Finish Your Home Before It Finishes You

Are you ready to build or remodel your home but feel overwhelmed by the task ahead? Imaging your finished product is one thing; reducing it down to paper and assembling the parts and people to make it a reality is an experience very few are prepared to handle. In short, it's not your job to know everything about construction, but it is your responsibility to hire those that do and manage them effectively.

This book is a no-nonsense, easy-to-follow, must-know, quick reference guide that takes you through all the critical building phases so you can maintain control of your money and sanity. Apply just a few of the 90 highlighted tips and your job as an overseer will be lightened considerably; follow most of them and you'll thrive, not just survive your building experience, and avoid the pitfalls and costly consequences all too common in this industry.

As a high-end builder and 35-year veteran of many hard won construction battles, I left the field after 20 years and entered law school with the intent of practicing construction defect law. Between semesters, while still full of lawyerly indignation, I decided to apply my new-found briefing skills to my own building experiences. The result was this book -- a real-world analysis of the issues at each building phase, from concept to completion, and the proven strategies necessary to handle them.

Subsequently, I re-entered the field for another 15-year stint, but this time armed with this manual. It has remained a work-in-progress ever since, as I've refined and honed my problem-solving techniques. Ultimately, this guide serves as a concise yet comprehensive crash course, giving homeowners a needed leg up on this long learning curve.