An Introduction to fulfilling a dream...

Owning your own home has always been a dream and, of necessity, our founding forefathers built theirs with primitive tools and building materials they could harvest from the land. In remote areas the early settlers did ALL the work themselves, but in small towns and villages friends and neighbors helped each other to provide shelter.

In the years 1952-1992 of the last century, as a newly married couple after World War II, my bride and I did just that. Of course, our tools, materials and help of all kinds was far greater than that of our forefathers but our obstacles were easier to hurdle. The book How To Build and Contract Your Own Home is our story that might motivate you, a friend and even a member of the family to follow the same route and reap the many rewards.

If you have many of the basic resources such as employment, some spare time, experience with odd jobs around the house when you were young, a hobby such as model building, interest in tools and have average physical strength, you are a good candidate. After all, In this wonderful country we have over an estimated six million homes that were owner built and for many it was their first home. In fact, many professional builders got their start this way !

Today the steps and most methods of home building are essentially the same as they were fifty years ago but only improved tools, materials, techniques, economic conditions plus the spiraling cost of energy have influenced design and construction. Each of the following 174 pages from the four editions of our book are reproduced exactly as published, but we reduced each page ten percent to gain space for a two inch wide column in which we could write about present day building challenges and offer year 2008 recommendations.

And in the process proudly credit the many dear friends and family members who helped us, many of whom are no longer alive.

Click to learn more about the book and the publisher, Fawcett Publications, Inc