Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: with 350 Projects and 2000 Photos (Hardcover)
February 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Remodeling Books
Review
Got a problem with grout? Open The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair (to page 98) and watch your tiling worries dissolve before the simple beauty of photography. Black & Decker has anticipated your every question and problem with interior, exterior, and home systems repairs, and detailed the solutions in just over 500 pages. In no other human endeavor is a visual guide so important as home repair (well, maybe brain surgery), so this is a crucial aid to the handyperso (more…)
There are certain skills that are “wasted” on no one. Home repair is one such skill. I believe that 5 weeks after purchasing this book – the book has already paid for itself. My parents moved back into my grandmother’s 1960-era house after she passed away last year. The house was in need of a few repairs, but money was a limiting factor. I had to find a way to teach myself (and my dad) how to weatherproof the basement, replacing an ancient water heater & dishwasher, replace several outlets with new GFCI (p. 397!) outlets, and finally, how to update the upstair’s faucets and fixtures. I logged onto Amazon.com and typed-in HOME REPAIR. To be honest, I chose this book because it had 500+ pages and two 5-star reviews. When this book arrived, I instantly felt the weight and quality of the binding.(think college textbook material) I quickly found DETAILED descriptions of the tasks I would soon have to perform. I called my father and said “Get ready we’re going to Home Depot!” On the phone, my father expressed concern over our lack of experience. When my father got in my truck, I handed him the the Black&Decker text. I had put PostIt’s on the pages with our projects. He slipped on his glasses and peered through his bi-focals and didn’t say a word on the way to purchase tools & supplies. Once in the parking lot, I could hardly turn-off the engine before he was pointing to pictures saying “Ours looks just like this! I want some gloves like that!” And he was making a bee-line for the door!(the old man can move!) He was excited and so was I. Now, it has beeen 5 weeks since that first trip to Home Depot. Both my father and I have the cuts and scrapes and the ever present sore backs to prove that we have done our own home repairs. My father now keeps the Black&Decker text at his house “for safe keeping.” He cleans the text with a moist cloth after each project. The projects don’t seem to have an end in sight, which I believe is a direct result of my dad reading the text for “suggestions.” My suggestion….don’t let anyone “borrow” this text, unless of course – you love him!
We recently purchased an old home with lots of “problems”. I borrowed this book from my local library (along with Black & Decker’s Home Improvement) and was amazed at how clear and detailed it was. I think the best part is how they use real photos of everything, and not sketches. There are well over 2000 photos. Within days, I was dealing with and solving basement issues, plumbing problems, electrical outlets, and many more things that I did not even thing of. The books helped so much that I decided to go ahead and purchase them here on Amazon. There are countless home improvement books out there and some rank better than others. From what I’ve seen, the Black & Decker series ranks at the top and are an invaluable resource. It literally pays for itself with all the money saving tips and instructions. I recommend this book, along with Black & Decker’s Home Improvement and Outdoor to anyone looking to save money on home repairs.