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 Building
a Dream© is your online guide to quality home building and remodeling
that prepares you for your next project—large or small. Though many
books discuss general building techniques, few point out the many subtle
tradeoffs you’ll face during construction. These tradeoffs arise because
there is more than one way to build and budgets are rarely
unlimited. During the course of construction, you’ll make hundreds of
decisions that affect your project cost. Using real-world experience and
examples, you’ll discover hundreds of precious tips and recommendations
rarely found in any one source—tips that will put your project on a
solid footing to help you build it right from the start.
As an owner builder with a passion for excellence, I wrote Building
a Dream with straight talk on everything from foundation design to
choosing paint. Each chapter reflects a careful blend of time-proven and
advanced practices in residential construction. Each page unfolds
critical but often overlooked topics including soil conditions, drainage,
foundation ventilation, moisture-proofing, seismic reinforcement, window
selection, energy efficiency, future maintenance considerations, and new
product trends.
Building a Dream takes the mystery out of remodeling and home building and puts
powerful knowledge at your fingertips—knowledge that will help you avoid
costly mistakes. Your enhanced knowledge will help you deal from a
position of strength when it comes time to anticipate costs, select your
contractor, and manage your project.
This ground-breaking online version of Building a Dream brings
the global reaches of the Internet and World Wide Web right to your
fingertips—today. Embedded LINKS
throughout each chapter connect you to useful design resources,
professional organizations, reputable manufacturers, and related sites, making Building
a Dream the first interactive builders websource of its kind
for residential construction. Now—more than ever—designers, builders, and
homeowners can better envision and refine a project long before a hammer
pounds a nail.
If you're reading Building a Dream as a designer or
contractor who aspires to excellence, you'll discover a refreshing
perspective that invites your attention. Too often, quality workmanship
and high customer satisfaction are the exception, not the rule. Follow the
basic principles in this book and you'll develop your reputation for
world-class professional services. With extraordinary attention to detail,
follow-through, and empathy for your clients, you'll quickly win business
from those who didn't take time to read this book!
I hope you enjoy reading Building a Dream as much as I enjoyed
researching and writing it. In this online edition, you’re sure to find
unfilled holes or inadvertent errors. My years of engineering and business management experience
have taught me that the pursuit of perfection is an on-going process—reinforcing the notion that any product (or book in this case) undergoes
continuous improvement from the day it's introduced. Measuring and
constructive feedback are the keys to an even better product tomorrow. To
this end, I invite you to help improve future editions of Building a
Dream for all to share. Please submit your tips, stories, and constructive feedback to us ONLINE,
or write to the address below. I read every submission and welcome your
suggestions and will make every effort to include them in future
editions and articles. And, of course, if you choose to read additional
chapters listed on the upper right navigation menu, please help to
support our site by making your secure online payment today.
Happy Building!
Greg Lowitz
Owner Builder & Author
Building a Dream
Builders Websource
570 El Camino Real Ste 150 PMB 415
Redwood City, CA 94063-1262
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