Customer Reviews

Design Ideas for Basements

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this hoping to get either structural or design ideas. It contains almost no structural or layout suggestions. It really should have been named "Decorating Ideas for Basements".
90% of the basements shown are hideous. Some look like someone with $$$ to burn decorated a dorm room while drunk. Others look like a caricature of "wealthy", and simply look expensive and tacky at the same time.
Most of the rooms don't meet construction code, either. I suspect a lot of the rooms shown aren't actually IN a basement in real life.
Great designs for your basement if it will never contain kids, pets, neighbors, family, or the sighted.

I was in the process of finishing the basement to make a playroom for my children and was looking for some design ideas. While the book had some nice pictures of bars, full bedrooms, etc... for the basement, there were no ideas for playrooms or basement flooring options besides carpeting.

do me a favor....DONT BUY THIS BOOK,,,, i spent good money on it because as i searched it i saw a couple pics i liked!!! it is basically a catalogue, not anything more...it even has all the companies that the products came from in the back.... Pretty pictures,, but that is it. Honestly,,,I bought the Stanley complete basements, and it answered about 90% of my questions...and this one was like reading the sears catalogue.....

As a carpenter / remodelor, I purchased this book for design ideas for basement finishing. The book has some great ideas, but many do not seem like they are for basements, and so I often find myself using them for other remodeling projects as well. I as wrote, there are some great ideas in this book, but they all are geared toward finishing off basements under ideal conditions. Every room seems to have high ceilings with pipes and ductwork that is already inside the floor joists, a situation in which I rarely find myself. Many of my clients live in older homes around the metro Detroit area that have lower ceilings with even lower pipes and ductwork. I was hoping to find some great ideas for those spaces in this book. Can pipes and ductwork be moved as part of the project? Yes they can, but that either inflates the budget or steals money from other areas of the budget, neither of which is most profitable for me since it requires additional subcontractors (the expensive kind), so I was hoping to see some designs that worked around such issues. Again... I love the book. it has great photos or great design ideas, but these ideas just require ideal working conditions, which most of us do not have.

My wife bought this book for me. We are currently (slowly) in the process of finishing our basement. I think this book was meant as a motivational tool. It is great for that reason and there are hundreds of great pictures and ideas in this book.

If you are looking for the details on construction, look elsewhere. This book is all about pictures of finished basements and inspiring you to get moving on your basement project. If you do not have construction experience and need it, you won't find it here.

If all you are looking for is design ideas, this a very good place to look.

Enhanced with more than 200 full color photography by Phillip H. Ennis, Design Ideas For Basements by home improvement expert Wayne Kalyn offers a wealth of ideas for converting basements into extra living space for busy families. offering up-to-date information on building codes for converting basements into bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, Design Ideas For Basements also deftly covers contemporary trends in basement oriented family rooms, laundry rooms, and/or storage facilities. Light and water issues, and sound proofing options are also fully covered. If you have a basement in need of interior design conversions for optimal utility, then browse through the pages of Wayne Kalyn's Design Ideas For Basements!