When this website was put together, we ended up with some valuable tips whose content didn't seem to fit anyplace. Also, since the book was printed, Ferguson has seen things which he would like to have been able to put in the book.

We put them here for your perusual.

Del Webb
Del Webb is a big national builder and one of the really impressive things about their Sun City Grand development near Phoenix was noted on the User Friendly Houses page---the sensitivity to user needs. Not only the double doors on the sidle toilets but the moving of the laundry from the hallway between the garage and the rest of the house to a truly separate room. A great-room concept is used as a combination of dining room, family room and living room. It all makes sense. Unfortunately, as of this time, this is the only Del Webb subdivision which seems to be using these enlightened concepts. So, even when it says Del Webb, it's still buyer beware!

Hot-Water Tanks & Slab Floors
This item comes thanks to a syndicated column by Barry Stone, a home inspector, in answer to a reader's question. Water tanks will eventually give way, usually by springing a leak. If this is in a basement or garage, the result will generally be a mopping up, but not damaging to the home. If the water tank is elsewhere it should have a pan under it with a drain to the sewer system. If the tank is on the first floor with a basement or crawl space under it, the pan can usually be added at any time even though at a greater cost than if it had done right in the first place. On a slab floor it's a different story since the drain cannot be tied to the sewer. The message here is that it's generally a good idea to include such a pan as a part of a new house. If a leaking tank would wreck havoc, it's even more important. On a slab floor insist on it. Barry's web address can be found by clicking here and then "House Inspectors".

Giveaways Pay
On page Everyone Wins it is suggested that builders use copies of Build It Right! as giveaways. Tim Miller of Pablo Quintana Construction Co. in Taos, New Mexico sends the book out with the first package of info to new clients. He says that people are grateful for the book and that it is well worth the cost in terms of his time saved as well as customer approval. And you can be sure that all those people have better homes because of it. (Tim orders the books by the box.). Tim can be contacted at (505) 737-0639 or Email to adobemen@laplaza.org.

Front-Load Washers
The arrival from Europe, a few years ago, of the front-load washing machine showed us that, indeed, some builders are much aware of what's going on around them. If these new machines are mounted on the floor, as are top-loaders, the front-loaders are no easier to use. You have to lean over even farther to put clothes in and take them out. But now the machines no longer have to be mounted on the floor. The photograph shows how one builder took advantage of the front-loading characteristic. (This, by the way, was his own house. His wife's idea?) Let's hope other builders catch on.

There is a downside, however. This arrangement makes it more difficult to get behind the machines to check connections, to clean, or to fix a water leak. A leak may damage anything stored in the cabinet below as well as damage the cabinet itself unless a drained catch pan is used.