Pre-Owned How to Be Your Own Contractor and Save Thousands on Your New House or Renovation : While Keeping Your Day Job (Paperback) 9781601380043

If you're thinking about building or remodeling your house, you should consider hiring yourself as the contractor. You can save 10% to 35% of the project's cost and perhaps more important, you'll be able to monitor the quality of materials and workmanship, fine-tune the design, and make sure the result meets your needs. The best part is you can do this part time without picking up a hammer.
This all sounds great, what is the catch? There really is none, except you must know what you are doing! This book will provide everything you need to know to get your house or renovation completed the way you want it while saving thousands. Since your success depends on thorough preparation as well as an ability to hire and schedule subcontractors, control costs, keep work moving, and stay calm we have charted the course for you to avoid costly even illegal mistakes.
In this easy to read, comprehensive book you will learn step-by-step procedures for subcontracting and building your home or renovating while still working full time. You will learn how to choose a site, draw up construction time line and flow charts, apply for construction loans and financing, obtain essential insurance information, buy inexpensive plans, find and negotiate with subcontractors, and comply with building code, inspection, and permit requirements. Now you can be armed with the right information and save money and time.
The ins and outs of self-contracting are explained, combined with the experiences of others, and with dozens of forms and checklists at hand, you will learn all about: building materials and foundations, floors, walls, paint, windows, decks, garage doors, roofing, flashings, chimneys, plumbing: piping, fixtures, faucets, water heating and fuel storage systems, pools and equipment, wiring: main service panels, conductors, switches, receptacles, heating, air conditioning and heat pumps, ceilings, floors, railings, doors and windows, attics, walls, kitchens, and bathrooms.
In addition you will gain valuable information about: septic systems, wells, water quality testing, mold, radon testing, asbestos, termites, carbon monoxide testing, and lead testing. Included in this book are hundreds of easy-to-implement tools, contracts, forms, and checklists to help you get your project organized, and easier to manage while saving thousands! The companion CD-ROM is included with the print version of this book; however is not available for download with the electronic version. It may be obtained separately by contacting Atlantic Publishing Group at sales@atlantic-pub.com
Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.