acked on either side of the sink opening. The heavy stone pieces slipped from their hands and landed with a double thud on the kitchen floor.

The client was watching when the disaster struck, and the sound she made was nothing like a pop, a crack or a thud; it was more like stifled scream. This was just too much to bear. It was the thir

Horror stories. Everyone's heard one, and they're a major reason why many people are reluctant to enter into a remodeling or new home project. Building is a complicated, expensive, emotional undertaking and for some people the risk of encountering a problem is too high.

But for others, the challenge and excitement of creating something completely new and unique is irresistible. Designing and building a new home or reworking the one you're in can be a very fulfilling experience - if you've done your homework and you've prepared yourself for the possibility that everything may not always go exactly as planned...as in these two true stories:

Carved In Stone (Not)

Chuck and Jim opened the rear doors to Chuck's van and carefully lifted out the new polished granite countertop. They'd parked the van in the driveway at the back of their client's house, aligned with the kitchen door so that the countertop could be carried straight in. Large stone countertops are fragile, but this one was especially so because of the holes that had been precut in it to allow for the sink and cooktop to be dropped in later. Inside, Chuck and Jim positioned themselves next to the cabinets where the countertop was to be installed and began to slowly rotate it into place.

Jim heard it first - a soft "pop", just before the countertop cracked on either side of the sink opening. The heavy stone pieces slipped from their hands and landed with a double thud on the kitchen floor.

The client was watching when the disaster struck, and the sound she made was nothing like a pop, a crack or a thud; it was more like stifled scream. This was just too much to bear. It was the thir

completely new and unique is irresistible. Designing and building a new home or reworking the one you're in can be a very fulfilling experience - if you've done your homework and you've prepared yourself for the possibility that everything may not always go exactly as planned...as in these two true stories:

Carved In Stone (Not)

Chuck and Jim opened the rear doors to Chuck's van and carefully lifted out the new polished granite countertop. They'd parked the van in the driveway at the back of their client's house, aligned with the kitchen door so that the countertop could be carried straight in. Large stone countertops are fragile, but this one was especially so because of the holes that had been precut in it to allow for the sink and cooktop to be dropped in later. Inside, Chuck and Jim positioned themselves next to the cabinets where the countertop was to be installed and began to slowly rotate it into place.

Jim heard it first - a soft "pop", just before the countertop cracked on either side of the sink opening. The heavy stone pieces slipped from their hands and landed with a double thud on the kitchen floor.

The client was watching when the disaster struck, and the sound she made was nothing like a pop, a crack or a thud; it was more like stifled scream. This was just too much to bear. It was the thir

Not)

Chuck and Jim opened the rear doors to Chuck's van and carefully lifted out the new polished granite countertop. They'd parked the van in the driveway at the back of their client's house, aligned with the kitchen door so that the countertop could be carried straight in. Large stone countertops are fragile, but this one was especially so because of the holes that had been precut in it to allow for the sink and cooktop to be dropped in later. Inside, Chuck and Jim positioned themselves next to the cabinets where the countertop was to be installed and began to slowly rotate it into place.

Jim heard it first - a soft "pop", just before the countertop cracked on either side of the sink opening. The heavy stone pieces slipped from their hands and landed with a double thud on the kitchen floor.

The client was watching when the disaster struck, and the sound she made was nothing like a pop, a crack or a thud; it was more like stifled scream. This was just too much to bear. It was the thir

e was especially so because of the holes that had been precut in it to allow for the sink and cooktop to be dropped in later. Inside, Chuck and Jim positioned themselves next to the cabinets where the countertop was to be installed and began to slowly rotate it into place.

Jim heard it first - a soft "pop", just before the countertop cracked on either side of the sink opening. The heavy stone pieces slipped from their hands and landed with a double thud on the kitchen floor.

The client was watching when the disaster struck, and the sound she made was nothing like a pop, a crack or a thud; it was more like stifled scream. This was just too much to bear. It was the thir

acked on either side of the sink opening. The heavy stone pieces slipped from their hands and landed with a double thud on the kitchen floor.

The client was watching when the disaster struck, and the sound she made was nothing like a pop, a crack or a thud; it was more like stifled scream. This was just too much to bear. It was the third time Chuck and Jim had broken the kitchen countertop.

Too Good to Be True

Jim and Tracy desperately wanted to build their new home in Cherrington Woods and couldn't believe their luck when they found that the very last lot in the subdivision was still for sale. Lot 43 was on a cul-de-sac, and backed up to a ravine. The price was reasonable, even cheap for the area, and since the rest of the lots on the street had already been built on, Jim and Tracy wouldn't have to put up with any one else's construction mess once they had moved in.

After the closing, Jim called the Architect that their real estate agent had recommended and set up a first meeting. Among the topics discussed was the need to conduct a subsurface investigation of the site, to try to discover any conditions that might require special foundation engineering. But since it was the last lot in the subdivision, and no soil problems had been found on the adjacent lots, the likelihood of bad soil or rock was low. Jim decided against spending the money on the soils tests.

Which was unfortunate, because a soils test wouldn't have found bad soil; it would have found very little soil at all. What it would have found is tree stumps, old fence posts, lumber scraps, and other construction trash to a depth that exceeded the planned depth of Jim and Tracy's founda