Complete with illustrations, checklists, sample contracts, forms, and survey maps, and a must-have homebuilding timetable, this guide gives you everything you need to know to build your dream home.

You deserve a home that meets your specific needs and desires! If you find yourself dreaming of the perfect patio, the ideal kitchen, and inviting rooms where you love to spend time, it might just be time to start building! With Building Your Custom Home For Dummies, you won’t have to feel intimidated as you plan, finance, and oversee construction on your new oasis. You’ll learn what it takes to build a custom home, including which pros to call and when. This updated edition also covers the latest in real estate and home construction trends, including smart homes, green building, and banking options. It's more important than ever to live in a home that’s truly how you want it, truly your own. Now is the perfect time to get started—if you’re still in the dreaming stage, this book will help you identify your style and articulate your vision. If you’re further along in the process, you’ll benefit from checklists and pointers on reviewing architects’ plans, evaluating contractor bids, flipping the home you build, and more. The latest guidance on building a beautiful home on any budget New ideas for high-tech homes with low carbon footprints Step-by-step instructions for securing financing, hiring architects, and finding reliable contractors Advice on how to invest your home-building budget wisely and plan for the future Building Your Custom Home For Dummies takes you from finding the perfect homesite through laying the foundation to framing and finishing—in the friendly Dummies style you can trust.

A Homeowners Guide to the Custom Home Building Process introduces the new homeowner to the paperwork and processes that it takes to build a home from the ground up. The Homeowners Guide walks you through contractor selection, bidding and contract administration, all the way to project completion. You will learn of some warning signs along the way, so you dont get taken advantage of. Building your new home can be an enjoyable experience, by educating yourself, staying positive, and visualizing the outcomeyour dream house. I have personally known Christy for over twenty years. Christy is very personable, honest, hard-working, and dedicated. She has an excellent understanding of the construction industry and associated paperwork, and her estimates have always been accurate. Paul U. Dritenbas, AIA, principal architect

From the first vague ideas to the finished structure, building a brand-new house presents you with thousands of choices -- and possible pitfalls. Yet there's no single expert you can turn to at every stage and ask, "What do I do?" Until now. This definitive reference will help you: * Figure out how much house you need, and how much you can afford * Choose among types of builders, communities, and lots * Negotiate the offer, financing, contract, and closing * Assess options and upgrades -- which are worth it and which are not * Understand windows, flooring, kitchens, landscaping, and scores of other issues * Work with real-estate agents, architects, site superintendents, home inspectors, attorneys -- your whole team, which may consist of dozens of players The Brand-New House Book distills the most crucial advice from hundreds of experts -- from the broad strokes such as bankers on mortgages, interior designers on colors, or arborists on trees to fine-tuning such as cleaners on carpets, movers on staircases, or landscape architects on drainage, every issue is addressed. Thorough and authoritative, yet completely accessible, this book is the most valuable investment you can make to ensure that you bypass the potential nightmares and ultimately come home to the house of your dreams.

Keep construction on track with helpful checklists Turn your dream of a custom home into reality! Thinking about building your own home? This easy-to-follow guide shows you how to plan and build a beautiful home on any budget. From acquiring land to finding the best architect to overseeing the construction, you get lots of savvy tips on managing your new investment wisely -- and staying sane during the process! Discover how to: * Find the best homesite * Navigate the plan approval process * Obtain financing * Hire the right contractor * Cut design and construction costs * Avoid common mistakes

-- Covers the subject from land issues, through the entire construction process, all the way to plandng the lawn.-- Contains anecdotes, real life examples, diagrams, applicable political comment and special exposition on such subjects as basic electricity, Radon, energy saving, windows and much more.-- Written for the aspiring home owner, but is equally valuable to building professionals and real estate agents.

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.