How does a homeowner make informed decisions about when building or renovating your a home? From Sand Castles to Dream Houses offers sound advice to the average home builder/homeowner in clear, everyday, simple language. Other home building books dwell on highly technical construction and design technicalities-details, while this laypersons guide easily explains all aspects of building or renovating a home. Some of the areas that are covered in the book include: selecting a location, getting started creating your home, working out a budget, and the hiring, negotiating, and working with architects, general contractors, interior designers, and landscape professionals.