Download or read book Homeowners It s Time to Think Like a General Contractor written by David M. Dillon and published by David Dillon. This book was released on 2011-01-09 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amazon.com's publishing division "Create Space" has helped me to provide homeowners with a book written to help them successfully navigate the somewhat murky waters of hiring contractors for their home improvements. Aside from the burden of a complex process that many homeowners are unfamiliar with, there are plenty of deceptive practices which over promise and under deliver--or, worse. This book will give you practical suggestions on how to protect yourself, how to find quality contractors, how to lower the cost of any project, how to manage the process and how to achieve the quality results you want in the first place. Getting high quality work done for reasonable prices is precisely how to add real value to your home and avoid headaches. This book is loaded with practical advice to simplify the process and make any sized project more affordable. This makes your money go further, eliminates headaches and empowers you to take charge of the whole process. We'll cover exactly how to: * Size up a project * Estimate a realistic budget * Understand exactly how to hire only the best subcontractors * How to negotiate the best price with those subcontractors * How to manage them * How to pay them * How to keep everything effectively on track Chapters include: Preface A note from the author 1 Should you trust a General Contractor? 2 What does a competent GC do and why should I think like one? 3 How much do things really cost? 4 I have a project in mind. Where do I start? 5 How do I find the right subcontractors in terms of competence and price? 6 How should I pay the subcontractors? 7 What is the typical chronology of the construction process? 8 How do I estimate the time to do the whole job? 9 How do I check the quality of the work? 10 What are some issues to be aware of when making finish selections? 11 What about appliances? 12 What if I just want to hire a General Contractor? How do I pick the right one and not get taken for a ride? 13 What are some common mistakes to avoid on the road to achieving excellence? We'll also discuss how to protect your project from going over budget and the critical decisions that need to be made prior to even starting which so many people overlook, to their peril. In the end, you'll be ready to manage your own project, or if you choose, hire the very best General Contractor. You'll have a much more informed perspective of what a good General Contractor does in any successful renovation or new construction project and be able to easily distinguish the competent ones from the rest.
Download or read book Homeowners It s time to think like a Genaral contractor Manage it yourself Save money get better results written by and published by David Dillon. This book was released on with total page 1 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Markup Profit written by Michael Stone and published by Craftsman Book Co. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order to succeed in a construction business you have to be able to mark up the price of your jobs to cover overhead expenses and make a decent profit. The problem is how much to mark it up. You don't want to lose jobs because you charge too much, and you don't want to work for free because you've charged too little. If you know how much to mark up you can apply it to your job costs and arrive at the right sales price for your work. This book gives you the background and the calculations necessary to easily figure the markup that is right for your business. Includes a CD-ROM with forms and checklists for your use.
Download or read book How to Be Your Own General Contractor Everything You Need to Know to Take Control and Save Thousands on Your Renovation Or New Construction written by Peter Glaw and published by Premier Press. This book was released on 2021-02-22 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Having been in the industry for over 41 years and worked on hundreds of projects ranging from small jobs to building new homes, I've seen my share of the good, the bad, and the ugly. My industry has more than its fair share of horror stories, and I recently read that we're considered just a step up from used car salespeople. Even though the vast majority of general contractors are competent and hardworking people, I've seen too many rip-offs, too much bad workmanship, and too many disappointed homeowners. A lot of them have asked for my advice on how to get the job done, and in addition to being a builder, I consult with people all over the continent (and increasingly from other parts of the world) who want to manage their own projects. Being a general contractor isn't rocket science, but no one has explained the job the way I see it and also provided on-demand consulting services to anyone in the world who wants help. That's why I wrote this book. It will give you all the basics you need to take control of your own project and see it to a successful completion. After reading my book, you may decide that you'd be better off hiring someone, and that's okay. At least you'll be much more knowledgeable than the typical homeowner. I've seen far too many people overpay for their jobs and get less quality than they should.
Download or read book How to Be Your Own General Contractor written by Robert E. Emmick and published by Tate Publishing. This book was released on 2010-08-24 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Want to save money on your building or remodeling project? How to be Your Own General Contractor will help homeowners save potentially thousands of dollars! This easy-to-follow guide provides the knowledge and ability you must have to become your own general contractor and complete any type of project with confidence. Inside, homeowners will find: bull; Tricks of the trade learned over the years by professional Bob Emmick that will help to avoid costly mistakes and time. bull; A guide through every aspect of your project. bull; Assistance in hiring and dealing with subcontractors, as well as guidance for those who would rather hire a general contractor. Emmick skillfully guides readers through an entire house project, helping the average homeowner to manage his or her own project no matter the size. Homeowners with little or no experience will walk away from How to be Your Own General Contractor with valuable knowledge that will help them now as well as in the future.
Download or read book The Homeowners Guide written by G Dell and published by . This book was released on 2021-01-16 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stop being gouged and be your own general contractor while working a full time job! This guide provides the homeowner step-by-step instruction for successfully managing the build of your own addition or remodel. Save 20-40% while producing quality outcomes. This guide is equally useful for those that are interested in flipping homes.Contains a variety of information such as: -Trade specific terminology;-Questions to ask of the various trades;-Building knowledge;-Evaluating contractors;-Negotiation best practices;-Project management;-Internet resources to utilize;-Tools;-Templates and more.General contractors attempt to use fear and mysticism in the building process and charge extreme prices for these services. But since it is never broken down into its component parts, you never know the full price. Would you purchase a new car with all the options without knowing how much each option cost? Never!This guide is to provide homeowners and "flippers" a system for working full time while being the general contractor managing your own home addition or remodel by paying the subcontractors to do the work just like a general contractor.Why do this?1.It's not rocket science. People have been building their own homes for thousands of years. The tradesmen are very experienced. There are methods for finding the right ones.2.Saving 20-40% on an addition or remodel that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars can put tens of thousands dollars in your pocket.3.Reliable, proven, and trustworthy information is available on the internet and can put you in contact with quality trade contractors to do the work.4.Better materials and outcomes for a lower cost. No contractor grade anything. Choose everything that you want and purchase your own materials with no markup.5.You get EXACTLY what you want as you are in control of the details.6.You have advantages that general contractors do not have. Time. They don't get paid until the entire job is completed.This step-by-step guide provides you the sequencing you'll need to successfully coordinate the correct contractors at the right time for building your home addition. It is a comprehensive guide focusing on equal parts building trade information, evaluating and selecting the contractors to use, project management, business acumen (negotiating and contracts), internet services and available sites/tools to manage the build and get to the right resources for providing a quality end product for you and your family.The guide illustrates building principles, questions to ask each respective trade, how to evaluate the trades, how to live in the home while the work is being completed and most importantly how not to interfere with your day job so you can continue to provide for your family.So let's recap. Better quality materials with a better end product for less money! What are you waiting for?
Download or read book What You Need to Know Before You Remodel written by David M. Dillon and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2011-09-02 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, more than ever, your money needs to go as far as it can. If your home improvement goals exceed your budget, you can save an enormous amount of money by simply understanding the process more clearly and practically. This might be a daunting concept, if you're not a veteran construction "insider." We'll explore the "insider's" perspective of successful home improvement and dispel any mysteries about it in a hurry. This is in a practical language that any homeowner can easily understand. CONTENT Preface A note from the author 1 Should you trust a General Contractor? 2 What does a competent GC do and why should I think like one? 3 How much do things really cost? 4 I have a project in mind. Where do I start? 5 How do I find the right subcontractors in terms of competence and price? 6 How should I pay the subcontractors? 7 What is the typical chronology of the construction process? 8 How do I estimate the time to do the whole job? 9 How do I check the quality of the work? 10 What are some issues to be aware of when making finish selections? 11 What about appliances? 12 What if I just want to hire a General Contractor? How do I pick the right one and not get taken for a ride? 13 What are some common mistakes to avoid on the road to achieving excellence? We'll cover exactly how to: * Size up a project * Estimate a realistic budget * Understand exactly how to hire only the best subcontractors * How to negotiate the best price with those subcontractors * How to manage them * How to pay them * How to keep everything effectively on track We'll also discuss how to protect your project from going over budget and the critical decisions that need to be made prior to even starting which so many people overlook, to their peril. In the end, you'll be ready to manage your own project, or if you choose, hire the very best General Contractor. You'll have a much better understanding of the process of successful renovation or new construction and be able to participate in a much more effective way.
Download or read book What Your Contractor Can t Tell You written by Amy Johnston and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to building or renovating a home provides everything homeowners need to know to get the best results, covering such topics as selecting and supervising an architect and contractor, cost estimates, budget, plan specifications, dealing with permits, and more and examining a wide range of common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Download or read book Log Home Living written by and published by . This book was released on 2011-02 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Log Home Living is the oldest, largest and most widely distributed and read publication reaching log home enthusiasts. For 21 years Log Home Living has presented the log home lifestyle through striking editorial, photographic features and informative resources. For more than two decades Log Home Living has offered so much more than a magazine through additional resources–shows, seminars, mail-order bookstore, Web site, and membership organization. That's why the most serious log home buyers choose Log Home Living.
Download or read book The Homeowner s Guide to Managing a Renovation written by Susan Solakian and published by Sterling Publishing Company. This book was released on 2008 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Major home remodeling isn’t for the faint of heart; there is huge potential for design problems, cost overruns, or just unsatisfactory workmanship. Here, a professional construction manager who masterminded the redesign at New York’s famed Avery Fisher Hall as well as a massive institute-wide renovation of St. Luke’s Hospital, offers an indispensable guide for homeowners who need to manage a large-scale renovation. There’s advice on how to articulate your thoughts clearly to designers, architects, and contractors; tips on negotiating contracts; suggestions for protecting yourself from legal and financial threats; and help understanding warranty claims. Each step--from initial planning through the completed project--is covered in layman’s terms, and sample contracts, floor plans, cost estimating worksheets and other forms are provided.
Download or read book Everything You Need to Know About Building the Custom Home written by John Folds and published by Taylor Trade Publishing. This book was released on 1990-04-01 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book helps the reader save a great deal of money by demonstrating how to manage the project and act as one's own contractor.
Download or read book Be Your Own Contractor and Save Thousands written by James M. Shepherd and published by Dearborn Trade Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Consumers who are building or renovating their homes can save substantial time and money simply by contracting the work themselves. This guide will help homeowners obtain permits, develop plans and specifications, and check work. Even if they choose to hire a general contractor, this handbook will help consumers knowledgeably oversee the project.
Download or read book The Pat Fay Method How to Manage Your Home Remodel Or New Construction Without a General Contractor to Save Serious Money written by Pat Fay and published by . This book was released on 2007-11 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Pat Fay Method of Home Construction is a Construction Management Book written for the homeowner. Home Construction is far too expensive and the Pat Fay Method teaches the homeowner how to build or remodel for $100/SF or less without a General Contractor. The homeowner does not need to be an expert in construction to be successful in their home remodel or new construction; they do need to be efficient managers who follow The Pat Fay Method. This book has chapters on Planning and Preliminary Design, Construction Meetings, Final Design, Scheduling, Permitting, Insurance, Project Safety, Contract Documents, Change Orders, The Contractor, Using Competition to drive down costs, Construction Materials, The Construction Phase, Cost Estimating, and Construction Management forms. This book was written as a result of the experiences the author (a mechanical engineer with over 20 years of industrial and commercial construction management experience) had while managing the construction of his new home in Seattle. He found that the rules of the industrial construction world do not apply to the world of home construction. The author and his wife successfully managed all the phases of construction and had a 3,500 SF house built by 30 different contractors for only $65/SF. This accomplishment can be duplicated by any homeowner but only if they follow the Pat Fay Method. If the homeowner turns over their home construction project to a General Contractor then the cost will be far too high. One of the problems for homeowners is that they only do one or two major remodels or construction projects in a lifetime. The typical homeowner is just not prepared to handle the issues inherent to working with home construction contractors without this book. For example, can you answer these simple but consequently expensive questions: what is your construction theme, how do you write a simple scope of work, how do you find good contractors, how do you handle unexpected change orders, how do you ensure quality materials are used on your project, how do you pay the contractor, how do you get your lien release, and how will the homeowner resolve a dispute with their contractor? If you cannot answer these simple questions then you need this book.
Download or read book Be Your Own House Contractor written by Carl Heldmann and published by Storey Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2012-03-14 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You don’t need to depend on (or pay) a general contractor to manage your construction project. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, you can manage the job yourself. Carl Heldmann outlines how to purchase your own land, set a reasonable budget and schedule, describe your needs and vision to an architect, and hire subcontractors to do the actual building. Cut out the middleman and save as much as 25 percent on your beautiful new home!
Download or read book So You Want to Be Your Own General Contractor written by Dave Rudy and published by Author House. This book was released on 2008-12-17 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yes, You Can Still Build Your Dream House and Still have Money for Your Retirement and even Send Your Kids to College . . . Save 30% to 40% 0n Your New Home . . . This could be anywhere from $50,000, $100,000 or $200,000 or even More . . . Depending on How Big You Build !!! My wife and I built a $ 750,000 home for less than $ 500,000. We took on the responsibility of the General Contractor. We had no prior experience in the home building process, but were able to pull off one of the biggest accomplishments a couple could ever tackle together. In the book, I explain the whole gamut from start to finish. There were many obstacles along the way, but we managed to overcome them even though we thought that the end of the world was near. I wrote the book in a humorous style which is reflected in the title. Whenever my wife and I ran into unexpected expenses or a Contractor took more of our hard earned money, I used the phrase, “So You Want To Be Your Own General Contractor." In the book I have illustrations that accompany the text. Many of the illustrations represent crazy moments during the construction. Each chapter has an illustration at the beginning of the text. I used a bulldog to represent myself and drew my family as bulldogs as well. Once the reader has read the book, he or she will understand what a "True-Build" means, which will help them to decide if they would like to take on the duties of a General Contractor . . . or Hire a Professional. Either way, the book will help the Future Homebuilder to . . . Save Tons of Money . . .
Download or read book How to Be Your Own Contractor and Save Thousands on your New House or Renovation While Keeping Your Day Job Revised 2nd Edition written by Tanya R Davis and published by Atlantic Publishing Company. This book was released on 2015-02-06 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this completely updated and totally revised second edition, you will learn how to choose a site, draw up construction time line and flow charts, apply for consturction loans, obtain essential insurance information, buy plans, find and negotiate with subcontractors, and comply with building code, inspection, and permit requirements. 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, windows, decks, roofing, plumbing, heating, wiring, air-conditioning, and much more. There are hundreds of tools, contracts, and checklists to help you get your project organized and save you 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 [email protected] 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.
Download or read book Manage Your Remodel And Save Money written by Victoria Likes and published by . This book was released on 2009-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Manage Your Remodel and Save"provides homeowners withfirst-hand information onhow to be the general contractor on a large-scale remodeling project. Written by a homeowner who took control of her whole-house renovation, the book details the numerous tasks and rewards of cutting out the middleman and acting as the general contractor."