How to Plan, Contract, and Build Your Own Home, 5th Revised edition--------------------------------------------------This is an all-in-one custom homebuilders guide - fully Updated withthe Latest Green Construction Methods. How to Plan, Contract, andBuild Your Own Home, fifth edition, gives you the information youneed during every step of the homebuilding process - from selectingmaterials to designing the rooms to working with a contractor. Featuringpractical, cost-effective ways of planning, designing, and buildingenergy-efficient homes, this book presents money - and energy-savingoptions in every chapter. This thoroughly revised reference explainshow you can implement many of the green construction strategies thatmake up the U.S. Green Building Council's award-winning Leadershipin Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines. Written by experiencedinstructors and builders, this is the most complete planning and homebuildingresource available. Learn how to: select the building site that bestsuits your project, determine floor plans and types of construction,foundations, framing, and finishing, use energy-efficient electric,lighting, heating, cooling, and insulation, choose the best qualityfloors, wall coverings, fixtures, and appliances for your budget, integrategreen construction systems, components, and materials throughout yourhome, include amenities such as decks, patios, gazebos, sidewalks,and driveways, and, find and work with an established, skilled, andreliable contractor.--------------------------------------------------Author Biography: Richard M. Scutella has written several books onnew construction, home buying, home maintenance, and safety, includingHomebuyer's Checklist, Second Edition (Tab Books, 1993), and the firstfour editions of this book. He has designed and supervised the constructionof many new homes. Dave Heberle is the author of McGraw-Hill's ConstructionSafety Manual and the co-author of the first four editions of thisbook. A former environmental and safety consultant, he currently managesinvestment real estate.