The subtitle of the book, Down to the Studs in My House, My Marriage, My Entire Life, really says it all. The author details the process of buying and attempting to fix up an old house and what it did to basically his entire life. Few people realize the type of commitment they are getting into when buying an older home, and get caught up in the emotional side of renovation. This book is a much needed bucket of cold water that may snap you back to reality.

The book is very humorous and easy to read, but at times, you may want to cry instead of laugh. He pulled no punches when it came to describing the various projects he had to undertake, their cost and their emotional toll on his family. At times, you just want to cringe and never think about picking up a hammer again. The author had already written a book, How to Avoid Marriage, and this plays heavily into the entire experience that he goes through.

In the middle of their renovations, he loses his job and that is when things really go bad. You’ll be able to learn a lot about not only fixing up a house but how to manage finances so that it won’t force you into bankruptcy. While this book does not contain any actual blueprints or project advice, it does contain incredibly valuable lessons for anyone interested in home improvement.

Given that there is a phenomenon right now of DIY’ers that cannot seem to stop renovations and projects, this book is very necessary. The prevalence of fix-it-yourself shows has led many to get in over their heads and overestimate their abilities when it comes to home improvement. By reading this book, you may be able to save a lot of time, money and heartache.

We highly recommend this book, especially to those that are completely new to home improvement projects. While we don’t want to discourage anyone from taking on the chore of fixing up their house, it is important to make sure that you are prepared for what is ahead. It is entirely possible to do a lot of damage to your home in an attempt to “fix” it, and if you’re not financially prepared to handle the consequences, it can be disastrous, as this book illustrates very well.

Overall, this is an engaging read and the book is well worth the money and the time spent reading it. Anyone who has ever tried to fix up an old house will appreciate the trials and tribulations of this couple on their journey.

Originally posted 2008-08-29 05:26:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Dare to Repair By Julie Sussman This is a do-it yourself guide written mainly for women, but anyone that is interested in home repair can get a lot out of it. If you have ever wanted to tackle any kind of DIY project in your house this book is the definitive guide that can help you......
• Big Book of Home How To By Better Homes and Gardens 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......
• What Does Your Home’s Curb Appeal Say? Whether you are selling your home, or you just want it to look its best, curb appeal is something that must be focused on. You can add quite a bit of value to your home with just a few simple fixes, but before you start, it is important to think......
• The Official Rent-A-Husband Guide to a Safe, Problem-Free Home: Quick, Easy, and Effective Solutions for Do-It-Yourselfer Improvements and Repairs The company was founded by Kaile Warren Jr, who at the time had a car accident. It left him nearly homeless, sleeping on the couches of his friends whenever possible. It was at this low point that at he decided to start his rent a husband business. In 1996, a......
• How to Pick the Right Air Conditioning System for Your Home Thankfully, today we have many options when it comes to cooling our homes. If you are wondering if it is time to upgrade to a new kind of cooling system, you’re going to have a lot of options. However, they may not all be as effective for your particular needs.......

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We really appreciated the fact that the book only covers techniques that are code compliant. If you are fixing up your own house to sell, it is vital that you can pass a home inspection. When you’re using this book as your guide, you won’t have to worry that you are using techniques or materials that may not be acceptable. If you follow the advice to the letter and use the recommended products, you won’t have any problem facing any inspection. Even if you’re not going to sell your home, you still need to use code as your guide to doing things the right way and this book will help you get there.

Anything that has anything to do with plumbing is covered in these 288 pages. There are numerous illustrations that will show you how to do everything from changing out a simple washer to complex and emergency repairs. The advice is concise, easy to follow and we really appreciated how detailed the illustrations were. They are very high quality and easy to read, something that many publishers fail to produce in books of this type.

The first chapter covers the absolute basics of plumbing and it’s a great place to start. Next, you’ll be moving up to handling plumbing for renovations or new builds, and from there, you’ll be going on to working with drains, vents and pipes. We have never seen such as exhaustive and complete guide to plumbing outside of a real plumbing school. You’ll go from being an apprentice to a master as you follow the instructions contained in this book. Even septic systems and lawn sprinklers are covered, which was surprising.

For anyone that wants to save money on home repairs, or just wants the satisfaction of being able to do these things on their own, this is the perfect book.

Overall, while it might be a bit odd to enjoy a book on plumbing, we couldn’t help ourselves. It is a rare thing to find a resource that is this complete and informative. If you are ready to start tackling the plumbing issues in your home, or if you just don’t want to go to the expense of hiring a plumber, this book is a virtual bible of quality information. It’s also a great gift for that handy person in your life, and they’ll appreciate the new project plans and information contained herein. This is definitely a good buy and one that will pay you back for many years to come. We highly and wholeheartedly recommend it!

Originally posted 2008-08-22 05:33:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Dare to Repair By Julie Sussman This is a do-it yourself guide written mainly for women, but anyone that is interested in home repair can get a lot out of it. If you have ever wanted to tackle any kind of DIY project in your house this book is the definitive guide that can help you......
• Review of Do It Yourself Family If you'd like to get the whole family involved in your next DIY project, this book by Eric Stromer is the best place to start. Repairing and renovating your home can be a great bonding exercise with your spouse or children and this book actually makes most of the......
• Review of the Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair Black and Decker are known for the terrific DIY guides and this title is no exception. As the name suggests, you’re getting step by step photo instructions that make it easy for anyone to fix up their own home without having to be a professional handy person. You’ll get......
• The Official Rent-A-Husband Guide to a Safe, Problem-Free Home: Quick, Easy, and Effective Solutions for Do-It-Yourselfer Improvements and Repairs The company was founded by Kaile Warren Jr, who at the time had a car accident. It left him nearly homeless, sleeping on the couches of his friends whenever possible. It was at this low point that at he decided to start his rent a husband business. In 1996, a......
• Book Review: What Your Contractor Can't Tell You: The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating by Amy Johnston Why do so many home improvement projects end in disaster? According to Amy Johnson, the author of What Your Contractor Can't Tell You, it's due to the fact that homeowners simply don't have access to the right tools, knowledge and planning abilities that the pro's do. Her basic premise is......

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The book contains more than 300 absolute step by step illustrations that walk the reader through fixing just about anything in the home. While this is not the book for those that are looking to completely remodel their home, or tackle complex projects, it is ideal for all those little things that go wrong around a house. Thanks to the advice and illustrations in this book, anyone, even those with minimal experience, should be able to fix nearly everything in their own homes.

The first section is incredibly valuable and covers all the tools you will need to have on hand. You can literally take the book shopping with you to be sure that you don’t miss anything. Also discussed is the supply closet and what little extras everyone should have ready at their disposal should trouble strike. Each following part discusses each part of the home and what is in it logically.

For example, finishes and exteriors are grouped together, and then everything with plumbing is grouped into its own part. This makes it very easy to find exactly what you are looking for, especially if you are in a hurry and to implement an emergency fix. Part five should be read by all homeowners and covers safety, preventing home fix-it emergencies and preventative maintenance that can greatly reduce the amount of time you spend fixing things around your house.

We highly recommend this book to those that want to save money by doing their own home repairs and aren’t quite sure where to get started. There is a lot than can be learned in these pages and the author has done a fabulous job of making everything easy to understand and implement. While complete DIY professionals may find it overly simplistic, this is the perfect book for those that are new to owning a home, and completely new to how to fix the stuff that it is in it.

This is the perfect gift for anyone that is trying to cut costs, learn more about their home, or just have the ability to say, I can fix that. While it is designed for mainly beginners, there are a few great tips in there that even we didn’t know, so it’s safe to say that even home repair professionals would enjoy this book – and they may even be able to learn something from it.

Originally posted 2008-10-10 05:17:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Home Maintenance for Dummies by James Carey and Morris Carey The Carey brothers achieved great fame with their first Dummies title that focused on home renovation so hopes were pretty high with this latest book on how to maintain your home. This is an area that many people fail to understand how important it can be, which is why we......
• Review: The Old House Handbook: The Essential Guide to Care and Repair by Roger Hunt, Marianne Suhr This tome is the authoritative guide to looking after an old home. These can include such houses as a medieval cottage, an urban terrace from the eighteenth century, or a Victorian development. This book builds upon the thoughts and works of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, approaching......
• Easy Ways to Increase The Value of Your Home As the housing market continues to struggle, many homeowners are looking into ways to increase the value of their homes. However, a common issue that keeps these homeowners from making improvement is the lack of availability on home improvement loans, and a lack of available funding. Luckily, there are many......
• What Does Your Home’s Curb Appeal Say? Whether you are selling your home, or you just want it to look its best, curb appeal is something that must be focused on. You can add quite a bit of value to your home with just a few simple fixes, but before you start, it is important to think......
• Three Ways to Fix Up Your House - The Outside If you are trying to find some quick and inexpensive ways to get the outside of your house shaped up, there are numerous options. We’re going to cover three of the best that can transform any home into a showpiece, with a minimal investment of time, effort and money. You......

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The book breaks down all of the information into seasons, so that you can start with whatever season you’re currently in. Even though it’s not really intended to be read as a regular book, we still found it fascinating and engaging. The author has a true talent for description when it comes to handling different tasks and they did a spectacular job of conveying the tasks to be done without going over someone’s head.

Each season begins with an inspection and the book includes a handy checklist to make it easier. You’ll be going through everything in your house, but it really doesn’t take that much time to complete the inspection. As you go, you need to fill out that checklist since you’ll be relying on it later to see if anything needs to be fixed.

Everything is covered, from making sure your chainsaw is running properly to handling common summer pests. This really is a comprehensive guide to managing your home as well as learning how to fix minor problems. While some tasks may require the help of a professional, depending on the state of your property, most of them can easily be completed, even by those that have minimal fix-it experience.

A helpful glossary is included in the back in case you don’t understand any of the terms. There are also many different diagrams that illustrate important points and tasks. We really appreciated that the book was dedicated to homeowner safety and pointed out some dangerous tasks and what you need to have on hand to protect yourself. Overall, it would be hard to find all of these resources on your own, and it was incredible to find everything packaged together in one book.

If you buy only one home repair book in your lifetime, it should be this one. It’s hard to find another title that offers this much common sense advice, coupled with a schedule that is easy to keep when it comes to maintaining your home. We highly recommend this book to any homeowner and especially to those that are just starting out on their journey of buying and maintaining their first home. There is also some great advice in here for landlords and tenants, especially if you end up responsible for repairs, or just want to keep the place looking and running well. We can’t think of a better housewarming present for someone, or a gift for anyone that owns a home and wants some help keeping it nice.

Originally posted 2008-09-12 05:03:52. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• The Complete Idiots Guide to Simple Home Repair by Judy Ostrow So many home repair books offer project tips and advice, but most fall into the rather dry reading category. There are few that you actually want to take up and read, and for the most part, these books fall into the reference only category. Judy Ostrow’s latest book, The Complete......
• How Your House Works by Charlie Wing If you have ever looked at a sink, a lamp or anything in your house and wondered how does that work this book has your answers. Any homeowner can benefit from learning more about how specific appliances and fixtures work, but there are not many resources that put it all......
• Book Review: No-Fear Home Improvement: 100 Projects Anyone Can Do by Creative Homeowners The Creative Homeowner is one of today’s hottest resources for home improvement and this latest book produced by their editors addresses one of the biggest concerns that homeowners have. They want to start making improvements around their home, but they are too worried that they may mess something up. Considering......
• Solar Power Your Home For Dummies By Rik DeGunther As energy prices keep going up, many homeowners are starting to investigate cheaper alternative energies that can be easily installed, and run on a daily basis. Whether you’re trying to cut costs, or you just want to go green, solar power is often the first choice of many homeowners. The......
• The Ultimate Guide to Plumbing By Merle Henkenius If you’ve always wanted to be able to handle the various plumbing projects that pop up around your house, this is a book that is a definite must have. Plumbers can be expensive, and in an emergency, they may not be easy to reach. Once you’ve read this book, you......

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While this book does not go in depth on many actual projects, it does offer key advice that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. The book starts off with the reasoning behind restoring an old home to its former glory and offers some great consideration points when it comes to making a decision on whether a renovation is actually worth it. There are no pie-in-the-sky ideals here, and the author is not afraid to discuss whether or not it is feasible to restore an old home. Not every property can be helped, and you can save a lot of money by figuring this out early on in the process.

The next two chapters deal with learning more about older homes and how to start the process of actually fixing them up. You’ll also learn about safeguarding older properties and some considerations that need to be taken into account before you even begin. By simply reading this book before starting a renovation, a homeowner could easily save thousands of dollars, even if they only read the first three chapters.

The section on cost is by far the best and can be used to get a better idea of how much you are going to need to spend to fix your older home. Contractors and DIY angles are discussed as well as what to expect when your budget gets out of control, as it often can with an older home. Remember, once you start one project on an old house, there are tons of chances you’ll be dealing with five more as a result.

The actual renovating process is broken down into the exterior and interior of the home. Some great advice can be found in these two chapters, especially if you are trying to maintain the character of your older home and restore it properly. We can’t always rely on old photographs, and these chapters will help with some of the bigger decisions on what to do during your renovations.

The last chapters go over learning more about older homes and how to find resources that will help with your renovation project. If you are committed to respectful renovation, these resources are incredibly helpful, especially if you are in the dark on your home’s previous history.

We loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone that is trying to fix up an old home. You’ll be able to save money and get the benefit of some great advice along the way.

Originally posted 2008-09-18 18:27:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Dare to Repair By Julie Sussman This is a do-it yourself guide written mainly for women, but anyone that is interested in home repair can get a lot out of it. If you have ever wanted to tackle any kind of DIY project in your house this book is the definitive guide that can help you......
• The Stanley Complete Step-by-Step Revised Book of Home Repair and Improvement By The Stanley Company When it comes to home repair, one of the most trusted names has to be the Stanley Company. They make what many consider to be the best tools, and when you see that yellow and black label, you immediately know you can count on it. This branding has served them......
• Some Good Home Improvement Advice There are many points of view from which you can take a look at home improvement advice.  When we discuss the different home improvement options, our tendency is to do so from the point of view of most of the people that become handy-capable around the house.  That point of......
• Top Five Ways To Increase the Value of Your Home If you are looking for new ways to increase the overall value of your home, there are numerous projects that you can tackle on your own. Whether you are an experienced DIY’er, or just starting out, these projects are fun and add more than just monetary value to your home.......
• Ortho’s Home Repair Problem Solver By Robert J. Beckstrom, Jeff Beneke, Matt Phair, Naomi Wise Ever sat up half the night worried about what the heck was making that noise? Need quick help in figuring out what is wrong with your home? This book from Ortho isn’t the newest one on the market, but that doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, if you......

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