Essential Home Repair

This book is essential, yes. But is it a guide to home repair? Not entirely, and the table of contents is a little misleading in this regard. You might expect the chapter "Cleaning Your Ducts" to tell you how to clean your ducts. Instead it tells you how highly trained contractors clean your ducts, sucking out globs of moldy organic scunge with incredibly sophisticated equipment. The article will engross you while it grosses you out, but it will not tell you how to clean your own ducts. I expected pictures of Steve or Norm standing on a stepladder and jamming a Shop-Vac nozzle into a heat register. Instead, they tell you to hire a contractor.Which is good advice. You can't clean your ducts with a Shop-Vac. You probably can't even contemplate the stuff in there without getting queasy. Other non-DIY chapters include "Cleaning Chimneys," "Repointing Brick," and "Fixing a Wet Basement." Still, they teach you to spot trouble, and more importantly, they don't kid you about the need to hire professionals. They also teach you what to expect of contractors.On the other hand, the chapter "Replacing a Threshold" tells you how to replace a threshold. And the chapter on glues may seem esoteric, but it's really basic, must-know information. So the book is a mixed bag, covering some inspection, some how-to, and some "how the professionals do it good." While it is no substitute for books like the Reader's Digest "Do It Yourself" and "Fix It Yourself" manuals, it is essential in its own way, and a lot more fun to read.

This book is an "absolute must-have" for anyone who owns a home.The "This Old House Team" of experts guide you through every possible repair any homeowner may encounter. The wording is easy-to-read and understand. There is none of the technical jargon in the book that other home repair books have I have purchased . I love this book from the very begining. The entire book, with its detailed explanations and illustrations, are very user friendly.If you own a home - you need this book.