Better Homes & Gardens - New Complete Guide to Home Repair & Improvement [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Better Homes and Gardens (Author)

Book Description

Series: Better Homes and Gardens Books | Publication Date: September 1997

The collective wisdom of Better Homes and Gardens is packed into the largest and most extensive home improvement reference guide on the market. With 3,000 full-color illustrations, step-by-step instructions for common repairs and improvements, special sidebars, and expertly informed attention to detail, this is the only home reference guide every homeowner needs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Meredith Books; 2nd edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069620469X
• ISBN-13: 978-0696204692
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charlie Wing, an acknowledged authority on home building and remodeling, specializes in translating technical information into layman's terms. He founded the Shelter Institute, the nation's first owner-builder school. He has been the host and writer of a national PBS TV series about remodeling and is the author of 14 home-related books, including How Your House Works. He lives in West Bath, Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

142 of 150 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Compare this with Black & Decker's repair book before buying, December 13, 1999

By 

James Stevenson (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better Homes & Gardens - New Complete Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Hardcover)

I read these reviews and decided to check out Better Homes and Gardens home repair book. The first thing that struck me were all the water color illustrations that reminded me of some cheap school book from the 1950's. I need to change the garbage disposal beneath a friend's sink and decided to look up the procedure in this book. Hey guess what? There WEREN'T ANY procedures for changing a garbage disposal! In fact, there was not the first mention of garbage disposals in this entire book. It seems to me to be a very basic household appliance that a lot of people may need to install or replace. I then looked in the Black and Decker home repair book and found several pages devoted entirely to installing a garbage disposal with many COLOR PICTURES. This was enough for me to decide against the Better Homes repair book. I still haven't bought the Black and Decker book and may not, but it is far and away the better of these two books. Also, the index in the Better Homes book was very lacking in many different subjects/topics. Stanley also publishes a terrific home repair book that you might want to consider. Bottom line before you buy one of these books, make sure you do some comparisons between these home repair books using examples of projects you might want to tackle. The reviewers who gave this Better Homes book 5 stars must work for Better Homes and Gardens because this book cetainly is NOT worth the money!

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference for the inexperienced do-it-yourselfer., January 9, 2000

By 

David & Tana Cook (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better Homes & Gardens - New Complete Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Hardcover)

This book is one of the most complete and accurate references I have seen. There are a few minor omissions, as well as some editorial errors, but I found this book to be enjoyable reading and an invaluable resource for the inexperienced homeowner. The scope of the book is broad so it is a bit general in some areas, but it will still replace many other books in most libraries. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels intimidated by the thought of buying a less-than-perfect home.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top five all-in-one do-it-yourself books., June 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Better Homes & Gardens - New Complete Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Hardcover)

I believe that this book should be in everyone's home reference library. I'm a professional home inspector and you can't beat the price of the book for the value it gives. This is one of those books that can save you hundreds of dollars or more.