Editorial Review
The best available guide to saving money on a home construction project, The Owner-Builder Book shows you how to contract your new home, remodel, or addition at phenomenal savings. Contains a step-by-step description of the process, including how to find and hire good subcontractors, how to get a construction loan, and how to estimate costs and choose features for your project. Includes 85 planning steps and 100 new construction bargain strategies to save you thousands. Includes contracts, agreements, budget and schedule forms and worksheets. Super-index provides 1,500 search terms for total utility. Winner of the National Association of Home and Workshop Writers Silver Hammer Award for Books.
"...16 easy to read chapters with lots of charts, lists and examples...More practical advice..." Nancy Cook-Senn, The Shawnee News-Star
"...this is the book which will tell you how to design and build your own home just the way you want it. It also tells you how to save thousands of dollars in the process...You can also save up to 50% of the cost of a house by becoming an owner-builder...goes through the stages of how to plan, planning, how to buy, developing a network for purchasing your materials, how to get bids, what to look for in bids on different areas, how to supervise your sub contractors, etc...seems to leave very few, if any, stones unturned." Curtis Rivers, Vero Beach Press Journal
"Assuming you have the same costs that a general contractor will have, you will save the profit (more than 10 percent average) and the overhead (two to three times the profit) paid to a general...The Owner-Builder Book discusses just how this can be done." Ask the Experts, Country's Best Log Homes
"If you don't want to sorry, follow the process outlined by Mark Smith in his book, The Owner-Builder Book." Builders Showcase, Northwest Herald
"...covers every aspect of the building process, including planning, scheduling, working with subcontractors, financing, building permits, etc....has, perhaps for the first time, demystified the home-building process for the layman. Consider this to be a textbook." Prince William Region Home Focus
"...highlights techniques for materials shopping (what he calls "commando shopping") and planning your home room-by-room to maximize savings." Home & Real Estate Weekly, Daily Times-Call
"This new book gives a step-by-step approach to building your own home and saving up to 50 percent on construction costs. Chapters show how to beat contractor pricing tactics, how to deal with paperwork (contracts, permits, and legal and insurance protection), how to manage home building project on a daily basis, and how to avoid common owner-builder mistakes." The Henry Herald
"Great practical little book filled with tips to save money when building a home. If you want to take on the project yourself, it's good to know the tricks of the trade first. You'll learn to manage bureaucratic paperwork, how to get subs on your side, and even become privy to "commando" shopping techniques. The Smiths explain how to benefit from new tax laws and how to prepare yourself to get loan approval." Simple Living Quarterly
"If you ever have thought of building your own home, The Owner-Builder Book is for you because it is a step-by-step guide for the amateur and covers all aspects of building a home." Robb Northrup, Kitchener-Waterloo Record
"When it comes to building your dream home, sweat equity a.k.a. doing it yourself, can help economize. But you don't need to swing a hammer to nail substantial savings. In The Owner-Builder Book Mark Smith leads home-owners through a step-by-step guide of planning, scheduling and financing a custom built house." Michelle Mahfouri, American Press
"The 16-chapter book takes [you] from putting a materials list together and putting out bids to subcontractors to shopping for bargains and close-outs on framing lumber, fixtures, concrete and appliances. It also discusses how to avoid first-time mistakes." Kansas City Star
"...guides you through...building...and saving considerable dollars that will build [your] wealth without the [typical] risk..." Rocky Mountain News
"What are the secrets to...save money on the construction of your home? This book tells all." Kansas City Daily News-Press
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Customer Reviews
The best there is. 
2008-08-28
If you are contracting your own house, this book is a must. Read it, and also go to the website. I read this book through a few times, and feel more confident as I start my owner-builder process.
THE GREATEST BOOK EVER!! 2008-07-12
well, i've read so many how to books, i've read tips and traps, the idot's guide, and the dummy's guide. the owner builder book surpases them all!
it taught me so much about being my own contractor to build my house myself. i've had a lot of friends who custom built homes, and one thing i noticed about all of them is that the builder didn't really build. he just managed the building project but made $50,000 or more for his management!
this book broke down everything you need to know to begin this process. it especially focuses on the planning stage which is the most important stage in building a custom home.
if you are considering being an owner builder, this the book for you!
The Owner-Builder Book 
2007-12-11
While the book tries to convince you to be a owner-builder, it doesn't give you what you need to make the decision. A book that was far better and more closely resembles what you want to know about is Contracting your Home. I bought them both and was ready to discard this book and fell in love with that one.
Very useful if you're planning your first building project 
2007-10-28
I bought this book last year before I started my first building project and it was very useful. While I agree with some of the negative reviews that there are too many testimonials and some strange justifications discussed on why to build your own home, I think overall it's helpful.
Here are the things you can get from this book: a plan showing you how to get started, understanding the different steps and trades to build, understanding the planning time required, an idea of the commitment that is required, a structure to set-up your budget, tips to secure your bank loan and ideas for some custom home features to consider.
You will not get much information on the following: details on building techniques, detailed cost saving tips or useful price information.
Good book! Could do without the "optimistic fluff..." 2007-08-21
I've just started in on this book, so my review may change after I've read the rest; but my initial opinion of this book is that while it contains a lot of useful information, it also contains information that is based on favorable chance events and optimism; these should be toned down or at least balanced with conservative planning. One instance shows how to "trade up" or "flip" houses to use the equity of the flipped house to get better properties at lower mortgage payments. This is an optimistic assumption, as is apparent in todays real estate market as of this review, there are a lot of home buyers who thought they could do this and are now stuck in expensive properties they don't want. Information presented like this reminds me of those "get rich" books. Many of the other reviewers have said the same thing: Too much junk information thrown in trying to make you feel good about the book and what you are doing. This space could have been eliminated, shrinking the book, or filled with more useful information.
Optimisim and "can do" spirit is definitley necessary to build your own home, by all accounts it is a very trying process. When using this book as an element in your DIY homebuilding planning, I'd follow the author's suggestions, plan like crazy, plan for the worst and hope for the best. The information in the book is very good. I'd still recommend it.
motivational garbage 2007-06-18
The best available guide to saving money on a home construction project, The Owner-Builder Book shows you how to contract your new home, remodel, or addition at phenomenal savings. Contains a step-by-step description of the process, including how to find and hire good subcontractors, how to get a construction loan, and how to estimate costs and choose features for your project. Includes 85 planning steps and 100 new construction bargain strategies to save you thousands. Includes contracts, agreements, budget and schedule forms and worksheets. Super-index provides 1,500 search terms for total utility. Winner of the National Association of Home and Workshop Writers Silver Hammer Award for Books.
"...16 easy to read chapters with lots of charts, lists and examples...More practical advice..." Nancy Cook-Senn, The Shawnee News-Star
"...this is the book which will tell you how to design and build your own home just the way you want it. It also tells you how to save thousands of dollars in the process...You can also save up to 50% of the cost of a house by becoming an owner-builder...goes through the stages of how to plan, planning, how to buy, developing a network for purchasing your materials, how to get bids, what to look for in bids on different areas, how to supervise your sub contractors, etc...seems to leave very few, if any, stones unturned." Curtis Rivers, Vero Beach Press Journal
"Assuming you have the same costs that a general contractor will have, you will save the profit (more than 10 percent average) and the overhead (two to three times the profit) paid to a general...The Owner-Builder Book discusses just how this can be done." Ask the Experts, Country's Best Log Homes
"If you don't want to sorry, follow the process outlined by Mark Smith in his book, The Owner-Builder Book." Builders Showcase, Northwest Herald
"...covers every aspect of the building process, including planning, scheduling, working with subcontractors, financing, building permits, etc....has, perhaps for the first time, demystified the home-building process for the layman. Consider this to be a textbook." Prince William Region Home Focus
"...highlights techniques for materials shopping (what he calls "commando shopping") and planning your home room-by-room to maximize savings." Home & Real Estate Weekly, Daily Times-Call
"This new book gives a step-by-step approach to building your own home and saving up to 50 percent on construction costs. Chapters show how to beat contractor pricing tactics, how to deal with paperwork (contracts, permits, and legal and insurance protection), how to manage home building project on a daily basis, and how to avoid common owner-builder mistakes." The Henry Herald
"Great practical little book filled with tips to save money when building a home. If you want to take on the project yourself, it's good to know the tricks of the trade first. You'll learn to manage bureaucratic paperwork, how to get subs on your side, and even become privy to "commando" shopping techniques. The Smiths explain how to benefit from new tax laws and how to prepare yourself to get loan approval." Simple Living Quarterly
"If you ever have thought of building your own home, The Owner-Builder Book is for you because it is a step-by-step guide for the amateur and covers all aspects of building a home." Robb Northrup, Kitchener-Waterloo Record
"When it comes to building your dream home, sweat equity a.k.a. doing it yourself, can help economize. But you don't need to swing a hammer to nail substantial savings. In The Owner-Builder Book Mark Smith leads home-owners through a step-by-step guide of planning, scheduling and financing a custom built house." Michelle Mahfouri, American Press
"The 16-chapter book takes [you] from putting a materials list together and putting out bids to subcontractors to shopping for bargains and close-outs on framing lumber, fixtures, concrete and appliances. It also discusses how to avoid first-time mistakes." Kansas City Star
"...guides you through...building...and saving considerable dollars that will build [your] wealth without the [typical] risk..." Rocky Mountain News
"What are the secrets to...save money on the construction of your home? This book tells all." Kansas City Daily News-Press
Wow...this puts it into perspective 2007-06-01
I always wondered what the profit margin is for a builder and also how much waste they have. Now I know when you compare it to what can be achieved following the items in this book.
Big on promises, but mostly self-serving 2007-05-15
This was the first book I read when I decided to retire and in some way become very involved in building our retirement home. I ended up reading about 4 others - all of which were more substantive and helpful. The most obvious problem from my point of view is the exaggerated claim on the amount you can save. You would have to substitute a great deal of your own time plus a few other person's in place of the building tradespeople to even approach the author's claims. The other problem is since the time since I read it (2003), the book has become a platform for the author to expand his marketing. Finally, the pictures of the home the author built on his own were very unimpressive to me. I thought it looked really dull.
There was one thing I took from the book - that you needed 1,000 hours to do the job. I did that and a bit more since I had the time. I had a fantastic experience on my house, although I had to pass through ideas of being my own GC or getting someone experienced to act as a mentor. Dispensed with the first as unrealistic and ran into significant problems with after starting down the second path. I ended up using a builder who simply let me participate extensively in the process since I had done so much preparation. I ended up designing, planning, and participating extensively with all the subs. It ended up being done on time, on budget, and with a quality level that exceeded my expectations.
The Owner-Builder Book: How You Can Save More Than $100,000 in the Construction of Your Custom Home, 4th Ed. 2007-04-10
This book is an amazing resource. Of all the books I've purchased, this is the one that will help me the most!
We saved $90,000 by building ourselves 2007-02-21
Great book. It helped us a lot. This book helped us gain the confidence that we needed to do it ourself. It's the best of the books I read on the subject.
