The Complete Photo Guide To Home Repair: with 350 Projects and 2300 Photos (Black & Decker)

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Summary: My new favorite home repair guide
Review: A good home repair guide is an absolute requirement for those of us who know very little about home repair but feel the urge on occasion to tackle some of those odd jobs around the house. While there are many guides on the market today the best ones have an abundance of photographs or detailed illustrations to help the reader see what they are supposed to be doing. With over 2,300 photos Black and Decker's The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair is the epitome of this class of books. Processes and techniques are described step by step in detail with no prior knowledge assumed. Everything is so well done anyone can complete any of the projects if they can read and follow directions. I've had several home repair books, but this one just became my top choice for the one I want to have around as my primary reference. The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair is a very highly recommended book for every homeowner or handyman.

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Summary: CLEAR AND SIMPLE! HIGHLY RECOMMEND,,,
Review: An excellent "do it yourself" "PICTURE" book which is quite fitting for the home improvment newbie. Everything from "A" to "Z" is practically covered. Also receommended are the Black and Decker specific projects books, i.e. wiring, plumbing, baths, carpentry, etc...

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Summary: Shelves??
Review: I'm not kidding here, this book does not have a section on building shelves. I was in the bookstore doing comparisons between home repair manuals, and I chose something universal like shelves to compare them, and this book doesn't even have the word 'shelves' in the index. Shelves for pete's sake! What this book does have in it seems done really well, but omitting what just might be the #1 home repair/improvement made me highly suspect. I ended up going with the Home Depot 1-2-3.. even though the illustrations were not as good, the layout and language was really friendly for home repair newbies. The Stanley book was good as well, though not quite as geared towards the novice as the Home Depot book.

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Summary: Lots of Photos
Review: Just bought a house that needed minor work, such as painting, floor repair, wire repair, etc. This book gave detailed descriptions on how to reapir all my needs. I have looked at several books and liked this one the best. This book lists most of the repairs that any home owner will need to do.
Even if you decide to pay someone to do the repairs for you this book will give you an idea of what the repair man should be doing. This will help you from being taken advantage of.

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Summary: Crisp, Clean, & Surgical instructions
Review: 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!

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Summary: Home Repair/Not Home Improvement
Review: This is an excellent book if you want to repair just about anything in your home. However, do not confuse HOME REPAIR WITH HOME IMPROVEMENT. This is a book on how to repair already existing fixtures and other items in your home. It is not about adding additional rooms, "shelves", patios, etc. No book will cover everything, but for your money, Black & Decker has provided plenty of pictures on every page along with detailed instructions. You have a simple choice, call a repairman every time there is a problem, or learn how to fix it yourself. Which investment do you think is more productive in the long run?

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Summary: Invaluable Resource
Review: 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.