Be Your Own Contractor

And Save Thousands

By: Ricky Corum

Narrated by: Forris Day Jr

This book describes how to be your own general contractor when building your own home. In the process you will save the builder's fee and real estate costs, and I describe many other ways to save costs.

©2014 Ricky A. Corum (P)2014 Ricky A. Corum

Basic Good Info

Very good basic info even if you're Hiring a contractor. The book is only a couple of hours long so don't expect a deep dive. I am a real estate appraiser and look at many houses every week. I still learned stuff. Where's the time and effort. I would recommend picking up the speed of the narration to at least 1.25.

excellent

depth of information is there without being unattainable in technical terms. narrator voice is pleasant.

God summary of how to be the contractor

Wish there was some way to see the appendices. Would like to use for my house building project

A couple things...

I appreciate the experience of the writer and this book has definitely been helpful for me but I have to mention a couple things that I thought were important. First, a realtor will not and should not point out lot lines. I’m a realtor and I will not accept that responsibility. However, the surveyor or land owner, who have first hand knowledge, will point those out to you. Second, I heard no mention of septic tanks and field lines. If you live outside the jurisdiction of a city sewer system, your surveyor will need to provide you with a perculation soil test that will be needed by the health department for your septic permit. The surveyor will want to know approximately where the house will be located and provide usually two testing spots for results. The county health department will want the ground to be MOSTLY UNDISTURBED when the perc tests are done so this should be done before excavation. Around here a perc test is only good for 5 years before a septic tank is installed so if the seller provides one, check the date. The health department will then provide you with the instruction and specifics of the type of septic system and where you can put it as well as field line locations. they will provide you with a basic drawing of your proposed system that you give to your septic contractor. Also, check with your city taxing and building departments before you make an offer on a lot because impact fees for some areas can be significantly higher than a few thousand dollars. I’ve seen some areas where these range in the tens of thousands to even get started building. Your fees will vary dramatically from state to state. Good luck.