Remodeling a Basement: Step-by-step guide to finishing basements safely, from waterproofing to walls. (Taunton's Build Like a Pro)

People love to say how you can do anything thanks to Youtube, but truthfully you need a ton of time to do it that way. You can spend 20 minutes watching a video to find out that it didn't apply to your situation or the person is an amateur themselves. The author of Remodeling a Basement has lived it for years and has practical advice for each step along the way. Reading a pithy chapter with carefully selected photos is actually better than spending hours on videos. Just look past the tired interior decorating and the outdated tools depicted.

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 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.

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.

Have skimmed through so far & will read cover to cover. Like that has a schedule on what the order is to do the build right down to when need inspections done, cost estimating and pics. Also goes into how to communicate with trades & expectations of a one off project for trades when I need to sub a piece out. Knowing project flow I believe I could subcontract out and operate as a geneal & save some $$. Will see if book has 100% of what need once in throws of build but seems to provide a good basic knowledge for a neophyte non skilled person, which I am.

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.

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.

I've been remodeling my basement for 5 years (at least) I'm pretty handy. No criticism please, I get that from my wife. I've remodeled several rooms in our first house, now in our second house. No major repairs necessary in this house except for the basement. Since the basement has special requirements, it being underground, I thought I'd give this book a try. It's well worth the money and it's a good book. I used the instructions for how to build buldheads to hide air ducts, and boy did I ever build some nice ones. They are better than most people who would call themselves professionals would do for you in your home. Get the book, build your own.

Great book. Covers all the aspects of a basement renovation. Very helpful.

La serie "build like a pro" de Taunton son libros bien ilustrados y editados, relativamente cortos y con conceptos básicos y fijos (en cuanto a ideas) a la hora de remodelar, como en este caso, un sótano. El libro está bien a la hora proporcionar ideas a base de ilustraciones y fotografías, pero para que sea útil, se debe tener un conocimiento previo a la hora de hacer según las tareas explicadas en el mismo (fontanería, estructura, cableado eléctrico...)

Contained all the information necessary to frame a basement wall. A little outdated.

my husband loves this book.

All in all a great book and I would recommend it if there was at least a mention of subfloors. They speak about installing tiles, laminate and carpet directly over concrete. It's a guranteed mould issue in a couple years. I myself find it's the most difficult decision to make with so many options available. Everything else (framing, electrical, plumbin) is straightforward and there is usually no disagreement among professionals on how it should be done, probably because it's all regulated by the codes. The subfloors... You can hardly find two similar opinions. Add a section on floor insulation and it will be a 5 star book.