Recorded Books Inc. - Designing Your Dream Home: Every Question To Ask, Every Detail To Consider, And Everything To Know Before You Build Or Remodel

Praise from Homeowners and Industry Professionals for
Designing Your Dream Home

We wish that we had had a copy of this book when we built our house. Everyone who plans on building or remodeling their home should review this incredible book. It is easy to read, complete, and full of ideas that will save you time, money, and stress.

Mark Houston, MD, and Laurie Hays, homeowners

Building or remodeling a home can be a daunting task. This resource makes the process doable. Dont start a project without it.

Janice and Mark Thomas, homeowners

For the average homeowner who wants to build, Susan Langs comprehensive book bridges the gap between the technical aspects of house infrastructure (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc.) and the desired end result: comfortable, convenient living. I found her extensive and thorough checklist system to be especially helpful in avoiding the unpleasant surprises that come after construction is finished.

Leora B. Allen, homeowner

My most problematic issue as a decorator is a clients indecision. While this book may not erase indecision, it certainly empowers clients to understand where they fit into the puzzle of homebuilding and make preparations for navigating the process. Ive never seen or even heard about a book as thorough and encompassing. In fact, I may require it for all my clients! Bravo for an insightful map to the thrilling road of building your dream house.

Barry Williams, decorator, Williams Design, Inc.

As owners of a historic home, our remodeling project was extensive and, quite frankly, intimidating. We were scared to death we were going to make mistakes that would not only be time-consuming but turn out to be enormously expensive, pushing us way over budget. Designing Your Dream Home provided the detailed support we needed to confidently move forward with our remodel. The forms in the book gave us one central reference place to capture all our concerns and ensure we hadnt overlooked anything important, truly enabling us to design the home of our dreams.

Steve and Karen Anderson, homeowners

With Designing Your Dream Home, everyone will be able to use Susan Langs gifts and skills to help them create the home they want. This book is a must-have for every homeowners shelf.

Judy Pittman, realtor, Judy Pittman, Inc.

Being a native of Pass Christian, Mississippi, with family and friends
still living along the Mississippi Gulf Coast,
I dedicate this book to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Having lived through Hurricane Camille
and having visited the Mississippi Gulf Coast since Katrina hit,
I have experienced and seen firsthand the devastation
inflicted by these two powerful hurricanes.

It is my hope and desire that Designing Your Dream Home
will be an invaluable tool for those remodeling or rebuilding
their home. I am donating a copy of this book to the area libraries.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those still trying
to rebuild their lives and their homes. And I mourn those whose
lives were lost, including my aunt and uncle, Helen and Nip Lang.

by Susan Lang, 2008

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

This book is intended to provide general information on designing your home. Although every effort has been made to make this book as accurate as possible, the author and Thomas Nelson, Inc., assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. If architectural, building, legal, or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

Illustrations by Jim Moore, Nashville, Tennessee.
Page design by Casey Hooper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lang, Susan.
Designing your dream home : every question to ask, every detail to consider, and everything you need to know before you build or remodel / Susan Lang.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-4016-0352-6
1. DwellingsDesign and construction. I. Title.
TH4815.L38 2008
690'.837--dc22

2007045965

Printed in the United States of America
08 09 10 11 12 QW 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

First, I want to acknowledge my daughter, Suzy Foral, who believed in my book from the first moment she read a chapter and was my number one supporter. Her belief kept me going. I drew perseverance and determination from my son, Hastings Puckett. My daughter-in-law, Amanda Puckett, is the most organized person I know. From Amanda, I find affirmation in my belief that everything needs a place to be stored. My son-in-law, Ray Foral, a homebuilder (Construction Concepts of Carolina, LLC), has been a sounding board and an invaluable source of information. As I write this book, Suzy and Ray are remodeling their home and Amanda and Hastings are designing and building a home. Both couples have been invaluable resources for my book. I would also like to thank my dad, Jack Lang, and my siblings, Ann Riette, Jay Lang, and Cary Lang.

Special thanks to my many friends: Dr. Mark Houston, who immediately felt my book had merit and served as my mentor; Laurie Hays, and Leora and Gregg Allen, for their friendship and support throughout the process; my designer friends, Deborah Appleton and Karen Snyder, who willingly shared their own experiences; Melanie Hughes, a longtime friend who gave her support, and her husband, Randy Hughes, a homebuilder in Dallas who allowed me to use his job sites for research; Dana Kelly, whose e-mails of support made a difference; my chiropractor, Dr. Josh Renkens, who tended to the aches and pains that developed while I was writing this book; and Janice and Mark Thomas, Libby and Isaac Manning, and Duer Wagner III, who gave me the opportunity to provide homebuilding consulting on their homes.

Special thanks to artisan Bill Powell, Nashville; Barry Williams and Zoe Powell of Williams Design Inc., Dallas; Terry Lawler of Construction Concepts of Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina; Alex Kazerooni of Eagle Fish Technologies, Nashville; John Bell Hines, architect, of Gunn Meyerhoff Shay Architecture + Urban Development of Charleston, South Carolina; Chuck Harper of Harper Electric, Nashville; Jim Thompson of H. Hughes Properties, Inc., Dallas; Charles Poliquin of Poliquin Performance Center, North Kingstown, Rhode Island; Gary Robble, insurance specialist of the Robble Agency, Nashville; Dan Crass of Steinway Piano Gallery, Nashville; David Breed of Tasco Security Inc., Telluride, Colorado; Tim Taylor of Tim Taylor Architects, Jackson, Mississippi; Betsy Hoag and Liz Ocone of TKO Associates, Inc., Dallas; and Jerry Omstead of Village Cleaners, Nashville.

Since December 2005, this book has been my companion. I have been blessed with dozens of friends who, through e-mails, phone calls, or notes, have sent their best wishes and support: Bob Brandt, Ellen and Skipper Brown, Karen and Charles Bush, Liz Daniel, Rick Davis, Elaine DeMetz, Sue Flynn, Carolyn Goddard, Roy Guinnup, Loicka and Heyward Hodges, David Kastle, Susan Kirkman, Diane and Fletcher Lance, Mike Lawler, Anne and Richard Levy, Lee Lutrell, Joe Mansfield, Stephanie and Pat Maxwell, Deborah Montgomery, Gail and Jim Moore, Patty Neherr, Jane Newsom, Bell and Bill Newton, Coleen OConner, Blanca OLeary, Deborah Owen, Raymond Pirtle, Franny and W. T. Ray, Penny Reynolds, Stacy Reynolds, Denise Rice, Ann Sams, Gary Sasser, Nigel John Scott, J. J. Sibley, Ann Smith, Jerrie Smith, Ann and Frank Sprow, Gail Stanger, Paige Stephenson, Ingrid Taylor, Mary Anna Underwood, Bob Walker, Brady Wardlaw, Bekah Weatherford, Marnie Webb, Jon Witt, and the employees in the office of Dr. Dennis Wells.