Reviews (3)

A Terrific Help!
This book is a must-have for anyone doing their own home repairs. Step-by-step directions are presented in clear, simple language. Each section begins with a list of all necessary tools--no surprises just whenyou've got that toilet tank in pieces! Illustrations actually look likewhat you need to see. Even my dad asked for a copy of this book!

De-Mystifies Home Repair!
This is the perfect book for those of us who know nothing about home repair.Its step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to follow, without technical jargon or mystery widgets.The cautionary notes helpallay my fears that I could do something dangerously dumb, especially inthe electrical and plumbing sections.This book is a "must" inhomes where no one's "handy!"

a money saver
This book paid for itself the first time I changed an electrical switch.I am getting psyched up for working on the drippy faucet. I am now enlightened about the mysterious workings of the toilet and know I willprobably never have to meet the plumber. My only criticisim is that Ithought the lesson on installing an underground sprinkler system was a bitfar out and doesn't truly fit the category of "Incredibly SimpleWeekend Projects" I was researching how to change a toilet, whichturned out to be simple enough after I watched and paid someone to do it. I would definately include that how-to in the next edition. ... Read more

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

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

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Drafting    3. General    4. Remodeling & Renovation - General    5. Repair    6. DWELLINGS_MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR    7. DWELLINGS_REMODELING    8. House & Home / Repair    9. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (3)

you need this if you want to be frugal
this book i wouldn't exactly describe as exciting reading but is deffinantly a must have, you can find out how to care for or repair most anything you use.

Earl Proulx is a god!
Full disclosure: I work at Yankee Magazine, and I worked on this book with Earl.That said, I'm proud to say that this book is packed with clever and useful advice: everything from how to make your light bulbs last longer to how to get the black crud off your cast iron skillet.This book has sold almost half a million copies through direct mail promotions.The first reviewer is right: it makes a great gift.

A good book of its type and great for a gift
While not the best of the Penny-pinching guides this one is up there. Earl Proulexs short side trips about his long history as a contracter make this a good read as well as informitive.The 30 or so "puzzlers" (pictures of odd tools that you have to guess what they do) are fun and may bring back some memorys in the over 60 group. If you need a present for someone who likes to putter aroud the house (and says " they dont make things like they use to") this would be a great gift. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dwellings    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. Home economics    4. Maintenance and repair    5. Reference    6. Remodeling & Renovation - General    7. Repair    8. Home & House Maintenance    9. Personal finance    10. Reference / Consumer Guides   

Reviews (1)

A collection of pages on finishing
This is a good book, but not a great one.I thought it jumped around and did not really have the detail needed for me to put all the information together and produce a great finish.Often the author only describes a single way of performing a step when there are common alternatives.Some important details between steps are missing or too hard to find. I also have Flexner's book "Understanding Wood Finishing" and much prefer it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Furniture finishing    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Remodeling & Renovation - General    5. Repair    6. Woodfinishing    7. Woodwork - General    8. House & Home / Woodworking   

Reviews (3)

Useless...doesn't even deserve one star.
Simplistic and sparse....not of any use except for An excellent resource for homeowners!
Very informative diagnostic and repair instructions for many of thetypical major appliances found in homes today. Describes common repairsthat refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, washers, dryers and water heatersusually require even through normal, everyday use. My Handyman Swears by this Book
Our neighborhood handyman, Tony, swears by this book.He diagnosed and fixed my washing machine (18 years old) with this book and the part costless the $20 (it was the pump).A repair man was willing to come out andfix it for $100 to $120. Tony advised us to get this book and so that'swhat I am doing! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Electric apparatus and applian    4. Electric apparatus and appliances    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. Home Maintenance And Repair    8. House & Home    9. Household appliances    10. Household appliances, Electric    11. Maintenance and repair    12. Repair    13. Small Appliance Repair    14. DIY   

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Ceilings    3. Design & Construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Interior walls    8. Maintenance and repair    9. Remodeling & Renovation - General    10. Repair   

Reviews (1)

A highly practical how-to guidebook for everyday tasks in and around the home
My Home Workbook is a highly practical how-to guidebook for everyday tasks in and around the home. Written for men and women alike, My Home Workbook covers what tools every homeowner should have, which tasks are for do-it-yourselfers and which require professional help, routine plumbing, electrical, door and window, and other maintenance; paint and wallpaper tips; fabrics and finishing recommendations; a reference section for jotting down important information about one's home; and much more. Spiral bound with thick, sturdy, water-resistant pages tabbed for easy reference, My Home Workbook is as durable as it is practical, useful and very highly recommended
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Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Do-It-Yourself - General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Repair   

Subjects:  1. Home Improvement / Construction    2. Repair    3. Architecture   

Reviews (3)

Simple and Practical
This was a very helpful book. I have never fixed a dryer before.My dryer was making a squeaking noise.I used the book to help diagnose and fix the problem.The bearing I needed was only five dollars.The book shows what the likely problems are and how to fix them.

I'm The Man!Ok ... This is the book!
I am not the least bit mechanically inclined.I never have been.In fact, it's been a source of jokes about me over the years (1/2 of them made by yours truly) about how uninclined I am when it comes to repairs. Cheap and Easy! Clothes Dryer Repair
This is a very well written repair manual.It has chapters based on the model of dryer with explanations in great detail on what could be wrong based on sounds made by the dryer.It contains detailed information on how to take apart the dryer and exactly where the part making the described noise is located. I found the directions very easy to follow and was able to repair my dryer without much knowledge of any kind of "home repair".I highly recommend this book to people somewhat intimidated by tackling the repair of their dryer alone but with the desire to be a do-it-yourselfer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Clothes dryers    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Equipment, Appliances & Supplies    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Maintenance and repair    8. Repair   

Subjects:  1. Building Construction Costs    2. Buildings    3. Construction - Estimating    4. Construction - General    5. Estimates    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. Home Maintenance And Repair    8. Reference    9. Remodeling & Renovation - General    10. Repair    11. Repair and reconstruction    12. Technology   

Reviews (5)

If it's not in this book, don't attempt it.
I picked up this book in Home Depot back in 1997.At a glance I found out how to take out a load bearing wall, something I needed to do.I bought the book, and with it I had the confidence to take on a major remodel of my house.The book has everything, from framing an addition to fixing a leaky faucet.I consult it often.Right now (03/2002) I'm using it to build a shed.The language is clear and concise and the book doesn't waste words.I recommend it highly.

Tbe Best Basic Home Improvement Book
I, recently, purchased this boook (my brother said he had one, and it wasgreat).I flipped through most of the book -- it isn't the kind of bookyou sit down and read straight through.I've done a fair amount ofhandyman stuff around the house (I just replaced the motor in my dryer -which wasn't too difficult once I had the right parts).Well, as I flippedthrough the book, I would stop and read sections which interested me. There are well-written sections on, basically, everything about a house andwhat is in it.After spending about an hour scanning the book, I said tomy wife: "You could build a house with the information that is inhere!"It is one of those "I'm glad I bought this book"books.A great book to have if you're looking for stuff to do around thehouse; it is a real "Home Improvement Encyclopedia."

Ortho's Home Improvement Encyclopedia
This is a fine starter book for the first time home owner.In the first few pages, I had the answers to the three major problems I had been dealing with!Nice and straightforward catch-all book on working over existingstuff or putting in new. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Dwellings    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home Management    5. House & Home    6. Houses    7. Maintenance and repair    8. Reference    9. Remodeling    10. Remodeling & Renovation - General    11. Repair    12. Home & House Maintenance    13. Reference works   

Reviews (7)

It Gets You Where You Live
This is a fine entry in the category of Well-written, Wryly-humorous Books About the Trials of Ordinary Life That Also Contain a Suprising Amount of Useful Information. If that sounds like an excessive qualification, it isn't, since the book is about houses, a subject dear, or dire, to the hearts of very many middle-class married men. Entertaining and informative
This book is the story of the author's renovations of his newly-purchasedcolonial-era house.In the process, Owen learns a great deal about howhouses work and how they're built...and he makes a lot ofmistakes. Worth it for the paint chapter alone!
Have you ever wondered why you couldn't just use the paint they use for nuclear power plants, for your house? Wouldn't it be a lot more durable? David Owen has wondered - and visited the manufacturer who makes nukepaint, to get the answers. Read more

Subjects:  1. Dwellings    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. Houses    4. Maintenance and repair    5. Remodeling    6. Remodeling & Renovation - General    7. Repair    8. Self-Help    9. House & Home / Repair   

Reviews (4)

A resource for owners ofold brick houses
I think this book is a marvelous resource for homeowners who wish to better understand their old brick homes. I bought it for a future resource & reference, because just we purchased a 130+ year old brick house.
not specifically stone/brick house restoration
Although this is a nice picture book, it doesn't really deal with the restoration of stone houses per-se.Some info. on interior restoration which applies equally well to frame houses, some sketchy information on general building with masonry.HOWEVER, if you're specifically looking for a reference on repairs/restoration of structural stone/brick problems, look elsewhere.I've got a stone/brick house with bowed walls, collapsed foundation, collapsed arches above windows, etc., and none of these items was touched upon in the remotest fashion. Lacking real insight
I was looking for a book that got into real details on how stone was quarried as well as on real construction techniques. My interest in in local buildings from the 1800's in the eastern US/Canada area. Read more

Subjects:  1. Brick houses    2. Conservation and restoration    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    5. Dwellings    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. Home Maintenance And Repair    8. House & Home    9. Masonry Construction    10. Remodeling    11. Remodeling & Renovation - General    12. Repair    13. Stone houses    14. House & Home / Remodeling & Renovation   

Reviews (1)

A Must Have
Of all the home repair books I have read or purchased, this is by far the best. The repairs are practical and useful as well as easily explained. Having this book in the house makes for an easy referance either before, during or after a repair situation! ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Do-It-Yourself - General    3. Dwellings    4. Exhibitions    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Home Maintenance And Repair    7. House & Home    8. Remodeling    9. Remodeling & Renovation - General    10. Repair    11. Residential Buildings Architecture    12. United States    13. 20th Century    14. American history: from c 1900 -    15. Architecture / General    16. Cultural studies    17. DIY    18. Home Improvement    19. House & Home / Remodeling & Renovation    20. Residential buildings, domestic buildings    21. USA   

Reviews (1)

Essential South Beach Deco
What started as a vision of a preservationist troop, who saw beauty and opportunity in the tired ocean front Art Deco hotels, has blossomed into one of the premier Florida attractions and nightspots (its second to Orlando).
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Modern    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Art deco (Architecture)    6. Conservation and restoration    7. Florida    8. History - Modern    9. History - Modern (Late 19th Century to 1945)    10. Miami Beach    11. Repair    12. Architecture / Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings   

Reviews (8)

Misleading Title
The title implies that there are sections that show HOW to build and Landscpe a pool..There are not. There a ton of beautiful pictures of other people's pools.The book tells you what to tell the person that is building your pool.It is the only book I have ever returned to Amazon.

IT'S MISSING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BUILDING A POOL
This book does not contain the information necessary for building your own pool as it implies.This book contains only general inforomation on building and designing a pool.If you want someone else to design and build your pool and would like to have an understanding of what professionals are talking about, this book is good.This is by no means a "how to" book.

pretty as a picture
this book is the least technical,yet, most informative book I have read concerning swimming pools.The quality of pictures and settings is second to none. As a matter of fact I used the idea of a post and beam cabana witha built in bar to incorporate into my own pool area.Pick up this book andenjoy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Hot tubs    5. House & Home    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. Outdoor Structure Construction    8. Remodeling & Renovation - General    9. Repair    10. Swimming pools    11. Building construction & materials    12. House & Home / Repair    13. House maintenance   

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

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