Building Your Own Home For Dummies
by Kevin Daum, Janice Brewster, and Peter Economy
Building Your Own Home For Dummies
Published by
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Copyright 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2004117535
ISBN: 978-0-7645-5709-5
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6
1O/QY/QS/QV/IN
About the Authors
Kevin Daum, from Alameda, Calif., is founder and CEO of Stratford Financial Services, an INC 500 real estate finance company. Under Kevins guidance, Stratford maintains a 100-percent approval rate on its custom home financing projects. Kevin has provided financing education for more than 20 years. He has underwritten loans for national institutions and managed real estate financing for entrepreneurs and celebrity clients, including Pat Sajak, Pat Boone, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jamie Farr, and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. He has facilitated more than 850 custom home projects and is a recognized expert on the subjects of custom homes, real estate investment, and real estate management.
Kevin speaks regularly on the subject of real estate finance. Kevin penned and published the book What the Banks Wont Tell You; How to Get the Most Out of Your Mortgage (Grady Parsons) now in its second printing. He writes a featured monthly column for Log Homes Illustrated magazine and writes regularly for American City Business Journals. Kevin is actively involved with the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO) and speaks on the subject of entrepreneurship and the arts. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Kevin currently develops property and custom homes. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Humboldt State University.
To schedule Kevin to present to your organization, association, or conference, call Stratford Financial Services at 800-727-6050. For more information on the products and services provided by Stratford, visit its Web site at www.stratfordfinancial.com or contact Kevin directly at kevin@stratfordfnancial.com .
Janice Brewster is author of Log Cabins (Friedman/Fairfax) and Cabin Styles (Publications International, LTD). She currently edits Timber Homes Illustrated magazine and is former editor of Log Home Living. She has written articles for The Washington Post, Cowboys & Indians, Catalina, Log Homes Illustrated, Timber Frame Homes, and the National Association of Home Builders. Janice received her bachelors degree from Mount Union College and her masters degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse Universitys S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Peter Economy, from La Jolla, Calif., is associate editor of Leader to Leader, the award-winning magazine of the Leader to Leader Institute, and author of numerous books, including Managing For Dummies (with Bob Nelson), Home-Based Business For Dummies (with Paul and Sarah Edwards) (both published by Wiley), and many others. He received his bachelors degree (with majors in economics and human biology) from Stanford University and is currently pursuing his MBA at the Edinburgh Business School. Visit Peter at his Web site: www.petereconomy.com.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all those information hungry consumers pursuing the American dream of home ownership.
Authors Acknowledgments
Just like a custom home project, it took many people to make this book happen. We consulted experts in every area to make sure we included current, accurate information.
Kevin relied heavily upon the help and resources of the excellent staff at Stratford Financial Services, particularly Dawn Exline, vice president of client services. In addition Kevin wants to thank all the clients, builders, and architects that shared their experiences.
The authors also want to thank the following people for giving time, energy, and knowledge for the success of this book. Ahmad Mohazab and the expert team at Tecta Architects in San Francisco shared their knowledge and drawings for many chapters. Dan Ridings of Stonehenge Builders in Lafayette, Calif., spent hours of time providing technical information. Thanks go to The Original Lincoln Logs LTD., John Stetson, and Aaron Rosenbaum for their contributions of photos and Lorin George of Lorelco appraisals for her appraisal contribution. Thanks to Bud Davis of B. Davis construction for the special Writing Place. Thanks to Scott Peloquin of BenefEx Benefit Consulting and Troy Collins of McKinley Financial for their experience in the financial area. Thank you to Charles Bevier, editor of