You should check with the town to see what will require permits (usually in-wall electrical / plumbing at the least).

Drawings, permits, product spec's, special notes and contact info all go into the book.

Stephanie,I plan on starting out with the residential market, in particular lower income housing, given that is what my position permits.

If you want to do a total gut job on a house, you are talking 8 weeks or more maybe plus a much more complicated project with permits and multiple subs etc, plus some design work.

You need to know about flood plains, platting, topography mapping, road design, drainage design, water distribution systems and design, coordinate with utility companies, construction staking and final lot staking.You need to have an environemntal site assessment from a geotechnical firm, find out about any and all impact fees and permit fees, and possibly off site drainage improvements, off-site sanitary sewer extension, & on & off site water pressure measurements from the fire department to the hydrants.

"Right now, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- the institutions that guarantee home loans for millions of middle-class families -- are generally not permitted to guarantee refinancing for mortgages valued at more than 80 percent of the home's worth.

Does it mean that you have to pay for permits, zoning, porta potties, etc?

The specifications, drawings, contract documents, and permits must be made a part of the sale transaction.If you wish to work as an unlicensed builder/remodeler your only alternative is to own the house until the work is done.Lot's of people make money buying and fixing, then renting or reselling property.

Got permits, developed the lot and built the duplex.

Fully permitted with licensed contractors, though I (and the wife) did the painting, sheetrock, and grunt work ourselves