Remodeling a Basement: Revised Edition (Taunton's Build Like a Pro)

This is not a review of the book, but I would like to point out that the information in the "Revised Edition" is up to date as of Jan 5 2010. Amazon should not link these reviews to the new edition as many of the complaints are regarding the outdated insulation practices that have since been revamped.

I have a 500 sq-ft basement with an oil tank, boiler and water filtration system and wanted to turn it into livable space and partition out those items at the same time. Without ANY prior experience with putting up walls or anything like that, I looked for a good book and came across this one. It looked promising so I gave it a try and it turned out to be the perfect book. There are a lot of great photos and diagrams to accompany the instructions and it all made the project easier than I expected. I do have to admit, we had one section of our basement professionally finished prior to me starting on the other sections and while the contractor was downstairs working on it, I would periodically go downstairs to watch and learn. This book more or less enforced some of the things I saw him doing.

For anyone considering a project like this for the first time, it may seem overwhelming. Getting started was the toughest part. I remember my buddy and I just staring at the basement ceiling to figure out where to start and we were just staring for the longest time. Once we got started and secured the first 2x4 we were moving fast and things began coming together much quicker than expected. It was actually fun at times too! I had the drywall professionally plastered (or mudded, whatever you want to call it) and he was the same guy that did the other section of the basement. He was very surprised with the quality of my work and has praised me several times for it especially knowing this was my first project. Thanks to the book!

great, but only has about 90% of what is needed to know about remodeling. it doesn't explain anything about fire blocking or anything on installing drop tile ceilings. could have added two more chapters to the book and it would have been 100% what every homeowner would need for refinishing a basement on their own.

There is lots of construction beginner talk here. It was very light on the basement-specific details. What I was hoping for was "for a basement, you need to do ___." However, most of the book was more along the lines of "here is how you do this remodeling task." Useful, sure, but I struggle to find the value in a book specifically about basements that focuses so heavily on generic work.

The bits about planning, estimating, and ideas were very useful to me.

The worst part about this book, however, and why I can only give it 3 stars is because of the format. The author confesses to using photos obtained during student projects. It shows! Many of the photos feel like they are a stretch to use in a certain area. Many areas where a photo would really help a description, it's absent. I appreciate the fact that these were all taken from real projects, but more importantly the photos should be relevant!

I have yet to purchase it, but I have already flipped through the Black & Decker book at Lowe's several times picking out things this book blatantly misses. Its photos are so much cleaner and clearer because they're staged. Yes, I know this isn't realistic, but when you're trying to convey a point, the lack of distractions help! I would recommend the B&D over this book. Even though I haven't purchased it yet, I will because it has very good and precise information in it.

Great instructions, many step by step details, excellent how to photos in color, great references, covers building codes basics, finish carpentry on remodeled rooms in a basement. This is what I would say is a very good book for beginners to mid level carpenters. I got a lot out of it and enjoyed reading it. I recommend it to others, worth the price, it has many good tips and ideas on framing, flooring, plumbing and electrical work in a basement remodel. It is easy to read and follow with good directions with clear instruction, which is a very nice feature of this book, anyone can read it and learn from it and then apply what they read and see in the methods or directions from this book. Very good read and easy to understand, I really liked this basement remodel book, and it actually helped me on a remodel job I just finished in a basement a month ago so I got my moneys worth out of this book.

This book give a lot of information as to what to expect during a remodeling of your basement. Such as what types of permits you will need, and approximately how long it takes to build. Also giving you ideas on how to layout your basement for more space and comfort. The book shows how to put up drywall the correct way, as well as floorboards, tiles and other types of trimmings for the finished look. It shows the basics on all of these and does not go into a whole lot of detail, if you're a beginner you may want to read through a few books to get more information. I would highly recommend this book.

This book has helped me finish two basements in the last 5 years. Both basement projects were very different in their requirements, but the advice in this book was invaluable for both. I highly recommend that you purchase and use this book for a basement finishing project. The framing section in particular was very helpful. I do wish that it had had a section discussing using conduit in walls instead of just Romex, since I live in the Chicago are which does not allow Romex in new construction.

Great book for a DIY basement project. Not super deep, but it;s a great resource, with well organized content and flow towards the final goal. Starts with planning to giving the final touches to your basement. It;s not detailed in certain areas (e.g. electrical wiring) but good reference for all major phases.

Great book. A lot of pictures coming from a very experienced author. But, the publisher re-used the same book barcode, which makes it hard for sellers to track most up-to-date edition. I purchased the book from an Amazon seller who had the old edition. Purchase directly from Amazon.

Not a bad book but a lot of fluff and written for folks who are completely new to home improvement.