The Reading Warehouse

You don't need an MBA to create and run a thriving residential construction business, but you do need a tight grip on the fundamentals of construction management and business organization. In this completely revised second edition, David Gerstel shows how to create accurate estimates, set up an office, shop for insurance and keep the books, how to find the right jobs, figure costs, make bids, write strong contracts and handle change orders. The new edition includes updates on business information technology and a discussion of how the increasing complexity in construction technology has changed the way construction companies are organized.

If you're starting your own contracting business, the systems Gerstel offers will help you get going with low overhead and without drowning in paperwork. If you already own your own company, Running a Successful Construction Company will give you the information you need to gain control of your operation.

Respected nationally for his books about house building and construction company management, David Gerstel has been a licensed builder for 35 years. His interests date back to his childhood and undergraduate days. An avid builder of tree houses during his elementary school years in North Carolina, he served as editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper at Brandeis University near Boston. After college he set out to learn a trade, becoming a master carpenter and founding a construction company that rapidly earned respect for its upfront business practices and the integrity of its work. David's books are widely admired for their depth of research, expertise, readability, and humour. Along with his work, he enjoys tennis and reading about history, financial and environmental issues, and building design and construction as well as (especially) spending time with his wife Sandra.