If you have the time to be your own general contractor, you will save money on your house construction, according to author Smith. This is true; I know two people at least, maybe more, who built their own house in a pricey market and got better results for a lot less. But...they had the time to be a full-time or nearly full-time general contractor.
A general contractor is a business person; a manager. If you can manage projects or people, you can do this. The book has charts, tables and suggestions on how to handle subcontractors. The myths that you cannot buy good lumber or components dashed here. And I can attest that contractor-grade furnishings in houses are often garbage, so much so you have to refit a new house to remove the trash they installed for you. You can avoid this waste by building your own, with your own specifications for windows, doors, brass door fittings, toilets, cabinets.
Don't be fooled; this is a job; you save money because you are doing the job of a professional. But that professional may have gotten into the business at his daddy's knee and really you may have the same skills, just untried. So do read the book first and see if you can manage all the jobs listed.
I liked the tables and checklists best in here. I like guides so I dont forget things. How to handle the subs, including sending knotty, subpar warped lumber back to the lumber yard and how to specify in your sub contract (strike the line that says you pay a restocking fee before you sign with the lumber yard) is worth the entire book price.
If you want some facts; it costs about $50 a square foot to build a house around our area and the builder sells it for about $100 to $140. Think about that.
