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For the price of a table saw blade, Nail Your Numbers will enable you to build the estimating and bidding systems essential to the long-term survival and prosperity of your construction company.

To stay on its feet through the ups and downs of the economy, a construction company must have many strengths. It must produce reliable work that wins client loyalty. It must install strong accounting systems and manage overhead vigilantly while marketing its services cost-effectively. It must treat employees with the respect and fairness that earns their loyalty. 

At the very heart of its business operations, every construction company must install well-organized and reliable systems for estimating and bidding. 

Nail Your Numbers: A Path to Skilled Construction Estimating and Bidding, the new book from David Gerstel, can help any builder or specialty contractor strengthen their estimating and bidding procedures. The  book will take builders in the startup phase of their careers all the way from an overview of the process through a course in the use of powerful yet low-cost computer spreadsheets for estimating and bidding. 

Of special value to experienced builders are chapters on: 

• Eliminating omissions from your estimates by capturing the slippery items that tend to fall between the trades or otherwise get left out of bids altogether. 
• Developing the records that enable accurate estimating of labor costs for work by  in-house crews. 
• Moving beyond bidding for free and, instead, getting paid for all your pre-construction work from the preliminary cost survey through final  estimates. 

Nail Your Numbers is a large-format book with a spacious full-color interior. Its 388 pages are amply illustrated with photos, forms, charts, and drawings. Written in an easygoing style, and with stories used to explain the conceptual issues, it makes for reading about as pleasurable as one could hope for on such a challenging subject. To go to Amazon and take a "look inside" Nail Your Numbers, click here. 

Running a Successful Construction Company is often referred to as an industry "bible." Nearly four dozen reviews can be found on Amazon along with a “look inside” that will allow you to sample the book before buying it.  

All of the reviews are genuine. You can take them at face value because David Gerstel does not solicit reviews with gimmicks such as give aways or raffles or by asking for endorsements from friends - all practices which are, unfortunately, common in the book industry and the reason many mediocre books are supported by a hundred or more four- and five-star reviews. 

If you think Running A Successful Construction Company might be helpful to you, as it has been to thousands of other builders, click here to go to Amazon and take a look for yourself. 

Crafting the Considerate House is a narrative about building a house that is affordable and environmentally considerate while also being livable and even lovable.  

Considerate House offers practical ideas for every phase of design and construction. Examples: 

• A foundation design which reduced excavation by 90%, off hauling of soil to zero, and consumption of concrete and steel by 50% even while increasing durability. 
• “Frugal framing” that reduced use of lumber and labor for framing by a third. 
• A heating system coupled with cost-conscious insulating and air sealing that resulted in annual heating bills in the range of $60 to $80 (yes, that is per year, not per month). 

Since its publication, Considerate House has received an enthusiastic response from both homeowners and builders. Here’s a sampling: 

I really loved The Considerate House. The truth about "green building" in David Gerstel's book is so real and refreshing that everyone who wants to be a green builder or designer should read it. 

   Frank Squaglia, Builder

I bought this book to educate myself as I embarked on a feasibility study for a remodel of my home. It has been an invaluable guide. From page one, I was led by an experienced builder with an engaging voice. Yes, the book is a very good read, making it fun to hear about "grade beams" and "void forms," and to learn why "Finish work begins at the foundation." Today I appreciate the myriad considerations involved in building a home and have gained a better understanding of the structure in which I live. If you already own a home or are having one built, if you're embarking on remodeling or renovation, pick up and study this clear, concise, and information packed book. You will benefit from the years of hands-on experience of a man with an admirable building philosophy.  

   Jude, Homeowner reviewing Crafting the Considerate House on Amazon

I would much rather build projects that are necessary rather than extravagant, and I find David Gerstel's insight and ethics inspirational. 

   Michael McVey, Builder

A preview of what it's like on the front lines of building your dream green home, an in-the-flesh tour from foundation to finish with a kind guide at your side through the process of designing, building and working out the inevitable kinks that come up while building the "near-perfect house" at a perfect price.   

   Fine Homebuilding

For less than $20 Crafting the Considerate House will provide you with ideas that can save you tens of thousands of dollars even while enhancing quality in the construction of a home. To take a "look inside" at Amazon, click here.