Your home is probably your largest monthly expense and ultimately you want it to become an asset, perhaps to pass on to your kids when you’re gone. Why then do homeowners put so little value in the people they hire to work on their homes?

If you own an expensive car, you’re not likely to take it to the cheapest garage you can find. If you want a nice smile, you seek out an expensive, private dentist to give you that smile. No one goes to a cheap plastic surgeon or a cheap tattoo artist. Going to court? “Better find myself the cheapest lawyer I can” – said no one ever.

So why do people seek out the poorly paid, unqualified and uninsured to work on their home?

I have no clue, but it happens and if you’re considering building a house extension or new house, I suspect perhaps you’re already thinking of ways to do just that.

This book gives you some insight into the reality of hiring cheap professionals and why it may not be wise.

If you enjoy the book and want a little more of the same, I have a facebook page and an Instagram account you can take a look at.

Both of these are called – Ask the Structural Engineer.

My consulting engineering practices can be found at www.starkstructures.com, where you will also find a link to our google reviews as well as to the Instagram and facebook pages.