Customer Reviews

Fireplace & Mantel Ideas: Over 100 Classic Fireplace Mantel Designs

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I found this book to be a great resource for both understanding new and traditional fireplace technology as well as helping me to select a mantel for our house. I found the how-to designs useful and built a mantel using common materials and tools using this book as a guide (I also used the book to make revisions to my fireplace in order to to acheive maximum heat efficiency). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in getting a good overview of the technology and anyone who is anxious to take on the project of building an affordable mantel.

This is an informative, although rudimentary book. The chapters explaining the different types of fireplaces were well written with a reasonable amount of detail on both gas and wood burning fireplaces. I would recommend this book only for those considering a new fireplace.

If your objective is to build a mantle and your skill sets are greater than operating a chopsaw, you'll be disappointed in Fireplace and Mantel Ideas. The mantle plans lack design details that could be added with simple tools such as a router.

A nice book but not that useful. I just found a brand-new Better Homes and Gardens book on fireplaces, which I like much better. in contrast tothis book, the BH&G book has handsome photos but lots of tips on making over a dated fireplace (which we have to do), as well as choosing and positioning a new fireplace (which we also plan to do in our master suite). The Better Homes and Gardens Fireplace book shows a wider range of room and furnishings styles, and I especially like the room arranging tips in the Better Homes and Gardens book.

Unlike a few others who have reviewed this book, I found this book to be extremely helpful and useful to me. I imagine that the critics of this book are serious wood craftsmen who are looking for books on carving mantels. This book is not that. It is for others like myself who want to make home improvements and are handy with tools. The author shows ways to add a hand carved look to a mantel without having to carve it yourself. I am neither an artist or master crafstman. The book showed me several mantels that were elegant in design but simple to construct. I built a contemporary mantel for my new home which was very inexpensive to construct and the materials were readily available. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys doing their own home improvements!

If you are building your own home this book MIGHT be worthwhile. The mantel designs are mediocre at best.
If you are doing a remodel and looking for design ideas, don't waste your money or time looking at this book. I have found the same photos browsing through the internet or picking up brochures at a home center. There is absolutely NO effort on the part of the author to find interesting or unique fireplace designs. I was really hoping to find more ideas and was seriously disapointed within the first five pages.

This publication is more like an ad than a book. Submissions are actually from manufacturers. There are some nice pictures, but very little original information. I cannot recommend this book for someone looking to build a mantel.

I purchased this book thinking it might help me build a mantel shelf and found it to be worthless. This book is an lengthy advertisement to try to sell mantels. I don't recommend it as one can purchase a magazine to view pretty pictures of mantels.

I bought this book with the hopes that it would include detailed drawing on a variety of mantels. nope. It is more of a large sales brochure with designs you can't build yourself and in reality if your going to buy one ready made then the company with send you a free brochure with more mantle designs than are in this silly little book.

I usually don't write book reviews but felt I should since I really disagee with the reviewers who gave this book one star. This book doesn't have any advertisements. It contains over 20 original mantel designs that my wife and I felt we could build from common materials. I am not an experienced craftsman, but this book helped me gain the confidence I needed to begin the project. We are quite pleased with the results. I built the "Oak Manor" mantel which was simple to build and was completed in a week of my spare time. Our friends can't believe how good it looks and I have loaned this book several times. The next fireplace I build I would like to be a ventless since this book answered all my technical questions and gave me several ideas on where and how to install various types of fieplaces. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about fireplaces and would like to build their own mantel.

In Fireplace & Mantel Ideas, John Lewman showcases more than one hundred classic fireplace mantel designs including English traditional, Country French, Victorian, Art Nouveau, Classic French, Neoclassical, and more. With fifteen complete comprehensive, easy-to-read design and installation guides that enable the do-it-yourself enthusiast to build and finish himself, Fireplace & Mantel Ideas is an ideal reference for architectural inspiration and practical home renovation. The informative text is enhanced with a full color "Idea Gallery" presenting photos of existing fireplace installations. A detailed appendix includes a complete list of manufacturers and suppliers. If you are anticipating having a fireplace mantel in your home's decor, begin by a thorough reading of John Lewman's Fireplace & Mantel Ideas!