As Americans hunger for home improvement, Lowe's and Home Depot have risen to the status of weekend hotspots. Home-design shows like Trading Spaces are flourishing up and down the television dial, mirroring the national nesting craze. And the most-remodeled room in the nest is the kitchen. While remodeling can be a stressful experience, Everything and the Kitchen Sink demystifies the kitchen design and remodeling process with a humorous, down-to-earth, and candid approach that lets readers know exactly what they're in for-and how to triumph. Savvy homeowners really need to be involved in every step of a kitchen remodel, whether they're leaving the labor to the pros or rolling up their sleeves to tackle the project solo.
Date Published 4/1/2005
Ratings
Rated By: Darla St. James
From: Texas
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Comments: A Very Helpful (and Funny!!) Book This wonderful guide to remodeling the kitchen is smart, funny and enormously helpful for anyone about to embark in a kitchen renovation (or even for those still in the dreaming about it stage). It not only has beautiful photos of kitchens you can salivate over, it really does cover everything you need -- how to buy products, what the differences are, how to find a designer or installer, how to finance the whole thing, tips for saving money -- this is just packed with good information! It's a great resouce, and I found it very helpful. Even better, unlike most remodeling books, it wasn't boring. There are lots of funny jokes to make you laugh when things get crazy, along with solutions for how to solve problems and make sure you end up with a great kitchen without the headaches. I highly recommend this!!!!!
Rated By: K. Winkler
From: Florida
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Comments: Superb After pouring over Home Improvement books full of pretty glossy photos and tired, useless information, I felt more discouraged than inspired. Until I found "Everything and the Kitchen Sink". It's loaded with solid, useful advice . . . and honest, down-to-earth humor. I highly recommend this smart and sassy book.
Rated By: Rachael
From: New York
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Comments: The Only Kitchen Book You Need The title "Everything and the Kitchen Sink" truly speaks for the content of this book. It covers all your needs for remodeling your kitchen better than other books with a fresh new approach. Authors Janice Costa and Daina Manning have brilliantly managed to make this book extremely entertaining as well as informative.
Rated By: Barbara Garner
From: Bethpage, NY
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Comments: Finally- a remodeling book that everyone can actually enjoy! What a great book- I have been pouring over remodeling books for literally months- and have been so frustrated with books in which the author assumes you are either 1. a designer or 2. a millionaire. There are so many unbelievably dry home improvement books out there that are simply a chore to read. Finally! A book that is a pleasure to read! Ms Costa and Ms. Manning have created a book that is a humorous easy read with beautiful, detailed pictures, helpful charts and all kinds of information geared to the average human just looking to remodel! With information on how to actually finance this endeavor, they show us that you don't need to be a millionaire just to have the kitchen you deserve. The charts are easy to read and help by showing the pros and cons of different choices you will be faced with, whether you choose to use a designer or remodel on your own. Also- rather than assuming (like those other books) that everything will just go perfectly throughout the process, this book addresses how to handle the bumps you will encounter along the way! This book is a very funny, down to earth approach to remodeling your kitchen that anyone can understand and apply. I highly recommend!
Rated By: Steve Nicholls
From: San Francisco Bay Area
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Comments: Easy to read Funny and down-to-earth advice for anyone considering a remodel. Lots of tips and stories to help avoid the problems.
Rated By: Josephine O'Brien
From: Melville, NY
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Comments: Who needs a husband! I thought this book was excellently written. It proved that women can do most things that men claim that only they know how to do. It was very well thought through. I know several ladies who own their own homes that love to do little fixer-ups around the house and this book makes it so easy, it thoroughly walks you from beginning to end of a project. I recommend this book to all females and some inept men. I hope this will be one of a series of books written by these wonderfully talented women.
Rated By: Dani Miller, Kitchen Designer
From: Unavailable
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Comments: Don't Remodel Your Kitchen Without This Book!! Don't start your kitchen remodel without reading this book! "Everything and the Kitchen Sink" is a terrific read that will help you figure out a kitchen design that will work for your lifestyle. From layout to installation to choosing the right products to streamline your cooking and maximize your family time, this book has it all, along with great tips to help you save money and avoid potential disasters. The photos are inspiring, but this is much more than just another pretty kitchen book. It has the facts you need, lots of practical advice and a healthy dose of humor to ease you through even the most challenging kitchen renovation. Highly recommended!!
Rated By: Lynne R. Viccaro
From: Massapequa, NY
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Comments: Great Kitchen Resource Loved loved loved this book! I was just starting my kitchen remodel and needed some guidance. I learned some cool, practical advice that ended up saving me thousands! Highly recommended.
Rated By: Steve Barr
From: Los Angeles, CA
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Comments: Perfect for those missing the Handyman Gene As a manly-man who somehow missed out on the part of the Y chromosome that should allow me to fix things around the house, I've been dreading the kitchen remodel that my wife keeps dropping hints about. This book is the answer to my prayers. Full of pictures, simple diagrams, and with witty, down-to-earth tips and tricks, this handy tome of all things kitcheny is what I needed to stop making excuses and start making dinners.
Rated By: Barbara Capella Loehr
From: Lindenhurst, NY
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Comments: Very Informative, and Very Funny -- Well Done! I thought this book was outstanding -- very informative, and very funny. I loved the authors' approach. They tackled each topic with a clever edge, providing a great deal of information. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's thinking about redoing his/her kitchen.
Rated By: Denise D. Vermeulen
From: Sterling, MA
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Comments: Everything and the Kitchen Sink: Remodel Your Kitchen A great read! I didn't think it was possible for a book on this topic to be so entertaining! Need to remodel your kitchen? Don't start without first reading this book! Manning and Costa have set the standard for this type of book. I'm hoping their next book is about remodeling bathrooms!
Rated By: J. Flaherty
From: Boston
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Comments: A Great Kitchen Planning Tool! This clever book is packed full of great practical info for saving time and money when doing your kitchen over. Whether you're doing a full scale remodel or just sprucing things up a bit, Everything and the Kitchen Sink has some great advice about how to pick the right products, find a great designer, and avoid nightmare contractors. There are even some creative ideas for how to finance the project. Authors Costa and Manning clearly know their stuff--and they write in such a down to earth style, you'll feel like you're getting advice from a good friend. If you've ever thought about doing your kitchen over, this is the book you want to start with. Funny, clever, informative, definitely a five-star book!
Rated By: Designer and Writer
From: Unavailable
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Comments: Ann Sample I'm a fan of 'Kitchen & Bath Design News' so when I heard its editor, Janice Costa, had written a book about kitchen remodeling I quickly purchased a copy. I'm in the process of planning our kitchen remodel and "Everything and the Kitchen Sink" is proving to be invaluable. It offers practical product information and helpful design tips which is helping me make confident design choices. It's a great book!
Rated By: Rich Handley
From: Farmingdale, NY
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Comments: Don't Stay Home Without It! This book is a must-have for anyone looking to remodel their kitchen. It's witty, insightful and extremely handy and approachable. Everything you need to do your kitchen right is in this book, including... dare I say it?... the kitchen sink!
Rated By: Pete Smith
From: New Orleans, LA
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Comments: A MUST HAVE!!!!! "Everything and The Kitchen Sink" by Janice Costa and Daina Manning is a "must have" for anyone who is considering tackling the most daunting of tasks: remodeling a kitchen. I find it to be a quick, easy and fun read that offers a ton of practical information. Having the book as a resource took the stress out of a kitchen remodel project that me and my wife were contemplating (putting off) and not only gave us confidence with it, but made it fun! I highly recommend this book!
Rated By: Jan Maher "Jan Maher"
From: Pacific NW
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Comments: To the rescue! I've been waiting since February 1981 to do something about my kitchen. That's the month we moved into our house. Everything and the Kitchen Sink has come into my life -not a moment too soon! - to move me from mere contemplation to actual accomplishment. It is a thorough guide to redoing this most important room in the house. (I mean, think about it. Without food in your life, there'd be no need for any other rooms.) But wait! There's more! It's Readable. In fact, downright amusing.
The Introduction. How many times do you even read the introduction to a book, let alone enjoy it, let further alone find a personal message to you in it? The Introduction reminds me of the centrality of the kitchen in my family life and most emphatically assures me that I should not have to wait decades to make my kitchen functional and aesthetically pleasing.
The quizzes. Little quizzes and questionnaires throughout the book helped me articulate not only our personal style (Busy Slobs, or words to that effect...) but also what's been keeping us from getting a start on this kitchen. We've been of two minds (my husband's and mine) about how long we're likely to stay in this house. We know when we sell a developer will probably just knock it down and start over. That argues for not bothering, or at least for not putting much money into what we do bother with. But something clearly has to be done. For one thing, the original designer of our house obviously thought that a woman's place was not only in the kitchen, but alone down a hallway. Yes, the sink is in an "L" away from everything else that matters. The passageway is so narrow that cooperating in cooking or washing dishes becomes a clown routine in blocking, waiting, bumping, squeezing by. Then there's the fact that two-thirds of the cupboards assume the person using them is pushing six feet tall. (I'm short.) Add to that two dogs of various shepherd (i.e., stick CLOSE to the herd) persuasions - a factor no other book or magazine I've ever read on this subject has even acknowledged - and you've got a recipe for daily frustration. Not good.
Here's where Everything and the Kitchen Sink comes to the rescue. There are marvelous pictures. And useful budget charts. And constant encouragement to figure out how we really use our kitchen, and plan from that base. And other helpful hints sprinkled throughout the book. I can feast my eyes on the fancy stoves and state of the art refrigerators and duplicate dishwashers, but I can acknowledge that I am destined to be a "rustic" gal. Paint will be my friend. Shiny stainless steel is out (expensive and not good for slobs anyway), "distressed," folky, and mobile is in. I'm having great fun figuring it out. Carts and drawer units on wheels will replace the built-in cabinets. (We'll take the old ones to the basement and "improve" our laundry area - following another suggestion in the book about how to recycle and minimize waste. And if/when we move, we'll take the new ones with us.) It's more important to us to share the kitchen and the tasks in it than to have an immense sink, so the double-deep behemoth that fills the hallway will come out and a sink sized for mobile homes will replace it. This will enable us to get by each other without having to take time for a minuet. Heck, maybe even stand side by side to wash the dishes.
I've taken samples of the ancient earthquake-cracked plaster and dog-water-warped floor tiles to the lab (one of the book's very helpful suggestions). They'll tell me if there's asbestos in either so I can proceed safely. I've calculated the costs (with the help of worksheets in the book) and strategized the financing. I've measured it all out and drawn my plans to scale. I've pondered the traffic flow, factored in the canines.
After twenty-four years, I'm ready to start. Thanks to Everything and the Kitchen Sink.
As Americans hunger for home improvement, Lowe's and Home Depot have risen to the status of weekend hotspots. Home-design shows like Trading Spaces are flourishing up and down the television dial, 
