Customer Reviews

The Basement Book: Upstairs Downstairs: Reclaiming the Wasted Space in Your Basement

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I can't be totally negative about this book. It is well written and even gives a very good description of how to install dry wall tape. But that's about it. Unless the reader is a total novice, this book will add nothing to ones knowledge of how to finish a basement - it is much too basic to be of any help to anyone contemplating doing such a job themselves.

I have no experience with remodeling, and have decided to finish my basement. I bought this book hoping it would show me how to do everything from framing to finishing. This book, however, gives general ideas, but not too many specifics. For example, at one point it says you may need to lay a vapor barrier down, and tells you to put on two coats of bitumen product and then a vapor barrier over it - it does not, however, describe in detail how to do this, i.e. how do you cover the whole floor/wall with the barrier without any gaps? Another chapter, the one on running the electricity, starts off by saying one should hire a contractor - not what I wanted to see. Last example, on framing it doesn't show how to frame windows. Anyway, a good start, however you'll need other books for the specifics.

This book was the perfect book for someone who had done remodeling within single rooms, but had never completely built rooms from scratch. The order of chapters is a bit odd. I would have done it in the order you build it: floor, walls, ceiling.
It will not teach you how to exactly how to install electricity, although it is covered. It will not teach you exactly how to install plumbing, although it is covered. It will not teach you exactly how to do framing, although it comes close. What it does do is explain how all of those skills come together in the basement, what the likely mistakes are you could make, and how to get a handle on such a large project.

As the coauthor of this book, i feel compelled to mention that , at the very time this book was being published, (a) my 16-year marriage was breaking up, and (b) my agent was succumbing to a mental breakdown, and (c) that as a new author coming back from book tour into a sudden long period of homelessness, divorce, and Johnny-Appleseed lifestyle, I cannot apologize for this book. One star is all i would give it. It was written with the best of intentions, to try to help the average basement owner think about ... originating a beginning of a start of an intention to convert an unused belowdeck space into a wine cellar, fallout shelter, pantry, etc.

Heap poop upon this humble little volume, if you like. Give it zero stars. That said, buy a copy immediately. Really. -- Geoffrey Damon Taylor

This book is informative but is NOT a reader friendly "how-to" book. I bought it to finish my basement and now I'm going to have to buy another which will actually tell me. I've got to connect my air-conditioner to the basement and the book doesn't even mention an A/C, it only mentions heaters. Word to the wise, shop around before you buy a book about finishing a basement. This one doesn't so i gave it one star.

I have recently read the book The Basement Book: Reclaiming the Wasted Space in your Basementby Thomas Carpenter, Jeff Taylor, Roberta Cooke, Brad Sneed, and Tom Carpenter. I thought the book did an exceptional job in explaining the work in remodeling wasted space in your home to make it useful. I would have never even thought that my basement could look the way it now does for the low cost and work that I put into it. The book shows methods of remodeling in simple easy to follow steps that can be read and understood by almost anyone. Also, you can Make money, as I now do by renting the space out to other people. Overall, I would recomend this book to anyone who has space that doesn't get used..... Why not make some money off it??? -Chris J. F.