THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling [Paperback]

Diane Plesset (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003

"Plesset's Principles for an Almost-Perfect Project"

Breaks a remodeling project down into logical, easy-to-understand steps.

Includes chapters on product information including:

Kitchen cabinets, appliances, countertops, plumbing, lighting, floors, bathroom cabinets, plumbing, tubs, showers, countertops, floors, roofing, windows, energy efficiency, much more.

Extensive glossary of terms, how to read plans, how to hire and work with a designer/architect, how to hire and work with a contractor, should you be your own contractor, why get permits, what an inspector is for.

There's even a chapter on construction etiquette, including tips like, "Don't use the contractor's tools", "Don't leave your tools where the contractor might pick them up by accident", "Show up on time for meetings", etc.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Plesset has excelled at providing information needed by homeowners, designers, and contractors. Clearly explains the entire planning and construction process. -- Kate Carbone, HBA newsletter

The book presents the potential remodeler with nine "logical" steps, that will help the reader become a more informed consumer. -- Kitchen Bath Design News

This is arguably the most practical and best book of its type on the market. -- Dan Hays, Statesman Journal

About the Author

Diane is a native Oregonian, although she lived in the San Francisco/Bay Area for 25 years. She has been in the remodeling business for 21 years -- 19 years as the principal of D. P. Design. She has written articles for The San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, Interior Coordinator, Designers Illustrated, Gentry, Northwest Improvement, and Sunset Magazines. Kitchen Bath Business Magazine selected one of Diane s kitchens to feature for the first West Coast Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in December, 1986.

She has designed hundreds of kitchens, bathrooms, and home additions for clients, in all investment ranges and all styles. I am an educator, coordinator, and facilitator for my clients, she says. Their home must reflect their unique lifestyle and taste, while maintaining the architectural integrity within a reasonable budget.

Diane is certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the National Council for Interior Design Qualification, and the State of California. She graduated magna cum laude from Canada College with multiple degrees: Residential Interior Design, Lighting Design, Kitchen Design and Bathroom Design. At graduation, the faculty and students bestowed the Henry Adams Award on Diane, proof of her education and hard work as a student and protential as a professional designer. Currently, she is working on the requirements to become a Certified Master Kitchen-Bath Designer, and to obtain her Master s Degree in Interior Architecture.

She has been teaching seminars for homeowners since 1995. She has also taught interior design and bath-kitchen design at the Machida Design Academy in San Francisco. Diane has been a guest lecturer at Canada College, George Fox University, Oregon State Uiversity, and the Machida School of Interior Coordination in Tokyo.

Diane has recently completed her first book, THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling (Plesset s Principles for an Almost-Perfect Project), which is based on her homeowner seminars. She has recently been a guest on the Mr. Fixit, Handy Randy, and Carey Brothers radio programs. She continues to present seminars for homeowners who want reliable, honest information about building and remodeling projects.

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: D. P. Design Publishing (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972962700
• ISBN-13: 978-0972962704
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,558,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Hands-On Resource for Home Remodeling Projects, May 27, 2004

By 

Anne Cleve (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling (Paperback)

This book was recommended to me by a construction project manager when I asked about the possiblility of remodeling our home. This book helped my husband and me to figure out what we wanted to do with our home, what was really important to us, and how we should go about accomplishing our remodeling project. It took us from the "dreaming" stage to the "reality" stage. The book has a great questionnaire, with detailed descriptions of the items in question, that my husband and I took separately, then we compared our ideas and desires for our home. This evaluation really cemented our vision, which is helping the design and construction team immensely with our home remodeling project. The book also clearly outlined the remodeling process, with descriptions of projects ranging from DIY to fully contracted, with comparative price lists, possible difficulties with each scenario, and reasonable expectations from hired professionals. The book ends with a fun-to-read case study of an "almost perfect" project, which I found helpful and relatable to our situation. We are now in the midst of our home remodeling project, and I am so happy that I have had this great resource to refer back to and to help me through the details -- and I hope to have an "almost perfect" home remodeling story to tell, too!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all here!, October 13, 2004

By 

Deborah L. Holmes "old house lover" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling (Paperback)

I am a realtor and so often my clients ask my advise about what it would take to remodel a home. I just send them home with this great book as homework and they come back to me knowing just the right questions to ask and of whom so that they can make educated decisions. This book is different than any other I've seen in that it takes the reader step by step through the process of a remodel. It can help you decide if a project is just too big for your budget or experience, or reassure you that you can do what you hope you can do. I highly recommend this book to people who are searching for their first home as well as those wanting to decide between selling or remodeling thier current home. Every realtor and contractor I've shown this book to has been impressed.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well, it was exactly what I needed., July 24, 2006

By 

I remodeled (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling (Paperback)

I purchased this book, based on the reviews I found, here. I liked it so much, I wanted to write a review of my own. I found this one really nasty review, and, honestly, I just don't understand it.

I find the book very helpful. It has walked me through my own remodeling project in a very helpful way. I believe the author truly knows the business, and that the data in the book is accurate. I found the questionaires helpful in defining what I wanted to do, and the quotes very interesting.