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The more you know about the homebuilding process, the more enjoyable your experience is likely to be. All too often, stories are told of the horrors of building a new home. Well, two of the most common causes of unhappiness result from inexeperience and misunderstanding - both of which can be minimized by reading a few good books and learning as much as possible homebuilder.

So, take the time to prepare for your adventure by reading at least two of the following books - "Your New House", written by a husband and wife consumer advocate team, and either "The Well-Built House" or "Norm Abram's New House", both of which were written by professional builders.

As a builder myself, I quickly became angry when reading some of the statements that the authors were making about the people who build houses. However, it is for that very reason that I now consider their book to be required reading for everyone involved in the process of building a new home. Builders need to be aware of how consumers see things and consumers need to be aware of some of the things that can, and frequently do, go wrong during the homebuilding process.

Each of the other recommended books provides the reader with very good accounts of what to expect, as well as, what not to expect, before, during, and after construction. The authors present a clear picture of the day-to-day homebuilding events and they explain their reasons for making various decisions along the way. Reading the viewpoints of these well known and respected builders will help you better understand the homebuilding process and the people with whom you will be working as you build your dream.

Click on the book titles to read our in depth reviews of each book. Then, head to your local library and "check them out" for yourself or buy them through our affiliation with Amazon.com.

• Your New House - by Alan and Denise Fields

• The Well-Built House - by Jim Locke

• Norm Abram's New House - by Norm Abram

Another Excellent Book for First-Time Homebuilders

One book will never be able to provide all of the information that you will need to build a new house. However, as the title correctly implies, Ortho's Basic Home Building: An Illustrated Guide - by the Editorial Staff of Ortho Books provides a very good overview of the home design and construction process. Meant to be read once as a planning guide and a second time as a construction guide, this book will help you plan your new house and its location on your building site. It contains information about hiring contractors, estimating costs, and creating a budget. And, it addresses each of the major steps along the homebuilding process. I was very impressed with this book.

Note: Unfortunately, this book is out of print. Meredith Publishing now owns all rights to the Ortho book line and according to the folks in their Consumer Service department, there are no plans to reprint the book. You may be able to find it at your local library or you can click here to see if a used copy is available from Powell's Books.