As its name suggests, The Bathroom Idea Book is all about ideas. In fact, anyone who views the book's 400 color photos will have clearer ideas about what they absolutely love, simply appreciate and definitely detest in bathroom design. Andrew Wormer has done an excellent job of covering enough ground to make this book useful for both the do-it-yourselfer and the homeowner who wants to paint a clear picture for an architect or a builder. Just about every bathroom style and option is covered and beautifully photographed, from antique fixtures (pedestal sinks, clawfoot tubs), to modern luxuries (a shower with a bubbling footbath and eight adjustable body and hydromassage jets), to high-tech touches (a cascading waterfall shower digitally controlled by a thermostatic valve and 10 massaging body jets), to the low-frill and durable (installing an acrylic liner over your old, battered tub). The book would be even more useful if Wormer devoted additional space to the costs of the sometimes sensible, sometimes spacious and sometimes glorious bathrooms we see. He does offer a few paragraphs on general price ranges and helps the reader understand what drives up costs (moving fixtures and walls), but this book ultimately is about dreaming, not budgeting. Read it to imagine how your bathroom could look, then worry about the price. This is not to suggest that the book lacks helpful planning tips. Overhead drawings on many pages give you a sense of the rest of the bathroom that can't be captured in a photo. And Wormer offers options for one of the trickier challenges when trying to improve the most frequently remodeled room in the house--finding more space. Among his ideas is annexing space from an adjoining area, such as a closet or hallway. Readers of The Bathroom Idea Book will find that even if their dream bathroom isn't pictured, they will be able to mix-and-match and combine features from various photos to get a good idea of what they can do. --John Russell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
Wormer, a remodeler and contributing editor to Fine Homebuilding, explains how to create a bathroom designed specifically with the user in mind--families with kids, working couples, or the physically challenged. Beautifully photographed bathrooms by top designers demonstrate the huge range of possibilities available to remodelers. Materials, fixtures, and storage options are also discussed. (LJ 9/15/99)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
This is really a wish book, but with the difference that carpenter and author Wormer throws so much textual data into his pages that it almost overwhelms the visual effect--but not quite, fortunately. Although none of the designs are outreor outlandish, bathrooms here do span styles and periods--from serene Japanese style to clawfoot tubs on country bare floors--giving readers an abundance of choices. This decorating anthology acts as both instruction and viewing gallery; we learn about specific materials, fixtures, and features, such as antiscald shower valves and the characteristics of porcelain enamel. The builder's perspective adds great value to an otherwise run-of-the-mill look-see book. Barbara Jacobs --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Book Description
Today's bathrooms offer a quiet, private space in a hectic world. More money is being put into bathroom renovations, and this book, with a wealth of fresh ideas, shows how to rearrange bathroom components into a satisfying whole.

Synopsis
Hundreds of color photographs and drawings highlight a comprehensive guide to bathroom design and construction, offering practical and aesthetic ideas and a variety of options from extremely modern to traditional, along with step-by-step plans for creating a total effect.