2 comments about The Unofficial Guide to Hiring Contractors (The Unofficial Guide Series).

1. If I ever do any remodeling again, I'm handing a copy of this book to the contractor! It's so clear on what you should expect from your contractor, and what you can do to make the job move smoothly -- and what to do when the inevitable problems creep in. Speaking of creeps, the contractors I used when I renovated my NYC co-op were the worst -- the work looked great, but they were from Long Island and had failed to do the work to NYC code! The problems wound up costing me hundreds of dollars and hours of time, and the contractors had disappeared by the time the bills came due, even after they swore they'd make the changes themselves at no cost to me. Did I ever have the kind of binding contract this book talks about? Contract -- what's a contract? I was foolish, yes, but I won't be caught in this bind again, thanks to the Unofficial Guide.



2. This book is a gem. If you are thinking about remodeling, buy the book and read it before you do anything! I used this book as my guide to remodeling my 1000-sq-foot ranch, improving the kitchen, baths and windows. This book was at its best when it came to tips about dealing with contractors and builders (and what the differences are!!) I believe that my wife and I would be much more out of pocket and out of temper if we hadn't followed Mr. Stephens' sound advice.

5 comments about Gutted: Down to the Studs in My House, My Marriage, My Entire Life.

1. Refreshingly conversational and informal, this is the kind of book you can go through in 3 days, the pages turn so quickly. LaRose does a good job of bringing you inside the house, well the shell of it anyway, and seeing both his and his wife's predictable reactions to one frustration after another. The book itself is a great idea; everyone knows someone with these types of horror stories, but this serves a purpose as a warning sign of some of the problems that WILL (not "could", not "might") be involved in home renovation. I highly recommend it for anyone who's thinking of doing anything major to their home and hope to keep to some sort of budget.



2. My wife and I were in the process of renovating the 100 year-old fixer-upper that we'd recently purchased. I was looking for a how-to book at my local Border's bookstore and I found this novel shelved with the home-improvement books. I'm not sure if it was a mistake or if there's a marketing genius working at the store, but I snatched this book up instantly.
   
   It was rather surreal to read about LaRose's home-improvement misadventures while sitting in my freshly gutted kitchen, covered in dust, my feet dangling between the rafters where a floor had been hours before. I felt, first-hand, the marital stress he and his wife went through. And his observations on Home Depot, contractors, tools, home-improvement shows, lumber yards, and relatives are uncanny.
   
   This is a wonderful story about a couple who demolish their house, and nearly their relationship, to make everything better and brighter.



3. Multiply by 10, no 20 times what LL describes in "Gutted," then you can you may begin to comprehend the true meaning of "gutted."
   
   A must read for anyone considering buying a fixer-upper. My advice, buy a house already gutted, renovated, and move in ready.



4. Firstly, this book was published June 19th. There are 5 (5 star) reviews written prior to the publishing date. Me thinks I smell a fish.
   
   Now for the review: This book is about 70 pages too long. The author could have stopped writing much sooner and the reader would have whole story: The remodeling of a mundane house, by a mundane couple, in the Hamptons. I would have added the words "cash strapped couple" to my description, but somehow they have enough money to pay for an apartment in NYC, the mortgage on a house in the Hamptons, and for one spouse to not work.
   
   There doesn't seem to be any plot other than the day-to-day frustrations of home remodeling. Anyone that has bought a fixer upper knows the story. Those that don't--count yourself lucky!
   
   Don't expect any epiphanies reading this book. You won't learn construction or finance and nothing magical happens to the author. You just read about his frustrations and modest accomplishments.
   
   Take a pass on this one, you won't regret it.



5. Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved: A Woman Moves a House to Make a Home
   
   No one writes books about easy remodels or tells stories about remodels that come in under budget. There are no stories about remodels that made the couple fall more deeply in love or led to high-paying careers.
   
   No, remodelling is about pain and suffering, downward mobility,a journey to the gates of hell and back. No doubt there are a few dozen people who would never consider such folly. But for the rest of us, pass me my glasses and move out of my favorite chair. Good stuff!

2 comments about Ceramic Tile How to: Real People-Real Projects (Hometime Series).

1. I purchased this book and used it while tiling a kitchen floor. The whole concept of leveling the tile seems to have been completely missed in this book. The tool section doesn't mention or show a rubber mallet to bang them down. The book doesn't mention using a level or a 2x4 to even the floor. Nothing. I would choose one of the other books which people have reviewed well.



2. Very disorganized. It talks about the same thing over and over in different sections. Then it misses other topics all together. It does not talk about cutting inside corners in shower stalls, using a rubber mallet, and a variety of other ciritcal steps.

1 comments about More Period Details : The House Renovator's Bible.

1. As an artist's or architectural reference, I found this book to be extremely useful. The illustrations are clear and show many variations on this style.

1 comments about The Renovated Home: Redesigning, Reorganizing, Redecorating.

1. Yes the pictures are nice, but I was not impressed with the ideas or information. All the ideas are for modern homes. The summary said it provided ideas for the way we live today - I expected ideas for all styles.

1 comments about Wiring (Better Homes & Gardens).

1. Just right for those who are not professional electricians. It covers anything the average homeowner needs to know about house wiring.

No comments about Children's Rooms: Practical Design Solutions for Ages 0-10.

No comments about Bathrooms: Designs for Living.

2 comments about Plan Your Kitchen: hundreds of design combinations at-a-glance (At a Glance).

1. I've been looking through books for the last year and a half because we're remodeling our kitchen this fall. This book falls in the bottom 20% of all the books I've poured through. By page 150 I found exactly one idea that I found interesting enough to flag.
   
   The book is laid out with the idea that there are four types of kitchens: traditional, country, shaker and contemporary. They offer pictures of cabinets, sinks, etc. and indicate which category they fall into. I have found many, many examples of cabinet pulls and counter top choices, etc. that are repeated over and over again - perhaps a way to fill space in the book? I'm not sure. I do know that most, if not all, the useful information in this book could be found by picking up some current kitchen ideas magazines at your local discount store OR by picking up some information flyers at your local home improvement store (i.e. Lowe's, Home Depot).
   
   Advantages: It is spiral bound and lays flat when opened. And, this book's sections are tabbed for easy access. Also, in the back there is a layout grid and design template (however, these are not rare in kitchen design books)



2. I found this book helpful for planning my kitchen remodeling. It divides kitchens into four different types--traditional, Shaker, country, and contemporary--and after looking through the book, I was able to decide that a country kitchen was what I wanted. The book also gave me ideas for what type of cabinets, flooring, backsplash, and countertops to choose. I would recommend this book for people who, like me, are somewhat interior decoratively-challenged. It has photos of many different kinds of designs, so readers can see what appeals most to them

No comments about Window and Bed Sketchbook.