Synopses & Reviews
Includes a directory of useful contacts, Web sites, and organisations to get you startedEverything you need to know to build your ideal home
Why compromise when you can get the home you've always dreamed of? Self-Build and Renovation For Dummies is the comprehensive guide that shows you how. Discover advice on everything from planning, finance, and design, to hiring builders, buying materials, and managing a building site, and gain the knowledge you need to turn your dream into reality.
Discover how to
- Find the right site
- Manage the entire building project
- Budget accurately
- Navigate planning and building regulations
- Renovate and extend an old property
Review
"Full of info, it demystifies impenetrable technical jargon." (
Grand Designs, January 2007)
"…a great introduction." (Build IT, January 2007)
“This is a great reference for anyone seriously considering a self build.” (Self Build And Design, March 2007)
"...provides the concrete know-how on all the regulations, design and financial implications of self build and renovation projects." (Self Build & Design, November 2007)
Synopsis
Creating your dream home is an exciting idea, but it's also a major project and one where you need to be an expert on everything from planning laws to landscape design, and all that's in between. Self Build and Renovation For Dummies takes you through every step of the process, from choosing and buying a plot of land, through to the building's design and on to the actual build – plus all the financial and legal stuff – using plain English in an easy-to-understand format. Here is everything you need to know to create your perfect home.
About the Author
Nicholas Walliman is a professional architect and lecturer in building construction. He built his own home and has since worked on numerous self-build and renovation projects.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Part I: Preparing to Create the Perfect Home.
Chapter 1: The Basics of Self-Build.
Chapter 2: Forking Out the Finances.
Chapter 3: Finding and Assessing the Building Plot.
Chapter 4: The Legal Stuff.
Part II: Before the Build: Getting Everything into Place.
Chapter 5: Designing Your Home.
Chapter 6: The Green Light: Getting Permissions and Approvals.
Chapter 7: Construction Management, Builders, and Subcontractors.
Chapter 8: Buying Materials.
Chapter 9: Getting Connected to Services.
Part III: Structurally Speaking: Understanding Construction.
Chapter 10: Preparing the Ground.
Chapter 11: Holding up the House: Walls and Structures.
Chapter 12: An Open and Shut Case: Windows, Doors, Insulation, and Partitions.
Chapter 13: Floors and Stairs.
Chapter 14: Raising the Roof.
Part IV: The Inside Story.
Chapter 15: Forming the Landscape.
Chapter 16: Putting in the Pipes and Wrapping Up Warm.
Chapter 17: Let There Be Light (And Power and Communications).
Chapter 18: Kitchens and Bathrooms.
Part V: Renovating, Extending, and Converting.
Chapter 19: Internal Finishes.
Chapter 20: Upgrading Old Houses.
Chapter 21: Adding Space.
Chapter 22: Buying a Property for Conversion or Replacement – the Opportunities and Dangers.
Part VI: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 23: Ten Good Reasons for Building Your Own Home.
Chapter 24: Ten Good Reasons to Renovate.
Chapter 25: Ten Things You Must Do Before Starting to Build.
Appendix: Directory of Directories.
Index.