Customer Reviews

The Kitchen Consultant: A Common-Sense Guide to Kitchen Remodeling

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Over the past two years, my wife has purchased about every kitchen remodeling book there is (at least a dozen) and I've read every one. "The Kitchen Consultant" is clearly the best of the bunch if you're looking for practical, useful information about the many options and decisions that come with kitchen remodeling.

This book is NOT a kitchen design book and it is NOT loaded with beautiful kitchen photos (there are some drawings), and it is NOT a do-it-yourself remodeling manual, but it does what none of those kinds of books (at least that I've seen) do---it clearly explains how to find and work with a good kitchen designer, how to find, evaluate and work with a professional remodeler, and how to make informed choices about things like lighting, ventilation, cabinets, countertops, sinks, flooring, and appliances (there are chapters on each of those categories).

This book is obviously written by someone who knows his subject intimately (the author is a professional kitchen remodeler with 20 years of experience) and is able to present all the information it in a clear, organized, and easy to read manner.

Reading this book is like having a friend who is an experienced contractor come over and help you not only sort out all your options, but also give you his professional opinion and point out some things you may not have considered, but should.

The Kitchen Consultant helped us to make a lot of decisions. For example, it settled a long standing dispute my wife and I have had about the kind of refridgerator we should buy.

This is a good book for starting to design a kitchen.

Note that it contains NO pictures of kitchens. What it does contain is a pretty detailed discussion of the different options in kitchen materials (countertops, cabinets, lighting, plumbing, appliances, etc.) in a fairly unbiased but experienced way. For example, the author talks about several items he has in his own kitchen, which he likes, problems, etc.

While the information is pretty good, the discussion does miss a few items. For example, he makes no mention of stainless steel or concrete as a countertop material. However, he does cover all the other usual countertop materials available (laminates, solid surface, stone, tile, etc.).

There is also a good discussion on selecting a designer or architect, and on selecting a contractor. Good list of quality resources at the end of hte book.

This book describes the advantages and disadvantages of all the choices you have when remodelling a kitchen: cabinets, countertops, sinks, flooring, appliances, lighting, ventilation, windows/doors, plumbing, etc. The author is practical and is not shy about telling you when the expensive choices are not the best, and which materials are hardest to maintain. Note that this is not a design book, and so has no pictures. For that, I recommend the "Big Book of Kitchen Design Ideas" by Tina Skinner.

This is an excellent book to begin with when you're considering a kitchen remodeling project, whether you want to do it yourself or hire a professional. The author summarizes all the steps in such a project, from designing and hiring a contractor, to the specifics of materials and appliance selection. He also points you to the best resources when you need more information about specific issues. A good starting point!

This book is written from a contractor's perspective, and is an excellent overview of the remodeling process. There is great advice on hiring contractors, selecting materials, and otherwise surviving the remodeling of your kitchen. The book is very detailed, and gives some shrewd "insider" tips.

However, there are two groups of readers who may be disappointed by this book. If you are designing your kitchen and are at the dreaming stage, you may not be ready for this book. While there are suggestions on material selection, the advice is not given from a design perspective. The book I recommend is Better Homes and Gardens "Kitchens: Your Guide to Planning and Remodeling."

This book may also be disapointing to do-it-yourselfers. Since the author is a contractor, he is not encouraging of this approach. If you are uncertain whether you can handle the work, he gives solid advice regarding the potential pitfalls. If you are definitely doing the work yourself, you are better served picking up a Time-Life type book.

Of all the books I purchased to page through while remodeling my kitchen, this is the one I go back to time and again. I haven't had a question yet that this book has not answered. The best investment I have made thus far in my kitchen project

As a long standing fan of Taunton books I found this book very disappointing. It is not so much the book to read to figure out how to do your kitchen, as it is all the stuff your designer/contractor would want you to know. There is virtually no discussion of how decisions in kitchen design are made, but a lot of discussion of things on which to decide (e.g. lighting), which are always ended with "there are professionals with whom you can consult." This is NOT a book for a DIY of any order, the author gives the definite impression that he thinks the home-owner is an idiot and an inconvenience.

Further, after reading them back to back I would suggest Taunton's other book Kitchens That Work: The Practical Guide to Creating a Great Kitchen, as a much better choice. It handles the design issues in a much more enjoyable (and less insulting) way, while still covering pretty much all the same information. I find, however, that for actual material decisions the Fine Homebuilding Archives have more useful information than either book. For us the only value in this book is the first three chapters: finding and hiring a contractor. If you're really planning a remodel these are probably useful to read, but don't expect the book to be inspirational.

If you are like me and don't know the first (or second) thing about the nuts and bolts of kitchen remodeling, then this book is a good starting place. As other reviewers have noted, this book is short on actual design advice; however, I found the information about flooring, cabinet, countertop, and lighting options useful in helping steer me to suitable design decisions for me. For example, I had been thinking about installing a natural wood floor. After reading the chapter on flooring options, I am now looking at tile - an option more suitable for my lifestyle. For a relatively small investment (I bought a used copy), I received valuable information. And, since I don't plan to do the work myself, I personally found the information about working with contractors helpful.

Although I was very impressed with his other two books (on plastic laminate countertops and cabinet refacing), this book really disappointed me. Kimball seemed to be trying to drum up business for contractors rather than providing a resource for professionals and DIYers who want to actually learn how to do the job.