Never Again

Building the Dream House

By: Richard La Plante

Narrated by: Richard La Plante

"Never again," Richard La Plante promised after he and his new wife completed building their family home in East Hampton, New York. But he did not keep his promise. Instead he bought 20 acres of raw land on a mountaintop located three and a half thousand miles away in a small town that he had visited only by Internet...and the nightmare began.

Richard and his wife were soon dealing with a house in New York to sell, a massive loan to pay off for the newly purchased land, dishonest builders, some of the most stringent building codes in America, and the economic collapse of 2008. With no general contractor because they had decided to save money by doing it themselves, La Plante and his wife face an empty bank account, a black-widow spider infestation, and a large wooden-frame with no windows. With two young sons to raise, a stony silence between them, and a marriage counselor who says in sagely fashion, "There's only one answer: finish the house," the La Plantes stumble from hilarious disaster to not-so-hilarious disaster to ultimate success.

Never Again is a seven-year chronicle of trial and triumph, both a warning and an inspiration to anyone trying to build a dream.

©2012 Richard La Plante (P)2011 Escargot Productions

Not what I was looking for

Very boring story about a guy with extravagant tastes that is surprised by the struggle and inconvenience of building a "dream home". Narration is dry and monotonous, tries to add flavor to it, but I was unimpressed. To be fair, I wanted a book more on ins and outs of building and real estate, but this had too much of his life story intermingled.