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What our customer's say!

"Excellent for basement finishing", This is THE best book for remodeling a basement. From the planning stages to the finishing touches, it covers everything well. The professional-tips were a very useful feature that distinguishes this book from the others on the subject. It also provides succint building codes for some sections and an estimated materials list that was dead-on accurate for me. If you only buy one book for basement remodeling... choose this one.

"Best I've Seen", One of the best books I've seen on basement finishing. Great helpful tips on building soffits and finishing sheetrock. Great pictures and text written by a guy that has done hundreds of basements and offers lots of first hand knowledge.

"I agree with Zembian", I agree with Zembian...I am very familiar with almost all of Tauntons publications. I have a subcription to FInehomebuilding, both print and online and I have lost count of the books I have from them. This book needs to be updated with the latest basement finishing techniques they promote as best and most current.

I actually finished a basement (lots of complexities) in my last property with FH recommended Rigid insulation against the wall and then built the wall an inch or two off the wall with 2x4s and insulated with Fiberglass no vapor barrier which is what they recommend now, it worked wonderfully. I am now about to finish another basement in my new property and was surprised myself to see this book used outdated techniques.

I will say however, there is alot more in this book to extrapolate for other aspects of a basement refinish. I would simply ignore the insulation suggestions (a critical stage), and read up on the latest techniques using rigid foam insulation mixed with fiberglass insulation.

Its worth the money, especially for the novice, but just do some further digging when you look into insulating your space.

"Good but somewhat dated.", I agree with the other reviewers that this book is good but ready for an update.

"Buy it....you won't regret it.", I was looking for a book that would help give me the knowledge and confidence I needed to start my project. This book definately fit that bill. The book is written with just the right amount of detail to answer most, if not all, of my questions concerning finishing my basement. I am a novice when it comes to home improvements and this book left me with enough confidence to start work. I would imagine that even an experienced "do it yourself"er could learn from the information in this book. It is written in a logical order and it is easy to understand. I have read several other books on the same subject matter and they all left me with more questions than before I read them. I have not seen any other book with all the information that this book contains. It was money well spent for me. Buy it. You won't regret it.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"I rarely take the time to write a review. This one deserves it...", Simply the best novice remodeling book I've ever read.

**Forget about the fact that it focuses on basements. Think of this as a general reference and not a specific task reference.**

The best part of this book is that the author (Mr. German) starts with an empty existing space (right down to the concrete), and turns it into a fully functional living space by the end of the book. This includes design, tools, framing, insulation, plumbing, electrical, finish carpentry, flooring, appliances, etc. Practical advice as opposed to the gobs of theoretical jibberish you get in most other how-to books. For instance, Mr. German deals with the realities of uneven concrete floors and crooked studs.. problems that don't arise in a perfectly square world.

As others have noted, some of the insulation discussion is no longer best practice. That said, *this is how it is still being done by most do-it-yourselfers and has been done this way successfully for years*. Were not talking about state-of-the-art installation techniques here, were talking about tried and true backyard mechanic installation that someone without prior experience could do and accomplish amazing results.

My point: Use this book as your general guide. Use it as your "general contracting tool". When you get the point of the "sub-contract work" (e.g., insulation, electrical, etc.), fine tune this book with a net search for the latest and greatest techniques, and check your building code.

Bravo. 5 stars



"Outstanding content covering all the bases.", Highly recommend, this book covers all areas you will encounter in your finishing or remodeling project. Makes for great reading and I guarantee you will learn some new ideas.

"A Real Guide to Understand How to Finish a Basement", The author, Mr. German, brings his teaching skills into play and effectively describes how even a novice can turn a basement from spider haven to useful living space. I'm using the book at this moment to complete my first-ever carpentry work. Excellent advice and details!

"good pictures and details, but out of date information", It's common knowledge these days that the old practice of putting wood studs and then fiberglass batts against a foundation wall and then sealing that with a plastic vapor barrier is a recipe for mold and insulation damage from condensation through the foundation wall. (see Fine Homebuilding No. 169 March 2005 p. 78, Fine Homebuilding No. 162, May 2004 p. 52, also the buildingscience dot com publications even the Dept. of Energy and HUD guildelines.) But this author recommends doing just that on pages 99 and 100. His only discussion of foam panels is in the context of using foam panels in between already constructed studs and then he complains that it is difficult to get the panels to fit between the studs. That is a silly way to use foam panels. He doesn't discuss the current recommended practice of installing the foam panels *first*, up against the foundation wall, and then framing or furring strips against the foam. That is much better because then the wood is never in contact with the foundation wall and provides no food (i.e., damp wood) for mold to grow.

The biggest issue with finishing a basement is doing so in a way that prevents unhealthy mold and that "oh-this-smells-like-a-basement" quality of so many basements. Wood framing against a foundation wall, with fiberglass batts keeping a moist environment, and all trapped by a plastic sheet, is a sure fire recipe for just such a brew. It makes me doubt most of the other information. Tauton Press should revise the book to reflect its own current writing on the subject.

"Used it while remodeling my own basement", I literally had the nail gun in one hand, and this book in the other. Priceless "to-the-point" advice from an old pro. When I started this project I barely knew how to drill a hole. This book has given me the knowhow and confidence to move forward. (I started from a bare concrete basement. At this point I've finished painting, cabinets and trim carpentry)

Mr. German's section on planning and buying materials is golden. I used his methods and estimated the framing materials I'd need correctly- almost down to the last stud. Bravo! The results were similar in planning how much drywall I'd need. I had only four sheets left over!

I would, however, recommend getting other books that drill down on specific tasks. This book is great for novices like me to help "connect the dots" but other books might be helpful too for more details. This book is but one in my ever growing DIY library.

Also, go to newer books for insulation advice. If Mr. German would just update this section, I'd give six stars for this book. I feel that the book still deserves five stars because this was the only book that made me think I could take on such a vast project myself, with almost no prior handyman knowledge.