Smart Guide: Basements: Step-by-Step Projects Review

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(More customer reviews)Bought this book so I could be over the free shipping threshold on an order. I was hoping to get some ideas to finish my basement. The book is written at a very basic level, almost assuming you aren't really going to do much of the work yourself. Although it has a few decent ideas, anything beyond the most basic of work it suggests you contact a professional (great advice, but I do as much as possible myself).
If you're planning and finishing your basement yourself, I would highly recommend Remodeling A Basement Revised Edition (Taunton's Build Like a Pro). I have the first revision and it gives detailed instructions so you should be able to complete the vast majority of the work yourself. He discusses current code requirements and also mentions when projects tend to vary greatly from area to area. Much better reference.

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Smart Guide®: Basements provides readers with the information they need to convert their dark, dreary basements into bright, airy living spaces.Readers learn how to eliminate moisture problems, change rough concrete walls and floors into finished surfaces, hide pipes and wiring, and bring light and ventilation to these rooms.

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Remodeling a Bathroom (Build Like A Pro) Review

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(More customer reviews)Remodeling a Bathroom fails at delivering on its title subject...bathroom remodeling. The book's focus is so broad, so wide, as to spend little time talking about things specific to bathrooms, no more than about 10%-15%.
Every other trade skill required to remodel a bathroom gets only a little less coverage. But there are better, much more focused books available specific to framing, plumbing, drywall, electricity, tiling, and trim carpentry. The Taunton Press offers complete and thorough books on these subjects I fully recommend.
Most people will DIY part of the remodel work and subcontract out work they're uncomfortable with or feel unqualified to tackle. Planning the remodel and subcontracting out work get some mention in chapter 1, but far too little.
There's little information on building mud-set showers or shower pans, but considerable information on tiling that shower.
There are chapters devoted to framing, doors and moldings, drywalling, but no mention of removing or refinishing or installing a traditional steel/cast-iron bathtub.
Page 59 illustrates a solderless copper pipe joining system and describes its advantages; It pictures the required electro-hydraulic installation tool, but then goes on to same that this is a system for professional installation only. The same chapter purports to teach copper piping system design and soldering technique on page 56 to 58.
Most of Taunton's "Build Like A Pro" series are really good, but this one misses the mark.

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After kitchen renovations, bathroom makeovers rank second in popularity. This book tells readers everything they need to know to remodel a home bathroom, from planning the renovation and choosing materials and fixtures to putting in the finishing touches. Step-by-step photo essays, pro-level advice, and insider's tips cover every step in the process. The reader is guided through designing a floor plan; framing walls; roughing in the plumbing and electric supply; installing drywall, flooring, cabinets and countertops, tub and shower enclosures, and moldings; and more.

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Remodeling a Basement (Build Like A Pro) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's common knowledge these days that the old practice of putting wood studs and then fiberglass batts against a foundation wall and then sealing that with a plastic vapor barrier is a recipe for mold and insulation damage from condensation through the foundation wall. (see Fine Homebuilding No. 169 March 2005 p. 78, Fine Homebuilding No. 162, May 2004 p. 52, also the buildingscience dot com publications even the Dept. of Energy and HUD guildelines.) But this author recommends doing just that on pages 99 and 100. His only discussion of foam panels is in the context of using foam panels in between already constructed studs and then he complains that it is difficult to get the panels to fit between the studs. That is a silly way to use foam panels. He doesn't discuss the current recommended practice of installing the foam panels *first*, up against the foundation wall, and then framing or furring strips against the foam. That is much better because then the wood is never in contact with the foundation wall and provides no food (i.e., damp wood) for mold to grow.
The biggest issue with finishing a basement is doing so in a way that prevents unhealthy mold and that "oh-this-smells-like-a-basement" quality of so many basements. Wood framing against a foundation wall, with fiberglass batts keeping a moist environment, and all trapped by a plastic sheet, is a sure fire recipe for just such a brew. It makes me doubt most of the other information. Tauton Press should revise the book to reflect its own current writing on the subject.

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Finishing a basement is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to increase living space in a home. This book helps readers visualize the vast possibilities that exist for this challenging space, and go about the remodeling process in an organized and efficient way. Roger German, a basement remodeling pro, covers every step, from the physically demanding "dirty work" to the rewarding finishing touches. He shows how to deal with a basement's special challenges, such as moisture problems and framing against concrete floors and walls, and gives instructions on pumping water up and out from basement baths and laundry rooms.

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