A 1946 novel by Eric Hodgins. The story is was inspired by Hodgins's own experience building his home. Adapted into a 1948 Cary Grant & Myrna Loy film of the same name. The main character is James Blandings, a successful advertising executive. He and his wife grow tired of their Manhattan apartment and seek out a country estate. They fall in love with "the old Hackett place" an old farmstead with a dilapidated colonial farmhouse. They originally try to remodel the house but eventually decide to tear it down and build new. The rest of the story is a series of disasters as they overspend their budget and fight with contractors.