Whether you intend to hire a General Contractor, Architect, or act as an Owner/Builder, Tom's one-day seminar introduces you to an approach for planning and organizing the construction of your own home.

"Taking your class, `Better Manage Your Home Building or Remodeling Project', was a very good experience, even though I'm working with a General Contractor rather than acting as an Owner/Builder. It's saved me money and contributed to my satisfaction with the home I'm building. I knew to ask the right questions, discuss my project with the General Contractor's subs and suppliers, and solicit their input and ideas."

"I've essentially co-opted subs and suppliers to contribute and not just perform. Rather than merely show up on the appointed date and do the job, I've given them the opportunity to help in the decision-making process. Since they've participated in decision-making before work began, they've taken greater pride in their work."

"Bottom line is I've recovered the cost of your class many times over, and I have a more usable and satisfying home now that all is said and done. As I said to you during a break in your instruction, I only wish I'd taken your class much earlier in the Design/Build process."

"You've made a difference in my life! Thanks, Jim Cox"

"Better Manage Your Home Building or Remodeling Project" is a six hour seminar designed for individuals who want to integrate the Design/Build process by working closely with construction professionals, trade contractors, and suppliers and may be seriously considering acting as the general contractor or hiring a general contractor. The purpose of the class is not to emphasize doing the hands-on labor of the construction trades; rather, the class introduces an approach for managing the Design/Build process by following the standard practices of the construction industry for working directly with public agencies, collaborating with construction professionals, hiring trade contractors, and purchasing from suppliers.

However, we're not the only ones offering classes to Owner/Builders. Here's a few of our favorite programs, their physical locations and web sites:

• Arcosanti
  Mayer, Arizona
• Earthwood Building School
  Steuben, Wisconsin
• Fox Maple School of Traditional Building
  Brownfield, Maine
• Heartwood School for the Homebuilding Crafts
  Washington, Massachusettes
• Owner-Builder Dome School
  North Branch, Minnesota
• Phinney Well Home Program
  Seattle, Washington
• Shelter Institute
  Woolrich, Maine
• Southface Energy Institute
  Atlanta, Georgia
• Yestermorrow Design/Build School
  Warren, Vermont

If you don't have the time to attend one of these programs, subscribe to one of the Newsgroups where you can post a message and others can respond to that topic. Here are some Newsgroups which may interest you:

alt.architecture
alt.architecture.alternative
alt.building.construction
alt.construction
alt.home.repair
misc.consumers.house

Still another source of information:

There are magazines online which will definitely be of value to the Owner/builder.

This Old House

There's still more information out there:

There are sites where you can ask Design/Build professionals for help to diagnose your problem and give you accurate information which helps solve your problem.

Give these a try:

Tim Carter's Home Improvement Center

But if these sites don't help you, go to Starting Point . . . . . it brings together the best search resources and directories on the Internet to make your searches more efficient. The Internet is a busy, brawling, bewildering place. Starting Point is a free search and directory site that lets you navigate through the clutter intelligently.

Building a Home!

Use the Electric Library to search for current articles related to residential architecture and construction using a deep database of reliable sources. With The Electric Library, any person can pose a question in plain English and launch a comprehensive, simultaneous search through more than 150 full-text newspapers, hundreds and hundreds of full-text magazines, two international newswires, two thousand classic books, hundreds of maps, thousands of photographs, as well as major works of literature and art. The first 30 days are free!

Use the Electric Library to search for innovations in the home building industry like "Modular Building Systems." Often, innovative technology will take years to become a part of the industry's standard practices so we depend on architecture and construction journalists to bring them to our attention. After doing research for Down Home Radio, here are a few sources for modular building systems, which I found valuable:

• From the educators at MIT, here are building system link references.
• And, from the good folks at Stratford Homes, you'll get quality and service.

DOWN HOME RADIO EXCLUSIVE Click here to visit site "Modular Building Systems" with Guest John Davis Click here to stream audio Tom interviews John Davis, General Manager of Stratford Building Corporation. Mr. Davis defines a modular building system, dispelling many of the myths and misconceptions for using this approach to home building. He explains how this type of building system produces fewer headaches for the homeowner and builder alike, and describes the building process as a sure-fire way to produce a better quality home.   Visit Down Home Radio for the entire audio archive