Taylor

Excellent for novices, but bad insulation advice, April 27 2004

First, let me say that I think Mr German is an excellent teacher, especially for idiot novices like myself. I've had difficulty with other DIY books assuming a certain vocabulary. German provides an excellent intro to DIY in framing, carpentry, plumbing, electrical etc. I now feel I can start reading more advanced DIY books on each of these topics.

My criticism, and my reason for 4 stars, is that his story on insulation flies in the face of recent thinking about the dangers of mold in basement insulation. I suggest reading "Insulate and Weatherize" by Bruce Harley, or "Renovating Old Houses" by George Nash, or look at the buildingscience.com web site, for more… Read more

Essential reading for every homeowner!, April 14 2004

Insulating your house is fraught with dangers and there are lots of sharks out there only too delighted to take your money and ruin your house. Although I am still learning this stuff, I'm still confident that I know more than most of the insulation contractors that have come through my door. Scary, isn't it?

The dangers of doing it wrong aren't just a waste of money. There is a real risk of mold in the short term and rot in the long term. Read this book, but let it be your first step. See the Taunton forums at their web page, the Building Sciences Corp web page, and do your homework before you let anyone do anything to your house.

I agree with a previous reviewer that a weakness… Read more

A lot of potential, good writing, but flaws, Jan 7 2002

I hope this review is not flame-bait, because unlike others this was my favorite of the Nescoscope series. On the other hand, it also pointed out to me the major flaw with the series: the Nescroscope himself!

First the strengths of the book: I think Lumley himself is a decent writer, better than King who is a bit too William Goldman-esque. The things I appreciated the most in the book were the progressive degradation of the family (umm, it is a horror book), the genuine terror surrounding Tibor's conversion to vampirism, and the feeling of reaching back 500 years into the past (this from the parallel stories in past and present). This is great stuff when you're dealing with an ancient… Read more