Designing a Custom Home: What You Must Know to Make Decisions

Publisher Marketing: Taking on a custom home construction project can be a difficult process, with few resources to fall back on. Designing and building the home requires information and common sense. Hopefully this book scores well with you on presenting both of those subjects. It the author's objective is to remove the misunderstandings and failed hopes from this complex procedure by providing those details that are required or helpful for making informed decisions. This Book Is For... - those who are building a custom home - those who have a healthy curiosity about the building process - those who want to know and understand their choices - those who do not have an unlimited budget - those who want to receive the most value for their money - those who do not want to be taken advantage of - and more than anything, those who want to build an above average home that they can be proud of The intention of this book is to provide prospective homeowners with high quality information so that they are able to become proficient at understanding and managing the ramifications of building a custom home. Clearly it is information that is the basis for making informed decisions and for becoming adept at designing an interesting and enjoyable home. At a minimum, by studying this book, prospective homeowners should be able to avoid some of the pitfalls that can adversely affect their construction. Sprinkled among the many do's, don'ts, caveats, tips, and guidance will be more than a few of my personal recommendations for home design. No doubt you will not agree with all of these suggestions. However this can still be a good thing since my ideas may act as food for thought. And of course, not everyone should want to build the same home. After all, uniqueness is a virtue. The views presented in this book are just the tip of a very large iceberg. It would not be realistic to list every suggestion, tip or caveat that I might want to include since some of them may have only limited or specific application. I suggest that you deal directly with a home consultant, designer, architect, or contractor for more personalized assistance. Contributor Bio:  Koehler, Kip ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kip Koehler Kip, though retired, is still an active author, construction consultant, and computer systems engineer. He and his wife Cheri, moved to Prescott AZ in 2002 where they built their custom home. Its highly creative design was subsequently highlighted in the local paper. The home's most unusual features are its "wine cave" and a "New Orleans" rooms. While they both love Prescott and their new friends, they do miss the California ocean, and try to return regularly for a seaside fix. As Cheri puts it: "There is no ocean in Arizona." Kip's computer background dates back to working for IBM in the late 60's. He purchased one of the first PCs off of the production line about 1980, and has been addicted to them ever since. Eventually as a consultant he developed financial software for IBM's clients and then for national sales. Fortunately for Cheri today, he can fix her computer problems rather quickly. Cooking has been a long standing interest with Kip, as reflected in his wide variety of cookbooks. Being somewhat unwilling to do excess work, they mirror that disposition in recipes that focus on easy cooking and clean-up. Another of Kip's interests is the nature of nature, both scientific and metaphysical. This curiosity is reflected in several of the book offerings. The books and booklets can be purchased for Kindle and Nook readers at amazon.com and other sites. The 6x9 inch paperback format of the books are available at createspace.com. If you are interested in hiring a freelance writer or editor, I am available by the job or $35 per hour. By the job is $1 per word for a well-defined project. Editing is $.10 per word in Word format.