Jul 08 2008
“Affordable Remodel” by Fernando Pages Ruiz
Affordable Remodel: How to Get Custom Results on any Budget by Fernando Pages Ruiz was a great book on remodeling. It had enough in-depth information so that the reader wasn’t left saying, “But now what?” but it wasn’t so technical that it would lose the clueless (the clueless, of course, being me).
I had finished reading another book on remodeling a couple of weeks before starting this one, and the differences between them were astounding. This one had lots of gorgeous pictures, clean illustrations, and step-by-step instructions that were never condescending or patronizing.
The other remodel book was written by a guy who spent the majority of his time saying that you needed to hire someone to do the work for you. And he did it in a very patronizing tone, as if the reader was simply too dumb to know how to do anything. The only project in the whole book that he said the home owner could “easily” do was painting. I should hope so!
But Affordable Remodel was written with the goal of educating the homeowner enough that he or she would be able to do most of the work themselves, or at least have a good idea of how the work should go so that they could oversee the contractors intelligently and not get taken for a ride. There’s also a lot of advice on how to get something done cheaper, although that’s not as big of a focus as you might expect, considering the name of the book.
I was surprised at how fun it was to read this book - I would get started while eating breakfast, and would keep reading even after I’d finished eating. I almost ended up late to work a couple of times because I lost track of time! This, while reading a remodel book! Not what I was expecting…
If you’re wanting an idea-generating book, plus loads of helpful information, make sure to pick this book up. I give Affordable Remodel 4.75 out of 5 stars.
Havs
PS If you’re on the hunt for ways to save money, make sure to check out the Thrifty blog here at Today - Beth is one of my good friends, and her blog is just awesome! 
Lots of great ideas on there.
