. He includes interesting anecdotes to make his points. I was impressed his ability to go from the abstract to simple things usually overlooked. Although I was lost in the section on laying the foundation, the book was written simply, and is easy to follow.

My only criticisms are limited. There are occasional typing errors (I'm an English teacher) and a need for a few more illustrations. The author can also be opininated about his person tastes in decor and such, but I found that to be humorous and endearing. Finally, I don't think the book is titled incorrectly. Yes, you should read it if you want to be your own gerneral contractor. But I think this book is more about the risk involved in doing that. After 20 pages, I was convinced I would definately want a general contractor.

Mr. Jaeger comes across as a very experienced man with some strong opinions, however his expertise seems to be in colder, northern climates. This does not mean that some of his opinions are not valuble. He does seem to have a prejudice against basements, as he finds them damp and musty (perhaps if he recommended poured concrete instead of cement block foundations this would not be as much of a problem). He also makes some recommendations that are code violations in Georgia. For example, he instructs you to dig a burial pit for your construction debris. This might be fine in colder regions where termites are not a problem (as long as you don't mind sink holes as the wood rots) however, in the south, buried wood is a picnic for termites that will soon go looking for another source of food after the construction trash is consumed (most likely your new home). He also says to run your natural gas line in copper (a code violation in GA) instead of threaded pipe. He dosen't cover the pros and cons of steel construction, and the book is very short on illustrations. However, the sections on lot selection and dealing with subcontractors are good, as is his "matter of fact", direct style of writing. I am not saying that you should not buy this book. I learned a great deal from it! I would say that with ANY book in this genre, many opinions are just that, OPINIONS. The writers opinion may not match up with your lifestyle or taste. The words of the proverb are very true, in a multitude of counselors, there is wisdom. Buy more than one of this type of book.

I would actually give it 4 1/2 stars if I was able. The book had many useful tips concerning windows, framing and insulating to produce an energy efficient house. It also had tips for hanging drywall, planning lighting and measuring techniques, as well as tips for dealing with contractors and inspectors; all of which are helpful. The authors distaste for basements leads to an absense of information on poured basements which are the standard in my area. He continually pushed slab houses and only had block wall basements as an example. This was disappointing. Not being a plumber, I also would have liked more information on tapping into city sewer and water and into gas lines. Most of his examples were of a septic system and well. The book was not edited well, as it had many spelling errors. If you are not looking for a novel, this should not bother you much because the information in the book is simple and very benificial. It is well worth the purchase price and should save you a lot of money and headaches if you decide to build your own house.

The best part of this book is its easygoing style. Written seemingly entirely from memory, you'll understand and remember every word. The author skips the commonly available info and writes about the crucial nuts-and-bolts problems of building a house: what do you do if you've drilled a hundred foot well and come up dry? (Keep drilling.) His advice on some details, vapor barriers for example, is OK but you'll want to check the latest thinking on the topic too. Some harmless misinformation is passed along, like that Palladio, eponym for those short-tall-short windows, "invented" them. (He may have invented residential architecture, but those windows date to antiquity. In his day they were known as serliana, after the architect Sebastiano Serlio.) The scientific explanations fall a bit short, and the chapter where he disparages Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's engineering does not show him in a good light. However he does caution you that drywallers, more than any other trade, will try to rip you off with a high materials estimate. Stuff like that you can't get anywhere else.

My husband and I are planning on building our dream home on property we just purchased. I checked Jaeger's book out of the local library to do research on the magnitude of this endeavor. In reading this book we learn more than we ever expected of what is involved in building a home. This book covers everything from surveying to home types and energy conservation. This book has taught us what to watch for and how to successfully manage the home building process. Today I purchased the book knowing it will save us both time and money in building our future home.

Thanks a lot Mr. Jaeger, for your fine book on the various trades and how not to get taken for a ride. What a Godsend! I like to think that I am reasonably smart but there is always someone who is smarter and the really smart ones write books. Not just any books but books one can READ AND UNDERSTAND. This is such a book. Easy to read. A pleasure actually. Mr. Jaeger I really appreciate your sense of humor. Anyhow you saved me a bundle. How? Well I was about to sign a contract to build a home for my family (just a three bedroom winter home, nothing too fancy) on the big island of Hawaii. Now I realize all the things that could have gone wrong (and would have with my luck) with just about everything from the slab to the paint. I was actually going to TRUST these guys to do a good job... and I'm 7,000 miles away here in Alaska! Now It'll still get built, but I'll be there when it does. It may take longer but so what, Hawaii isn't going anywhere(I hope). Anyway thanks Mr. Jaeger for all your effort! That was one book I was sorry had to end.

As an avid amateur builder (I've built the equivalent of two and a half houses almost singlehandedly), I thought that I knew quite a lot about the craft of building, but Warren Jaeger's book has shown me that I still have lots to learn. Frankly, I wish that I'd had the book at my elbow years ago when I began to bang some serious nails. It could have saved me much time, effort, and money. Jaeger knows his stuff. He's authoritative, thorough, clear - traits he no doubt acquired during his 45 years as a pro builder. He doesn't miss a trick, offering sound advice on many of the ten-thousand steps that a builder makes between deciding to construct a house and holding a housewarming bash. He doesn't tell you how to drive nails or hold your saw, but in a conversational manner, dishes out a wealth of information to help you make intelligent decisions as you or your builder hammer a house together. One of Jaeger's more striking bits of wisdom - and the book is crammed with such bits - is a discussion of radon. In a few pages, Jaeger clarifies what is a generally confusing issue and puts to rest the "radon myth" that worries homeowners everywhere. Unlike the authors of many "how-to" books, Jaeger has a distinct personality - call it avuncular. He's not a disembodied voice giving pronouncements from on high. Rather, he talks from experience, and with the best of intentions, conveys what he has learned about building during a lifetime on the worksite. If his tone strikes readers as dogmatic, attribute it to his fervor. He want desperately to help readers to avoid making mistakes and uninformed decisions. Jaeger's book would have been a godsend not only while I built my own houses but while I wrote my own book on building, The Builder's Secret: Learning the Art of Living Through the Craft of Building. To write the book I traveled the USA and interviewed dozens of owner-builders about why they built or remodeled their own homes (as opposed to hiring others to do it for them), and what the experience meant to them. I'm sure that Jaeger's book would have helped me frame better questions. It may not have changed my findings - that the joys and rewards of doing-it-yourself far outweigh moments of despair - but it may have given me access to questions that I now realize I ought to have asked.

I found this book very helpful. The author tells goes into extreme details for his home preferances. Since he does not like basements he does not go into great detail about pouring foundations for full basements. There are a couple of things like that. All in all I think he does an excellent job at stearing you around the big bumps. Luckily my concrete guy is my cousin so we had no problem at all. This book will however give you a ton of great ideas, and help you to plan everything well but if you know squat about the building process I would but more technical books in addition to this one. I worked for a general contractor through college so I am pretty handy. My advise is if you are planning on building your own home, congratulations and good luck. Most people that I have talked to say that it is too stressful, and they'll never do it again. If you are like me you will welcome the challenge. It is one of the most rewarding things you can do. I worked my full time job and did this and it not only gave me more energy than I have had in a while but it helped me get in shape from sitting behind this desk full time. You can always blow off the gym but you have to go to the site everyday.

I purchased this book as part of my research during escrow on a lot where we plan to build a vacation/retirement home. Even though we would likely not serve as general contractor the information inside is invaluable. It has helped me to understand the right questions to ask during escrow (from surveyors to septic to view to laterals) to ensure the lot, county and sub-division will allow the home we envision. The chapters on foundation, windows, doors, etc are all extremely helpful when it gets down to desiging the home. I'll know what to look out for with the interior and exterior design, drainage and when dealing with the builder.

I skimmed most of the book in about an hour and came away with two pages of notes which will undoubtably be greatly extended when I sit down and read in detail. There's so much great information that it really takes two passes.

That said, the illustrations are a bit primitive and I found some of them hard to understand. Also, an update to include smart home/home theater considerations would be a welcome addition. For those iterested, I've found some of the "XYZ for Dummys" books to fill that gap.

Recommended.