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Planner eases building projects

By Irene Wanner
Special to The Seattle Times

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I've been blessed/cursed with a house built in 1929.

Routine maintenance is about all I'm interested in or prepared to do. I'd much rather work in the garden than on the house, and I suspect that's partly because I have zero curiosity about plumbing, electricity and other domestic mysteries I take for granted until they stop working.

Recent earthquakes cracked the plaster in every room. Years of drips are eating the porcelain from the bathtub. The electric furnace is costly and inefficient. You get the idea. It's time to pay attention.

So Sheri Koones' new book, written after she renovated her own house, appealed to me immediately. It's just what the title promises: A planner.

The book's first half "offers advice to the average homeowner in clear, everyday language," while its second half is a handy notebook for keeping records.

"From Sand Castles to Dream Houses: A Planner for Building or Remodeling Your Home" by Sheri Koones Hanley-Wood, $24.99

One appendix gives definitions for construction and some parts of a house, while others list resource magazines, books and Web sites. It's intentionally small — 6¼ by 8 inches — so you can take it along when you shop for parts, look for design ideas or attend planning sessions. It even has an accurate (if short) ruler on the front cover.

I liked the fact Koones isn't embarrassed to admit her mistakes. "The renovation" of her own house, she notes, "took far longer and cost more than we ever imagined."

She doesn't dwell on construction itself or design technicalities, but emphasizes thorough planning (including landscaping), which can prevent the costly delays and added expense of making changes after contractors are hired and materials have been specified.

The book opens with the 10 most important things to keep in mind before you build. The author recommends getting references, setting completion dates (with rewards for finishing early and penalties for finishing late), getting several bids, asking questions, always having signed agreements and so on.

Koones gives examples of being talked into things she didn't want and confesses to overlooking personality problems that should have warned her away from certain builders; both mistakes caused anxiety and wasted money.

Be prepared for overruns, she emphasizes, adding, "Custom building is not for the meek. If you are easily intimidated, look for a house that is already built."

Koones begins with preliminary considerations (site, proximity to schools, taxes, etc.) and basic budget considerations. Her next chapters go through what each specialist (architect, contractor, interior designer, landscape professional) does and how to locate and select one, set up initial meetings, decide on contracts, fees and so on.

I especially liked the sections that detailed what specialists expect from clients, and offered tips for managing those relationships. (Architects, for instance, often work for couples. A job will go more smoothly if these two people agree on what they want, rather than making the architect a mediator.)

Other chapters focus on kitchens, bathrooms and systems (security, lights, etc.).

Armed with Koones' book, readers should gain confidence, significantly enhancing their abilities to care for, improve and enjoy their homes.

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