Reddit reviews What Your Contractor Can't Tell You: The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating
We found 6 Reddit comments about What Your Contractor Can't Tell You: The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
What Your Contractor Can t Tell You The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating
I'm a DIY noob. Here's some of the stuff that's helped me.
I got hosed a few times by contractors before I learned enough to start asking the right questions. This book helped me get onto the right path. Checklists and battle plan for remodels and new construction, based on the experience of 100s of projects. What Your Contractor Won't Tell You https://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Contractor-Cant-Tell/dp/0979983800
I bought some Journal of Light Construction books. True, their Field Guides are way overkill for me and my projects, but they're very cool. https://www.jlconline.com https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AJournal+of+Light+Construction&s=relevancerank&text=Journal+of+Light+Construction&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
I like those Matt Risinger videos quite a bit too. https://www.youtube.com/user/MattRisinger
The most useful books I've bought are the Code Check short guides. I just read them until I kinda understand them. As a total noob, that takes a while. Here's the electrical title. https://www.amazon.com/Code-Check-Electrical-Illustrated-Wiring/dp/1631869167/
The knowledgeable staff at my local pro suppliers have been super helpful. Especially Ferguson's. I really can't say enough good things about all the people who've helped me. Sometimes you get lucky at Home Depot and the like. But they pay shit and they're understaffed, so don't judge.
https://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Contractor-Cant-Tell/dp/0979983800/
Incredibly helpful book for dealing with contractors - written by a former construction manager:
What Your Contractor Can't Tell You: The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating
I recently had an architect design a house and bid out to general contractors to build it. I read "What Your Contractor Can't Tell You" before the process and found it very helpful. It covers some of your options and steps through the process from start to finish (it is both remodeling, additions, and full house info which is not all relevant to a new build). The big first decision is design-build vs independent architect and traditional bid process. Design-build would probably be a more smooth process, but it can lock you in depending on how the firm works. Some design-build firms will let you leave after the design process with the plans, but you need to know all that up front in writing. One thing that became apparent to me during the build that it would probably cost more and take longer if I tried to GC it myself. That would also have been a 50 hour per week job. I don't begrudge paying the GC fee at all.
In my limited experience, the better people are more matter of fact, willing to teach and not pushy. The detail on the quotes I've gotten weren't reflective of the experience, workmanship or honesty of the person involved.
If someone wants to take advantage of your (my) lack of knowledge, they will. I ended up going with the old school guy who emailed me his quote over the guy with the long pdf and gantt chart.
This book may be useful, though maybe more geared towards large projects with more formal requirements: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0979983800/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Congrats on your house, and good luck renovating! Here are some resources I found that I hope will help: