Building Your Own Home For Dummies Here’s how “Building Your Own Home For Dummies” (Wiley Publishing, 2005) puts it: “If you’re in no hurry to move your project forward and are willing to invest the time to figure out all the ins and outs of the process and make the right choices, then an architect may be unnecessary. But if you work for a living, are raising a family, or don’t have the slightest inclination to take the time to figure out design, construction and building codes, then an architect will be a welcome addition to your custom-home team of professionals.”

Here’s a passage on the subject from “The Well-Built House,” (Houghton Mifflin, 1992) by Jim Locke, the contractor who ran the project in Tracy Kidder’s renowned book, “House” (Houghton Mifflin, 1985): “The chances of your house’s [plans] fitting graciously on your lot are poor. People often tell me they look at plan books and hundreds of designs and don’t find one that fits them.”

That’s so true: Before Dave (my husband) will let me meet with any architect, he insists I look at house plans online. I spend three days — hours at a time — without finding anything compelling. There are elements I like: a portico here, a breakfast area there. But because we may spend more on this house than anything we’ve ever done in our lives, just kind of liking something doesn’t seem good enough.

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