Recommended Reading

There are hundreds of home-buying books available to buyers today, but most of them seem to skew toward "home buying for dummies" (not knocking it -- we have that one), renovating existing homes, or decorating tips. Very few books target the new-construction-buyer, which is where we really felt we needed the help. How to evaluate plans? Know what upgrades and options to request? Weigh the pros and cons of solid surface countertops against granite? Understand the electrical and plumbing and other systems being put into our new house?

The books below were all helpful in answering some of those questions for us. Our builders Shep and Craig also have a guide that covers many of those areas, and we found that helpful as well. Hope this information is helpful to you in some way!

Build It Right!: What to Look for in Your New Home
This book has an interesting approach. It has some of the "standard" chapters on finding a builder and selecting a home plan, but mostly it's filled with little tips and ideas about smart home design. They're things you probably wouldn't think of ahead of time, but that make daily life much easier if they're taken into account. For example, does your new home plan include a broom closet or a place to put the vacuum cleaner? Other tips include deciding where the server/china cabinet will go in the dining room before the electrician puts in the chandelier, since it will likely have to be shifted a few inches left or right of dead-center, in order to have the table line up under the lighting fixture.

Another good one to watch out for fridge placement and dimensions in the kitchen -- just because the spot for the fridge is technically wide enough doesn't mean you'll be able to open side-by-side fridge doors enough to get to items in the back.

One more: The author strongly recommends an undercounter sink for solid surface countertops -- when there's no lip to the sink, the homeowner can just sweep crumbs right off the edge of the counter into the sink. Cleanup and maintenance are leagues easier. I didn't even know there was such a thing, but now when I look at Lowe's or Home Depot flyers, I can immediately spot the difference, and I know which one we want!

Many of the watch-outs in the book stem from the author's experiences with careless coordination by the builder -- for example, light switches can end up behind doors or in other odd spots, if the subcontractors aren't coordinated and monitored carefully. Little things like that add up, so this is yet another area where having a competent and trustworthy builder really makes a difference.

In general, this book was extremely helpful with details, including a lot of little things we never would have thought of on our own.

Your New House: The Alert Consumer's Guide to Buying and Building a Quality Home
This book is a little more general than the one above. It's great if you're just getting started since there's a lot of information on financing, construction loans and selecting a builder, architect, realtor and inspector. The options and upgrades chapters are helpful, and throughout the book the "money bomb" sections highlight things to watch out for.

The Brand-New House Book: Everything You Need to Know About Planning, Designing, and Building a Custom, Semi-Custom, or Production-Built House
This book is a little more text-heavy and harder to wade through than Your New House, but it's got concrete details on a multitude of new home choices. The flooring chapter in particular is helpful, and there's a lot of information on lot sizes, slopes and house placement.

One thing I found interesting was that trees damaged during construction of a new home often don't show it right away. It may take 10-12 years for the damage to fully kill the tree. Midsize trees (not the big old ones everyone wants to save) are the most likely to survive the construction.

More recommended reading coming soon.