Providing checklists, indexes, and technical information, a guide to home renovation for women features guidelines for a range of dwelling types and includes coverage of everything from managing a budget and proofing a contract to working with designers and negotiating male-dominated arenas. Original. 25,000 first printing.

Major home remodeling isn’t for the faint of heart; there is huge potential for design problems, cost overruns, or just unsatisfactory workmanship. Here, a professional construction manager who masterminded the redesign at New York’s famed Avery Fisher Hall as well as a massive institute-wide renovation of St. Luke’s Hospital, offers an indispensable guide for homeowners who need to manage a large-scale renovation. There’s advice on how to articulate your thoughts clearly to designers, architects, and contractors; tips on negotiating contracts; suggestions for protecting yourself from legal and financial threats; and help understanding warranty claims. Each step--from initial planning through the completed project--is covered in layman’s terms, and sample contracts, floor plans, cost estimating worksheets and other forms are provided.

I, Philippe Zabelle (wealthy software designer,callous playboy, totally un-handy man), do hereby hirecontractor Janice Diane Wyatt to renovate my home(but not make significant changes in my life, likemaking me fall for her, a single mom). I give J.D. full authority to choose appliances anddecor—as long as she doesn't distract me from mypoker games or wear anything too revealing.… Should J.D. fail to complete this job—or should I be unable to resist her beauty andintelligence—this agreement will be renegotiatedaccording to our mutual desires.

This book provides practical information and insights to library administrators and building plan team members at academic and public libraries who are considering or starting a library expansion or reconfiguration of existing space. Building a new library or expanding or renovating an existing building brings up a host of questions and concerns, not the least of which involves the future of the library. This book addresses those issues in light of an overarching positive vision of libraries and their evolving purposes and roles in the 21st century. This guide identifies and addresses all of the steps in the building process, including preparing the request for proposal (RFP), selecting the right architect for the job, developing a financial contingency plan, and managing stakeholders' expectations. The book presents both the perspectives and experience of library administrators and management personnel as well as the insights of accomplished library architects and designers. It provides thorough, practical, and current guidance in a process that library administrators often find daunting and "risk immersive." Reading this book is like sitting down with a knowledgeable, impartial consultant before beginning a major renovation project—a tremendous asset for library administrators as well as architectural firms.