Review: Be Your Own House Contractor (Free Giveaway Too)

If you're thinking of building a house, buying a house, selling a house, adding on to a house, living in a house or doing anything house related, August is your month at Free Money Finance. Or, if you simply like FREE STUFF, August is your month too!

I'll get to the free stuff in a bit, but for now I want to talk to you about an absolutely great book. Be Your Own House Contractor is simply about what it says it's about -- how you can (and should) be your own house contractor.

Why? Because you can save a TON of money.

But you have no experience? Doesn't matter.

I first came in contact with this book when I checked it out from the public library (because we're looking at homes and may want to build our own place.) When I brought it home, my wife said something like, "Wow, you're really ambitious" or some sort of related "yeah, like you're going to do that" comment. I told her I just wanted to know more about the building process in case we decided to build a house.

But as I got into it, Be Your Own House Contractor convinced me that I could be my own contractor. And even if I didn't do everything the book said, I could do a lot of it quite easily and save a ton of money.

I was so taken with the book that I decided to contact the author. I went to his website and discovered he lived in the same city I do! I emailed him, he sent me his phone number, we talked, and we decided to bring you some great content and freebies related to Be Your Own House Contractor over the next month.

Here's what to expect:

1. I'll be posting every week day on the book -- giving just a snippet of it's wisdom and commenting on it. I'll do this after I run parts of an email interview I did with the author. Believe me, there will be lots of good stuff here!

2. In the same post, I'll be giving away a free copy of Be Your Own House Contractor to one lucky reader. Since there are 23 week days in August, that means I'll be giving away 23 copies of the book. Plenty of chances to win!

Let me conclude with the book review before I get to today's giveaway. I'm not going into detail on what the book says other than what I've said above -- you can save a ton of money building your own home if you become your own contractor. And no experience is necessary. Don't believe me? Stick around through August and see what you think then.

As you can tell, I love the book and I'm giving Be Your Own House Contractor 8 Stars.

And, for you cynics out there, let me say that I have NOT received any money for promoting this book -- I really do love it. I have received some free copies, but I'll be giving those away.

Now for today's giveaway. 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

[Belandrew]

It'll be a little while before I buy a house but it's going to happen soon, after I save some more. I can't imagine being my own contractor but maybe the book will convince me. I look forward to your comments about it.

[cory]

Being your own contractor isn't nearly as difficult as it sounds. Before I bought my house, I couldn't see myself doing any of the work on it myself. In th e past two years I've replaced walls, windows, plumbing, wiring, and landscaping (landscaping as in drainage beds and retaining walls, not just throwing some sod down). The next big project is building a deck.

[Jake]

Sounds like a very interesting book. Taking out the middleman is always a money saver.

[Suresh]

I am planning to do some research about getting a house built according to my tastes rather than buying a built house. My dream is to have a house built that is environmentally friendly and i know that all the houses built now a days lack the basics of it.

I dont plan to buy or build my own house atleast in the next couple of years and so the book that you mention might give me a better idea of what goes into building a house. I will be following the tips closely and i look forward to your comments.

[Sean]

This sounds like a great book. I had never even considered being able to take a contractor out of the process. Very interesting stuff.

[Ryan]

I look forward to hearing more about the book, although I have about 4.5 years before I plan to move from my current house. My student loan payment is expensive ($300+ per month) so I need to free up that loan and also get a few more years of raises to increase my income before I plan to upgrade to a larger house.

[Karen]

Like the others, I look forward to hearing more about this book. Since we bought a house, we've been amazed at the projects we've been able to do ourselves that I would never have imagined myself doing in the past!

[Scott Moonen]

A couple of folks I know have done this with their houses to some degree or another -- one acted as his own general contractor, while another is working with his general contractor to help reduce costs.

I'm very interested in this book and will certainly consider this option in several years when we hope to build a house.

[Brian Dauernheim]

Homeownership is all about being your own contractor. If I hired someone for every little job, I'd go broke pretty quick. Hopefully, the book's wisdom goes further than "how to install a new lightswitch." (I imagine it does.) I could use some guidance as we're getting set to remodel our bathroom!

[Barbara]

Wow. It sounds like this is a good book. I look forward to reading your postings on it. Perhaps I can be my own contractor.

[Andrea]

With major renovations coming up next year, this book would be a great
help to us. Thanks for offering the chance to win one.

[Eric]

Skeptical but interested. Count me in for the drawing.

[Tim]

Enjoy your posts! This should be interesting. We have been in our home for about two years and you wouldn't believe the amount of home repair/renovations we have done ourselves. Our dream is to build a custom built home, hope this book helps.

[Matt Goche]

Here we go!!! My wife and I are going to build(contract) our own house. We've been paying down our current house, and will have that paid off within 5 months!!! Last spring we purchased 3.5 acres of land using low locked in rate credit cards. Hey - it works as long as you stick with it!!! Currently we're getting bids on a 1/2 acre farm pond, and will have that in within the next 4 weeks. We've also received bids on shell erect houses, where the outside is finished, and the inside is left for you to do the work!!! We're not only planning the house, but the entire acreage. Farm pond, outbuilding, house(1600 sq ft log sided cabin) and land - for less than 200k... which is the equivalent to a lower end new house in our area(in town). Our secret to success so far - don't incur debt, and if you do - pay if off ;-) Financial advisors don't agree with this, but my take on it - is that nobody cares more about my money and financial situation than i do!!!

[Brian]

We are planning on building a house this year and doing as much of it ourselves as possible. This could be a great help.

[Cherly]

WOW! this is perfect. I am turning 25 this month and I already started saving for a downpayment for my future home. I have been reading tons of information about the purchasing process and it will be great to read about how to save money once you obtain your house by doing things yourself. I love projects. Can't wait for your future postings!!!

[Nick]

We recently did a complete remodel of our kitchen. We took everything out including the walls down to the studs (I did the demo, SWEET!). We then contracted out the rebuild to various vendors. Most of the work I probably would have been comfortable doing except the plumbing and electrical although making the walls plumb was more difficult than it looked.

While I certainly don't know everything, I definitely think everyone should be their own General Contractor. All that takes is patience and organization.

[Richard]

I appreciate you recommending this book. I am considering switching my career to build homes for a living. I meet with the owner of my city's largest homebuilder. His advice was to get out there and just start building, building homes isn't rocket science! This book looks like a great start on how I can learn how to build my own house!!

[Eric G.]

This is great. Thanks for the recommendation. I love your free giveaways. Make me a winner.

[Lynnae]

Sounds like a great book! Purchasing a home is a ways off for us, but this is something to keep in mind.

[Jonathan]

I would have thought [okay, fine, i DID think] that being a contractor, doing all the various things around the house was something that required vast amounts of talent, skill, and learnt knowledge. It'd be a great pleasure to be proven wrong!

[Stephen]

As I sit here waiting for yet another potential contractor who was supposed to arrive over an hour ago, this book sounds like exactly the answer I need. I remember a posting of yours from a while back about putting a dollar amount on our time and it's frustrating that contractors cost even more when you factor in the amount of time waiting for them to show up and do the work.

[Mina Mansour]

I'm a newly university graduate and I'm looking to buy my house as soon as possible as an investment.
Saving money right now is crucial. Any tip that will save me money is well worth it and greatly appreciated.

[Vish]

Sounds like something to try. Count me in.

[Blaine Moore]

Well, I bought a house, but I'd like to take a gander! I do most of the work on it myself.

[JMS]

Count me in!

[C Li]

I'm a woman and I would like to fix some of the stuff at home by myself. When I get a contractor to come in, they always charge a leg and an arm as they think I know nothing about these things. I do want to try it myself before I hire someone.

[El Indio]

Even as a reference book for helping out others less adventurous in DIY projects, this sounds like a great guide!

I'm looking forward to the upcoming posts.

[Eric]

I am looking forward to your review of this book.

[DG]

23 days of home construction help = 23 days of awesome

Bring it on.

[Arun]

sounds like a good book. I want it.

[Tllorens]

Count me in for the drawing. Sounds interesting.

[Brad]

I'd love to read this book.

[Andy]

Thanks for the pointer to this book! I'm in the midst of several self-directed renovation projects on my home; it sounds as if the advice in this book would be immediately applicable!

[Kelly]

I'm interested in reading this book. I have done done four major remodeling projects and always find that it takes a lot of hard work to manage the details to ensure the project is on budget and on time.

[Rich Schmidt]

I'll admit: I'm skeptical. I've heard horror stories from people who tried to be their own general contractor when building a new home. So I'm very interested to follow this new series & perhaps check out the book.

Thanks for taking the initiative to contact the author! Imagine what we'd all be missing out on if you hadn't taken that one simple step!

[Ken S.]

What timing! We are going to be starting to finish off our basement and make it in to living space. Maybe I can figure out the best ways to hire people to do the plumbing and electrical.

[JM]

This looks like something to look out for in the library. Thanks for the heads up!

[Anitra]

Maybe you can "be your own contractor" in terms of making repairs/updates to your house yourself, but I would be very wary of being your own general contractor. If you're doing a major remodel, get a reliable general contractor, who will know what to look for in subcontractors' work, so you know you'll end up with quality construction.

[snow_drops]

Just moved in to a new place that needs a lot of fixings. Hopefully this book can give tips on how to cut down some (or lots) of the expenses. Count me in!

[Dee Whit]

I just read your post and even if I dont win I would love to get free information on this topic. I will definately be reading!

[Mickey]

I'm always fixing things around my house or for family so this could come in handy.

[Patrick]

My brother- and sister-in-law decided to be their own general contractor when they built their house two years ago. It did not go well. A house that was supposed to take 3-4 months to build took about 10. They generally got jerked around by most of their vendors, especially their excavator, who ended up charging them about $15,000 more than his original quote. Fortunately, they have a really nice family member who let them live in his house for about 3 months after their apartment lease expired and before the house was finished. I actually didn't see them all too much because they spent almost all weekends and nights at the construction site, coordinating vendors and doing as much work as they could themselves.

Of course, I don't think they read any books on the subject. Maybe that would have helped.

[Rob Catoe]

I need help with my fixing up my condo and this sounds like it could at least get me started, hopefully more...

[SarJe]

Sounds really interesting. I am doing research in the hopes of building a sustainable home in the near future. I'd love to read this book, and then pass it on to whomever it would help next.

[Debra Goettsch]

I have your site in my favorites on my Yahoo home page. You sure do have some sound advice. Thanks for all your tips.

[Todd]

I'm in!

[Arthaey Angosii]

I've read a bit about building strawbale houses. I'm looking forward to hearing about the more general case of building your own house!

[Brenna]

I always wanted to build my own house and getting a free book helps too.

[MaryBeth]

I can't wait to see what August brings as you post more about this book. I've almost resigned myself to never owning my own home (my career path means I'll be living in major metropolitan areas for the foreseeable future and I can't afford to buy here in Chicago -- or in DC or NYC) and I thought that was great since I can't handle anything more complicatd than changing a lightbulb.

But, my old boss from when I was interning in China used to run a side business building houses for family members and friends. Basically he handled all the contracting and oversaw the building in exchange for a fee and said that it was the easiest money he ever made. So, that peeked my interest and I can't wait to read more as the month progresses.