When it comes to dealing with the authority on home improvement, you can’t much better than Better Homes and Gardens. For decades they have been helping and inspiring home owners throughout the world. Let’s see if their latest book is worth the money and if it can help you with those nagging projects you need to finish around your home.

This is a massive tome of nearly 1000 pages so you can tell right off the bat that you’re going to be dealing with quite a few projects and advice. More than 4,000 color illustrations are included in this book that weighs nearly 5 pounds and each one takes you step by step through the process of completing these project successfully.

We liked the fact that the book is written so that even a novice can open it and get to work feeling confident. While there are a few projects included that are more suited to DIY pros, most can be completed by anyone with a minimum of experience. You really don’t even need to be “handy” to complete most of these, so this moved the book up high in our estimation. Not everyone is a natural born fix-it person, and it is nice to see a book focus on making home improvements easy.

Practically anything you could ever do in your home is covered, from building a deck to enjoy the outdoors to fixing that incredibly annoying faucet. 200 step by step projects are provided and there is also a section on quick tips for common issues in your home. Each project lists what tools you are going to need and the techniques you need to use the get the job done. You can easily make a project shopping list with this information to make it easier to get exactly what you need before you get started.

The book was based on the magazine’s popular Step by Step column and they stay true to this format. Instead of having to wait every month for a new project however, you’ll get them all at once. We found that it was well suited for the weekend warrior that needs to know exactly what each project is going to take in terms of material and time. We can’t all rip apart our houses and spend weeks putting them together, so this feature was definitely appreciated.

Overall, if you are planning some home improvement projects or you would just like to know more about how to fix things in your home, this is a terrific book. It is a little pricey, but when you think about the sheer size and the work that went into putting this together, it is well worth it. We highly recommend this title and it would make a great gift for anyone on your list that is interested in home improvement, or for yourself! Chances are, you’ll want to jump in right away and start fixing up your home after you read it.

Originally posted 2008-12-02 08:01:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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