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How to Plan, Contract, and Build Your Own Home, Fifth Edition

Product Code/ISBN: 9780071603300
$49.95

How to Plan, Contract, and Build Your Own Home gives you the information you need during every step of the homebuilding process -- from selecting materials to designing the rooms to working with a contractor. Featuring practical, cost-effective ways of planning, designing, and building energy-efficient homes, the book presents money- and energy-saving options in every chapter.

This thoroughly revised reference explains how you can implement many of the green construction strategies that make up the U.S. Green Building Council's award-winning Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines. Written by experienced instructors and builders, this is the most complete planning and homebuilding resource available.

Learn how to:

  • Select the building site that best suits your project
  • Determine floor plans and types of construction, foundations, framing, and finishing
  • Use energy-efficient electric, lighting, heating, cooling, and insulation
  • Choose the best quality floors, wall coverings, fixtures, and appliances for your budget
  • Integrate green construction systems, components, and materials throughout your home
  • Include amenities such as decks, patios, gazebos, sidewalks, and driveways
  • Find and work with an established, skilled, and reliable contractor