The beginning establishes the bohemian credentials of Kline's character, George, i.e. he has permanent stubble and he's anti-computer. In his work as an architect he insists on creating physical models.
His son is also shown to be going through an awkward stage, very awkward when you consider he's 'exchanged' being a paper boy for male prostitute.
George gets the sack from this architect's job for not adapting to the modern age (computer designing) and ever so melodramatically he smashes all his models except one. This is the house he is going to build.
Then with all this to look forward to outside the offices he collapses. In hospital he is given 4 months to live (some kind of cancer not specified).
At this point I predicted that after the diagnosis he would be perfectly A1. In this I proved roughly correct.
There is a strange scene in the hospital as a gorgeous woman feeding him strokes him in an affectionate way.

George then forces his estranged 16 year old son to spend the summer with him. How he does this is unconvincing. Nor is it convincing why the son stays despite the attraction of the girl 'next door'.
Where he lives is in a 'shack' in a posh neighbourhood and to build his house he moves into the garage. His 'plot' is on the edge of a cliff with never-ending views of beautiful sunsets.
The son who is a glue-sniffer, pill popper and drug dealer as well as a male prostitute objects to the one-room garage with no privacy when you want to go to the toilet.
His ex-wife who has two other children by her new husband is someone he can just drop in on and when he starts to build his house she keeps popping round with food and eventually helps him to demolish the old house. I don't know why she hasn't a job since all her kids are at school and she has a maid. But if your husband can buy you a Mercedes 4x4 why waste your life working?
After dad flushes away a wad of cannabis the son was holding for a friend he decides to help his father in order to get money to pay back the friend.
Occasionally dad has a spasm of pain but then carries on with the chainsaw and sledgehammer.
When the building of the new house starts it's like a fable where the elves come out at night and do most of the work. No sign of deliveries of materials. Though the appearance of a building inspector attempts to increase the dramatic tension.
The daughter of his neighbour with whom George has had an affair comes on strongly to his son but also in one odd scene to the father himself.
As the 'twinges' get worse he asks his ex not to come anymore but she still turns up because her husband has left her.
Things are coming to a head. First dad tells his son he is dying. The son responds by accussing him of being selfish to which he lamely replies " something bad to force something good."
People turn up out of the blue to help build the house like it's all of a sudden an Amish house-raising or something from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. His ex declares she's fallen in love with him which show just how selfish he is since he did everything to encourage her. His good deed to get her husband to return. With things going so smoothly there has to be a hitch and a neighbour objects he's built the house 6 inches too high. Soon after he's taken into hospital and at the end we're shown an empty bed.
He leaves the house to a woman in a wheelchair.
The film is both entertaining and irritating. A good cast really pull it off but there are so many extraneous characters and scenes. And overall the dying thing is used only to bring resolution for some of the characters.