Interview with Carl Heldmann, Author of Be Your Own House Contractor, Part 1 (And Giveaway!)

Here's part 1 of my interview with Carl Heldmann, author of Be Your Own House Contractor.

Free Money Finance (FMF): Tell us in your own words what “Be Your Own House Contractor” is about.

Carl Heldmann (CH): My book and web site teach you to act as your own general contractor, the person who organizes the whole project, not the one who actually does the work, swinging the hammer, thus saving 25% without lifting a hammer (thus the subtitle).

FMF: Who should read this book?

CH: Anyone who wants to save a lot of money on a new house.  Even if people don't build their own house, the knowledge they gain about construction is invaluable. Dean Johnson of PBS’s Hometime says, “It provides an excellent overview to the business of building a house, and we recommend it to anyone building a house, whether you self-contract or not.”

FMF: What will readers get out of the book?

CH: Knowledge is power and reading this book helps you take charge of the largest purchase you make in your life.  It gives an insight into the construction process and demystifies homebuilding and debunks its myths.

FMF: You say that people can save 25% on building their own homes. Is this really realistic?

CH: It is very realistic.  Some people will save more, some will save less depending on how well they shop for labor and materials.

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I'm cutting it off here for today. Tomorrow we'll get into the specifics on how you can save 25%. Be sure to come back and find out!

Now for today's giveaway of a copy of Be Your Own House Contractor. Here's how it will work:

1. Leave a comment below -- any comment.

2. Sometime tomorrow, I'll stop by the post, stop the submissions, and name the winner.

3. It will be that person's responsibility to check back to see they are a winner and then email me their contact information.

4. I'll send all the winners their books in one mass mailing going out the second week in September.

A few rules for these giveaways:

1. You can not win more than one prize.

2. I will be the complete and final judge.

3. Legal disclaimer: I can not guarantee safe delivery of the items. I'll send them via US Mail, so it's likely they'll be fine, but I can't control it and won't be held accountable if the mail system messes up.

4. If you win something and do not contact me within a week of winning, I reserve the right to give your prize away to another winner. Note again: I won't track down the winners -- it's your responsibility to come back and see if you won.

Good luck! Post a comment below for a chance to win this book!

Comments

[Rich Schmidt]

I'm looking forward to the rest of the series! Thanks again for making it happen!

[jhawsey]

I'm interested because I am actually going to start doing this very soon. However I plan to do a lot of the work myself as well as act as the General Contractor so I hope to save a little more than 25%. Price per square foot in my area is around $110 if you get a builder and from those I have spoken with, such as friends that are builders, say I can do it for $75 per square foot.

[Ryan]

Put me in to the drawing.

[Brian Dauernheim]

Already interesting! I wasn't expecting the book to be about the management side of things. Looking forward to the rest of the interview.

[Scott Moonen]

Count me in. :)

[juanny]

woohoo!!!!

[Internyet]

This looks like a great book.

[Jay]

I am in.

[Scott Kustes]

Would love to have this book as one day I plan to build my own house.

[Blaine Moore]

any comment (ha ha ha)

[Brian Miller]

I'd like to hear what Mr. Heldmann would say about companies that assist individuals with the homebuilding experience, such as UBuilt-it and Homestead Homes. It seems that these companies offer a ton of resources with very little additional cost.

However, I would like a copy of the book as I have been considering building a home ever since I heard kid #2 is on the way. It's been a toss-up between one of these homebuilding helper companies and doing it all myself.

[Cherly]

More please! I cant wait to get to the good part! Tell us how to start and what the steps to follow!

[Tim]

Can't wait to read more on this topic!

[Familyfinanceguy]

Very interesting! Great topic.

[Eric]

I'm in!

[Richard]

It's true you might save money on the house, but what about time and paperwork? Does the book go into project management, how to deal with sub contractors and pulling the right permits?

Mis-understanding these crucial steps could cost you more than the 25% percent savings. You are paying the gc for his time and expertiese and hopefully, piece of mind.

[El Indio]

Interesting start to the interview. I wonder if the 25% comission is standard everywhere for a general contractor or how he came up with that figure.

[JM]

I'm going to post every time until I win that book!

[Cam]

Like Richard states, there are many pitfalls that one can fall into when building a house. I'd be interested to see what kind of advice the book provides about these topics.

[Nancy J]

Thank you for reviewing this book and being considerate enough to give away copies. I just bought a "money pit" and have to learn to do as much as possible on my own. Looking forward to the book.

[Ted]

I'd like to win. Thanks.

[Rob C]

Good idea.. Enjoyed the interview.

[Barbara]

Being one's own contractor can indeed be a fruitful way to save some money!

[Goose]

Pick me please.

[Goose]

Pick me please.

[JMS]

I'd love to give his book a read...

[Topher]

Looking forward to the rest of the series!

[LB]

No, pick me.

[Brad]

I'm in again!

[Brad]

I'd like to read this.

[klauss]

I am doing a remodel of my kitchen right now and with previous jobs, such as the entry way, I have seen how inefficient the pricing is. I always feel like I am paying way more than the materials and labor, but do not want to tackle the jobs myself because of fear. I even was paranoid about removing a large plant next to the electrical. So I got the utility to come out and spray the lines. Still was paranoid, so ended up having the entry way guys do it with there bobcat. Was a huge plant though (Pampas Grass).

[Kelly]

Count me in for the drawing.

[Projoe]

Times like this I wish I'd learned how to read.

[DG]

I guess I'll take another shot. I was sure I won yesterday. Damn.

[Richard M]

Please enter me.

[Glen]

I have to admit that I'm a little skeptical still on this book. I'm a very advanced DIY'er, and I don't think I would do as good of a job as a seasoned GC. There is a lot of experiential knowledge involved in construction, especially as a general contractor. My biggest concern would be validating that work was done correctly. Yes, it has to be inspected, but the inspector won't catch everything and won't be on-site every single day. There's a million 'little' things that can go wrong either regardless of intent. I'll hold out judgment, but I can't help but wonder if this is the first step down the path to perdition. ;-)

[Dee Whit]

Very Interesting Interview- Can't wait to hear the rest! Thanks

[Harley]

pretty please??

[jim]

winner winner chicken dinner!

[Eric]

Excellent post, looking forward to more!

[Hemal]

Winner!!! :)

[RayC]

This is my entry.
Thank you for holding this drawing.

[Jeremy]

Just getting into the house market!

[tYLER]

This looks like a great book! I know someone who built his own house, and I would also like to do it someday.

[Arthaey Angosii]

Trying for the drawing a second time...

[Matt]

I might as well throw my name in the hat.

[Garan]

I would love to read this book.

[FMF]

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is Brad who posted at 1:34 pm yesterday. Congrats!

Brad, please email me (see: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2005/04/free_money_fina_4.html ) and we'll arrange to get you your book.

To the rest of you, stay tuned. I still have plenty of copies to give away!

[Aaron]

I would like to have this book for for the future.