This book gives you the power to control the most expensive purchase you will ever make. You do not need any construction experience or even to lift a hammer. Jim Correnti gives the average individual the knowledge and confidence to act as a building contractor. This frees you from a thirty-year mortgage that will more than double the cost of your house.

For example, a $200,000 house costs nearly another $200,000 in interest. Acting as your own contractor saves you the builder’s 1/3 markup, so the same house costs only $150,000. You also save on points and closing costs.

Jim built many houses over the course of 30 years. His first was 960 square feet. He added space as his family grew. His second was 1248 square feet. As an empty nester, his final house was a 672-square-foot ranch on half an acre. This is not the tiny house fad. This is a functional small home.

Those $500,000 McMansions of 2600 square feet are illusions woven by banks and realtors. The average house size grew by 127 percent while family size dropped by 33 percent. Think small, not tiny, for your first house.