Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Finishing Basements: Projects and Practical Solutions for Converting Basements into Livable Space - Updated 2nd Edition (Black & Decker Complete Guide)

This book has some really great photos to look at and get ideas from. I would remind anyone that buys this book that it is primarily for newer homes or homes built after 1980 and on with the newer building codes and specs. I mean most of the instructions and photos are based off of those types of homes, so if you have a older homes with a wet or leaking or humid basement that was built before 1980 or 1970 then this book is not going to help you a whole lot. The finish ideas in this book are very good with excellent instructions and steps to follow that work but only on the newer built homes. The methods or ideas for correcting or fixing your humidity or leaking water or wet basement problems are not addressed in this book and you will need to seek out other sources that do.This book is very good at giving modern finish ideas for how to frame in walls, load or non-load walls, step by step. It also is very good at showing how to install bathrooms in basements that are the same as in this book otherwise you will have to seek other sources for help. The photos of demonstration are excellent, the book shows. This book also shows you what type of tools to use on your projects in the basement, it also gives very good planning steps and ideas, along with how to estimate your material needs.The best thing about the book is that it is very good with showing how to finish out a room or new bathroom or whatever type of room you decide to build or finish out in your basement, it also gives tips and ideas about the most basic of codes for building which is good. I would definitely recommend this book to others and I am glad I bought it, for I got out of it what I needed and wanted, many good ideas with excellent photos and instructions for basement work.

This book is very basic. It's so boiled down for beginners, in the end the book seems to target readers who probably shouldn't be doing the tasks in this book anyways. You'd be better off hiring a contractor than attempting this stuff yourself. The Black and Decker electrical book was decent though.

A very good book. Lots of pictures, detailed lists and explanations.My only criticism is that it does not cover some minute points that I, as a beginner, want. Just as an example: does the edge of the drywall ceiling sheet abut the wall or slide in over the top of it?

Great for more than just basements! Gives me the confidence to take on any project around the house- repairing squeaky stairs, installing an egress window, hanging drywall, etc. Much better than trying to decide which YouTube video has the best advice or trying to find a WikiHow that explains the principals of home improvement in a way that can be applied to your specific house.

What I needed was a comprehensive guide to finishing a basement, with a goal of trying to figure out what sections of the project can be done by me and which parts need a contractor. This book reads one step up from a pamphlet detail wise, I think it gives a good idea of what's involved but covers subjects so vaguely you'll need lots of other resources to fill out what actually needs to be done and how to do it. I guess it's a good place to start.

I was very impressed with the range of information found in this manual. I even used it with my local community building person and corrected him on some of his building code assumptions. It turned out that the building codes sited in this book were correct and his "shoot from the hip" assumptions were not. This one is a keeper!

I think it helps to plan out your projects that deal with basement renovation...

This how-to book is okay and had a lot of reference material in it that I found useful however the one from Taunton's is better. I'd still buy it again, but needed another book to supplement some of the material that it is missing.

I have been planning basement renovations for years, and done a little here and there. While my basement is OK, I want it to be better than OK, so I started reading up on basement renos, and this was the best of the books on the subject I could find. It opens with some examples of what can be considered and done, then goes into all the aspects of a basement renovation you'll need to do it yourself (mostly) or know what a contractor can do for you (and how to tell if they're doing it right). I wish I knew some of this stuff when I did my basement a decade ago, as I would not have to rip stuff out and redo it! Still, with this book's content I know I'll be able to do a much better job this time around. Recommended.

Good book, covers a lot of topics.

This book is a must have for any handy man from beginner to expert!

If you are looking for general overview of how a basement is finished, this book would be good. However, if you are looking for very detailed instructions then you may want to search the world wide web. As this book only cover a few methods of a certain topic that you may come across when you are finishing your own basement.

This book mentioned a bit about everything, flooring, drywalling, carpentry ...I bought other books to cover individual topics in detail.