What The Experts May Not Tell You About Building Or Renovating Your Home

The Story

In the bestselling tradition of the Dummies series comes a comprehensive guide to getting the best results while building or renovating a home. Creating a dream home shouldn't be a nightmare. Hiring a contractor is an enormous investment and a high-risk endeavor involving decisions that will last forever. This book equips homeowners with the information and strategies needed to turn their vision into a home-or a renovation-that can be built on-time and within budget. Chapters give detailed coverage of critical topics: design; selecting and supervising the architect and contractor; cost estimates; budget; plan specifications; contracts; dealing with town officials; and keeping track of everything along the way.For each stage of the project, there is detailed information on common pitfalls and how to avoid them, as well as insiders' tips which reveal what most contractors wouldn't want you to know.