A Complete Guide to Being Your Own Home Contractor: Planning, Financing, Managing, Scheduling, Subcontracting, Supervising

Toby Rupert was a librarian living in Toronto.

This is a basic Canadian text for “construction management”: not how to do it, but rather how to see that it is done properly. It is exceptionally valuable not only for those who wish to undertake their own project but also as a checklist to match against any contractor that they hire. The many topics include: estimates of costs and budgeting, site selection, insurance coverage and financing, mortgages, building permits, hiring sub-trades, writing contracts, supervising, and scheduling. There are 14 checklists of activities as well as 21 work sheets and many sample contract forms for the sub-trades (excavation, suppliers, framing, roofing, siding, masonry, plumbing, water and sewage, heating, electrical, dry wall, carpentry, etc.). There are no cross-references, so the book needs to be read thoroughly, and there is no index. But there is an expanded table of contents, and most items are covered on one page or less.