General Contracting - A Guide to Home Construction

About the Book

Many people think about, dream about, and talk about being a general contractor and building their own home. If you have the desire and are willing to put forth the effort, you can realize your dreams and ambitions. A General Contractor is a project manager. If you can manage projects, schedule activities, and work with people, you can build your dream home.

General Contracting - A Guide to Home Construction, removes the mystique of General Contracting and gives a step by step, easy to understand, guide on how to plan, schedule, manage, and construct a new home. You will be walked through the process of selecting a plan, revising a plan, selecting contractors, obtaining a building permit, developing a timeline, managing the timeline, dealing with schedule changes, communicating with subcontractors, and obtaining an occupancy permit.

You do not have to be intimidated by the thought of building a home. Being a General Contractor can be rewarding both personally and financially. It was for me and it can be for you. You can be a "Jack of all Trades" or a person who just loves challenging and rewarding projects. If you want to save money and experience the pride of building your own home, then General Contracting - A Guide to Home Construction is the right book for you!

About the Author

The author has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a coatings chemist with over 38 years of experience in the Coating Industry. He has held a numerous positions, including: Technician, Coatings Formulator, Group Leader, Assistant Technical Director, Technical Director, Special Projects Manager, Sales Representative, Health, Safety and Environment Manager, and Quality Assurance Manager. He is the Past President of the Chicago Society for Coatings Technology.

He is the owner and operator of a detailing business, Finishing Touch Mobile Detailing Inc.

He has general contracted and built two homes. He has spent over 40 years in home projects including building an attached garage and a gazebo. He has experience in electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, drywalling, heating and air conditioning, concrete work, painting, staining and varnishing, landscaping, ceramic tile installation, and reading blueprints.

He spent many hours reading and preparing before undertaking his first general contracting project. He first general contracting project, his current home of 2600 square feet, was started in northern Illinois in late November and completed just four months later. This project was accomplished while maintaining full time employment and participating in the construction.