Excerpts from the Manual
General Contracting
"General contracting is the art of bringing several different trades together for the purpose of working as a unit to achieve a goal..."

Location
"If you have a preference of site location in mind and there are new houses in the area, it is wise to ask the homeowners if they had any hidden cost in site preparation, or if they have had any sewer problems, water problems, fresh water quality, and so on. "

Selecting an Architech / Engineer
"Beware of anyone that tells you they can squeeze it in. What about the person you are squeezing out? Will that person be you 3 weeks from now? Let them convince you that they have the means and manpower to complete the job."

The Bid Process (for subcontractors)
"Tell your subcontractors that you will require an insurance certificate, up to date with your name as the holder to validate that the subcontractor has sufficient insurance and workman’s compensation. Remember, you are hiring these people, it is easier to find this out now than in court later. "