Home Improvement Guide - Ten Pound Books

lots of good pics and descriptions. i know nothing about electricity or carpentry or anything about home repairs and could follow this book to make simple updates to our house.

This guide is 501 pages of amazing pictures, detailed instructions, and residential construction reference guide; I wish I had found this months ago. It thoroughly covers framing, plumbing, wiring, doors, windows, walls, flooring, attics, kitchens, and baths. The only home systems I can think of not covered are exterior roofing and siding. I purchased a foreclosure house earlier this year in need of substantial renovations and have undertaken most of the projects myself. Coming in, I had moderate experience with residential plumbing and carpentry, but my only experience with wiring was knowing the materials through work at a hardware store. Over the past six months I've purchased a book about residential wiring, an illustrated guide to renovations to increase your home's value, and a quick reference manual for plumbing. I was in the store searching for two guides for interior lighting and cabinetry/trim work when I found this. Everything I needed is in this one paperback!! The other manuals I've bought either had great text/charts with very few diagrams or pictures or focused totally on pictures for DIYer's but omitted needed calculation tables and building code information. I was purchasing new manuals left and right but none had a good balance between professional resource and detailed instruction. That's why this guide blows me away...every page has great photography and detailed cutaway drawings to clearly illustrate, for instance, how my replacement windows will tie in to my brick veneer from the rough wall opening. Some of the explanations may be a little dumbed down for an experienced carpenter, but the editors have also included quick reference tables for the experienced handyman. Each section has an overview of general principles (planning a functional kitchen space, for example), a list of related tools/materials, and detailed instructions/photos for a few projects (installing laminate countertops). At 500+ pages, it's very thorough yet well-organized. I've spent at least $50-60 on books so far and would easily be spending that again just for a base familiarity with the work I'll be doing. I bought this book for $15 and feel very pleased with the purchase.