Customer Reviews

The Complete Guide to Bathrooms: Ideas & Projects for Building & Remodeling (Black & Decker)

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

 

 

This is a nice overview of bathroom remodeling projects. It's targetted at the DIY-er but even if you're contracting out, it will give you some design ideas and help make you aware of the choices you'll need to consider. It contains a number of how-tos with lots of photos for both demolition and construction or remodeling. However, if you are serious about DIY, this book is just a start. It lacks detail in many important areas. For instance, the drywall section is a laughable 3-4 pages and the tub installation is definitely minimal. (Nothing in there about framing to make an enclosed tub fit the space!) I don't regret buying the book, but I ended up purchasing additional plumbing, eletrical, drywall, and tile books for my major DIY bathroom remodeling project. Also, for those who own several other Black & Decker home improvement series books, you'll find recycling of many photos and instruction in this book. There is clear duplication of content with the B&D plumbing and electrical books.

I bought several of the B&D books and they are helpful but they routinely copy items from the other books. The bathroom book and plumbing book share alot of the same content - disappointing when you purchase two books but you are only getting 1 1/2 of new material.

I'm reasonably handy but I don't have any professional construction experience. I'm in the process of completely remodeling a bathroom from the studs & joists in. In preparation, I've read a lot of books on construction and plumbing. This book is my favorite of the bunch.

First, it's VERY well illustrated--you could probably learn 90% of what you need to know just by looking at the photographs.

The captions accompanying the photographs are for the most part reasonably clear. I say "for the most part" because the instructions on installing fixtures suffer a little bitfrom a lack of specificity. You can't really blame the authors for this, though--copper pipes are more or less the same no matter who the manufacturer is, but what's true for a Price Pfister faucet may not always be true for some other brand. On the other hand, the professional advice given in the instructions and sidebars more than makes up for any shortcoming. Personally, I feel like I got my money's worth .

This book is just right for those who are considering a bathroom remodeling project, to determine the scale of the work they want to undertake and to decide whether to do it themselves or hire a contractor. The instructions are clear and precise for basics, but for advanced work, a beginner will need more information.

I have been tiling for over 15 years and some of the applications were out dated when I started. This book is ok for some ideas but Nothing great.

I was hopeful after reading the table of contents that this book would finally have the detail missing from other Bathroom DIY books, and I was not disappointed. For example, many books skip the more complicated projects like custom shower bases. This one goes into detail with diagrams and stills of many of the steps.

My son-in-law had this to help him remodel his bathroom and recommended it highly. We borrowed it for a few days and decided we had to have our own copy to guide us along on our two bathroom remodels planned for this winter. We have already learned much.

This is an excellent book for the beginner through pro. It provides many helpful insights.