Phoenix, Arizona -- Home and Condo Defects, a must-read consumer handbook that gives homeowners a "nuts and bolts" strategy for recognizing costly and potentially dangerous construction defects and guides them step-by-step through the process of seeking resolution, hits bookstore shelves later this month.

Written by attorneys Thomas Miller and Rachel Miller, known locally and nationally as specialists in construction defect and land subsidence claims, Home and Condo Defects, A consumer Guide to Faulty Construction has won the endorsement of consumer watchdogs in both the government and the media.

"For most Americans a home is their single greatest lifetime investment," says Miller. "The American dream can turn into a nightmare for the family that discovers their new home is riddled with problems. Our goal in writing this handbook was to let consumers know that they can effectively fight back."

Among the most common defects homeowners encounter are roof/window leaks, water damage, cracking stucco systems, foundation, deck and balcony problems. Miller estimated that a third of new residential and commercial construction has some significant structural defects. The industry trend of using cheaper materials and cutting corners to increase profits and speed up production is a contributing factor to the upsurge in claims.

Sandy Lopez, National Director of Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings Inc. (HADD) said the handbook "dispels the counterfeit claims of the building industry regarding construction defect litigation and informs homeowners not to fall into builders' implied one-year warranty myth."

The Millers are also the authors of the legal textbook Handling Construction Defect Claims: Western States. Touted as "the man who wrote the book on construction defects," by the New York Times, Thomas Miller is the pioneer of construction defect law and a nationally recognized specialist on construction defect and land subsidence claims. Mr. Miller has written and lectured extensively on these subjects.

Rachel Miller is a board member of the California Associations Institutes and speaks throughout the U.S. in community association and legal forums on consumer legislation, disaster response, and construction defects.

Home and Condo Defects, published by Seven Locks Press, will be available in March at Barnes & Noble and other major bookstores, or may be ordered on-line at constructiondefects.com for only $9.95.

Since 1981. the Miller Law Firm has collected more that $350 million in construction defect awards on behalf of homeowner associations throughout the Western United States; including Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and the east in Florida. Miller currently represents home owners in Terravita development in a dispute against Del Webb and condo owners at Dartmouth in Mesa with a dispute against US Homes.