Although I find this book very thorough in its coverage, it was not useful for me. I am trying to build my own home and was looking to 1)understand the building process and all that is involved, and 2) by understanding more about the intricacies of building, be able to cut costs and save money. It is assumed by the author that the reader is entrusting all of the work from start to finish to a contractor. This is great if you have the resources to build a top-of-the-line custom home. I don`t.