Reviews (16)

Easy as 1 2 3 ...
this is the only manual you need to get started around the house. no need to wait for "your man" to get something fixed!! can't wait to get her tool line for women. what a great idea.

Sean's review
Thank God, finally a book I can read and understand how to do these things myself! Viva La France! Let's fix our houses!!

The best!
This guide will make us all the independent repairperson we attempt to be. Thank you for helping us all be more independent.This book is an excellent resource guide that every home library should have. The language used is for the average person who wants to do home improvements themselves but don't know where to start. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Do-It-Yourself - General    3. Do-it-yourself work    4. Dwellings    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Home Maintenance And Repair    7. House & Home    8. Maintenance and repair    9. Remodeling    10. Remodeling & Renovation - General    11. Repair    12. House & Home / Repair   

Reviews (4)

Excellent
If you are striving for excellence and becoming a master, this is the book for you.Recipes for making your own gesso, plasters, etc. are included along with good step by step photos.

This McCloud's no Highlander
This book was a pretty big disappointment.While McCloud does offer a strong presentation of color theory, he does not use realistic examples or materials in a way that someone could take advantage of his color knowledge.As an art historian he seems facinated with the techniques and materials that were used centuries ago.And while McCloud may have plenty of time to travel to France to purchase beautiful, pure, oxidized pigments and then mix them with homemade rabbit glue and curdled-milk concoctions to paint his wall, I for one and happy to have to folks at Lowes mix and shake for me.After all, most of us are just weekenders in this home improvement thing.All said and done, there's not much material about applying "regular" paint to a wall in such a way as to create interesting results.Great pictures, solid color theory (although color theory's been pretty well established for hundreds of years now), lots of info on how to mix paint like they did long ago -- not worth it.

Este libro cambi� mi visi�n de la vida
Soy arquitecta y al leer este libro descubr� mi verdadera vocaci�n, pienso que la decoraci�n es un arte y ahora me dedico a ello! quisiera conocerlo y poder trabajar con �l. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Color decoration and ornament    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - Painting/Wallpapering    4. Design - Decorative    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Interior Design    7. Interior Design - General    8. Painting    9. Technique    10. House & Home / Repair   

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Do-It-Yourself - General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Remodeling & Renovation - General    6. Repair    7. House & Home / Repair   

Reviews (1)

good value
THIS BOOK HAS SAVED ME CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN ITS COVER PRICE ON SEVERAL REPAIRS I HAVE MADE. I AM A TYPICAL DO IT YOURSELFER AND THIS BOOK WAS AT THE RIGHT LEVEL FOR ME.KNOWING THE CORRECT WAY TO OPEN UP THE MACHINE WAS OF SOME HELP AND LEARNING SOME TEST METHODS GOT ME WHERE I NEEDED TO BE. I WILL BUY THE MAYTAG WASHER BOOK IF IT EVER FAILS. MY MAYTAG GAS DRYER HAS BEEN LESS RELIABLE. THE DRYER REPAIRS WERE NOT DIFFICULT. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. House & Home    4. Repair   

Editorial Review

Janice Papolos describes her own first-home experience this way: "Part of the problem was that I had a mystified awe of the house. I swear there were times when I viewed it as more intelligent and powerful than we were....There was a time or two in which I felt the house was being downright vindictive."Read more

Reviews (27)

This isn't a how-to book, it's background information!
I recently bought an older condo and having been raised in a traditional family (Often told to "go help my mother") I wasn't prepared for the hows and whys of how houses and their appliances work. I needed a basic education.
Is this a novel?
This book contains very few pictures. Basically it's for novel-lovers, not for handy-man. I noticed most good ratings for this book are from women ...

Buy this before you buy your home.
For the non-mechanically inclined girly-girl who has always lived in an apartment - this one's for you. A fast read will give you the knowledge to prepare yourself for the unknown which could have been known. It will keep you from looking like a complete nut in front of the house-savvy. It will help you feel confident when there's an emergency. It doesn't tell you how to FIX the toilet, but you can know where the water shut off valve is. If you didn't know that houses have water shut off valves (um, I didn't), then you really should buy the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Buying and selling    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. General    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Home ownership    7. House & Home    8. Houses    9. Maintenance and repair    10. Repair    11. House & Home / Reference   

Reviews (2)

Creative & stylish but affordable
I read the book in a day - easy and fun to read.The book is composed of various real-life makeovers for various rooms.Each contains before and after shots as well as information on how the look was achieved, how problems were solved and the final budget tally.I will refer back to this book for ideas from time to time.It's biggest strength is that the ideas are realistic and affordable (but not cheap).

15 Makeovers On A Budget
Since the TV crews haven't made it to my house yet, I keep reading these books for tips to transform my home.This one is particularly appealing, since it spells out the costs and time investment for the projects.
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Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home Maintenance And Repair    5. House & Home    6. Repair   

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Construction - General    3. Contractors    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Do-It-Yourself - General    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. House construction    9. Planning    10. Reference    11. Remodeling & Renovation - General    12. Repair    13. Selection and appointment   

Reviews (1)

Really worthless!
This book was a waste of my money. You would have to be "mentally challanged" to need this book. I mean really, what kind of person needs help dealing with such common, everyday experiences like "knocking things off nightstands" or "my tub is overflowing." For crying out loud, turn the water off! I was extremely dissappointed with this book, even insulted. How dumbed down is this world going to get? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself - General    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. Repair   

Reviews (2)

From Landscape Architecture Magazine, Vol. 90, No. 1
Brick is, Sovinski writes, "the real thing". Its applications in the landscape are seemingly endless, and the author takes us far beyond Jefferson' seprentine walls at the University of Virginia. The properties,specifications, designs, and other technical aspects of using brick are allcarefully detailed. A glossary of brick terms and a list of metricstandards for brick masonry are also helpful.

From Brick News, Vol. 12, No. 8
A new book on brick landscaping is out and it looks to provide useful guidance to designers. Brick in the Landscape covers applications such as walls, pavements, piers and steps all in one place. It is filled withphotos and details which are sure to be useful for the designer. The bookdraws heavily from BIA's Technical Notes.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Bricklaying    3. Construction - General    4. House & Home    5. Interior Design - General    6. Landscape Design And Planting    7. Landscape design    8. Outdoor Structure Construction    9. Repair    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Architecture / Interior Design    12. Building construction & materials    13. Landscape art & architecture   

Subjects:  1. Decorating - General    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Do-It-Yourself - General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Repair    7. DIY    8. House & Home / General   

Reviews (1)

A superbly efficient and practical resource
How To Restore & Repair Practically Everything by antique restoration expert Lorraine Johnson is a how-to book that expertly instructs the reader with explicit instructions and step-by-step diagrams in the skill of restoring and reparing stains, grass matting, glass, textiles, metals, paper and photographs, decorative finishes such as faux marble, and much more. A superbly efficient and practical resource, as useful for conscious homeowners as it is for those seeking to make a living by fixing up broken down appliances, furniture, and personal items. Highly recommended.
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Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Care & Restoration    5. Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry    6. Furniture    7. Furniture finishing    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. Repair    10. Repairing    11. Antiques & Collectibles / Care & Restoration    12. Home & House Maintenance   

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - General    5. Dwellings    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Home Maintenance And Repair    9. House & Home    10. Houses    11. Maintenance and repair    12. Remodeling & Renovation - General    13. Repair    14. House & Home / Reference   

Reviews (2)

worthwhile if incomplete
This book gives a lot of good information on WHY your house is having moisture problems.Whether it's the stream running through your basement, the paint peeling off the walls, or the puddle in the ceiling, he gives you the theory you need to understand how it got there and track down the real problem. The single most common problem of homeowners is water
The single most common problem of homeowners is water, whether it be mold or a damp basement or a leaky roof. This shares a professional contractor's insights on water, tells how to prevent many water problems, and how to fix existing problems. From ventilation systems to vapor barriers and basement sealers, this covers all the possible tricks to keeping a home watertight. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Do-It-Yourself - Plumbing    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Remodeling & Renovation - General    6. Repair    7. Dampness in buildings - Amateurs' manuals    8. Drainage, House - Amateurs' manuals    9. Dwellings - Maintenance and repair - Amateurs' manuals    10. House & Home / Repair   

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Do-It-Yourself - Plumbing    3. Dwellings    4. Electric equipment    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Home automation    7. Mechanical & Electrical Systems (Building Engineering)    8. Repair   

Reviews (9)

No Joke
Our daughter & son-in-law just purchased their first home & have been busy with painting and typical home owner repairs.I purchased the book as a gag gift for them - however, they refer to this book all the time for remedies and they work!!I would recommend this book to anyone who owns a house - a lot of the information is very basic and well defined and will save you $$$ money in the long run.

Incorrectly titled
Sorry to say this book was not at all what I was looking for. The title "Mrs. Fixit Easy Home Repair" let me to believe that it would provide instructions and tips on routine home maintenance chores. It provides very little of that, but too much other stuff that is not home maintenance, e.g., things like how to improve storage space, cleaning tips and hints, etc.Its a pretty slim volume and there are no detailed instructions for the precious few items that are related to home maintenance and repair, and no diagrams or illustrations. Not badly written but nonetheless, not appropriately titled, and a big disappointment.

The Other Side
... This a book designed for BEGINNERS. Having read other fix-it and frugal books, this was too simple to meet my needs. Only 4 suggestions are offered for each topic, but of course each project requires different numbers of instructions. The most annoying thing to me was faulty proof reading. I wanted to fix my toilet's working mechanism and the index said it was on XXX page, but the topic wasn't even in the book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Remodeling & Renovation - General    6. Repair    7. DIY    8. House & Home / General    9. House maintenance   

Reviews (3)

OOPS!Correction To My Previous Review
In my previous review, I said there are two different iceboat designs.There is actually only one.Don't know how or why I said there were two.Sorry. Great Source of DIY Inspiration
Been looking at purchasing a new weight bench?Been pricing a hydraulic bearing press lately?Had your eye on a pair of those stilts used by carpenters to install drywall?Well, hold on to your pocketbook because this is the book for you. That is, if you have basic welding skills and access to a good welding machine. A good project book for a high school welding class
Mr. Ruck is a metals and welding instructor in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.His book contains 69 well-drawn plans for welding projects for sports equipment, gym equipment, shop equipment, auto shop accessories, homeitems, and yard equipment.The projects grew out of needs his studentshave for life in a rural area of Wisconsin.They reflect the interests ofhigh school boys in that setting (snow shoes, an ice boat, a deer hunter'stree stand, engine hoist and an engine stand, weight lifting and exercisebenches, lawn and shop carts).There is very little written text.Theinformation on the drawings is very complete, including a materials listfor each.(96 pages) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. House & Home    3. Repair    4. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    5. Technology & Industrial Arts    6. Welding   

Reviews (2)

I had to laugh
If you need this book, you're already in huge trouble if you're going to be your own contractor.It's full of basic information about building that anyone contemplating being their own GC should already know. If you don't know this stuff, hire a general contractor and you'll be glad you did. It's a little bit useful in guiding homeowners along the myriad paths of decisions that need to be made while building. I cracked up when I saw the "cost table", Pella windows for $2650. I envisioned a house with three windows. I checked the copyright date, and it was 1996. Prices haven't risen that much, so okay his house had maybe seven windows. The rest of the cost table was just as useless as data, but the format is useful. I have no problem with James Shepard's expertise, he obviously has built houses. This is a good self-test book to see if you're capable of being a GC for your own project. If this book contains new stuff for you, hire someone else. Much more useful are the "Code Check" books and "Building Construction Illustrated".

Very Basic, not as good as other books on this topic
There are other books on being your own contractor that are better.This book is not very insightful and offers basic ideas and concepts.For the price, there are better choices and more up to date books out there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Construction - General    3. Contractors    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Home Maintenance And Repair    6. House & Home    7. House construction    8. Real Estate - General    9. Repair    10. Business & Economics / Insurance / General    11. House maintenance   

Reviews (1)

A Fresh New Approach on Materiality
This book provides a fresh new approach on how architects and/or designers should view the use of materials.The ingeneous approach on how the natural weathering process of materials can be a phenomenon that may enrich a material's physical property, provides a great insightful approach fora 'responsible' use of materials in architecture.This book is a MUST read for all those architecture students that have a great interest in materials. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Individual Architect    3. Repair    4. Study & Teaching    5. Weathering of buildings    6. Architecture / General    7. Theory of architecture   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Home Management    6. House & Home    7. Reference    8. Repair    9. HOUSE FURNISHINGS    10. Home & House Maintenance    11. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (2)

Shoes in the Freezer Beer in the Flower Bed
Rather cute title but the books is nearly useless.The suggestions are all things that everyone has know for years.I didn't find anything that I didn't already know.It is also a random assortment of tips that covers lots of things but also omits more things.Save your money. EXCELLENT,PRACTICAL AND MONEY SAVING.BUY IT FOR A HOMEOWNER!
WE FOUND IT VERY HELPFUL. THEY INCLUDE THE OLD GRANDMA CURES AND MONEY SAVING IDEAS. WE BOUGHT IT FOR SOMEONE AS A HOUSE WARMING GIFT. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Home economics    6. House & Home    7. Repair    8. DIY    9. Family & Relationships-General    10. Home & House Maintenance    11. House & Home / Repair    12. House & Home-Repair