Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement: More Than 200 Value-adding Remodeling Projects (Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide) [Hardcover]

Editors of Creative Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Series: Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide | Publication Date: February 1, 2009

This comprehensive bible of remodeling information and projects focuses on the significant projects that help homeowners add real value to their homes while bettering their lifestyles. Unlike other books, The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement isn’t diluted with basic home repairs, but gives readers foolproof instructions on more than 200 blockbuster home remodeling projects.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement. Creative Pub: Quayside. 2009. c.560p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-58923-452-9. $35. DIY

This comprehensive manual is an update to the 2005 edition. Some new materials, like bamboo flooring, have been added, and outdated materials have been dropped. If you need a comprehensive manual on the topic, this will do nicely.  -- Library Journal, June 2009

In which denim-clad men and work-booted, pony-tailed, mom-jean-wearing women measure, fix, and construct various aspects of homes. Coverage of the entire home, from attic to basement, are illustrated well enough to make a grown man drool. From installing a new vanity to a sleeper floor in the basement, this offers enough instruction to step you through the major operations of each project, but watch out—it does not deal with covering everything that can (and will) go wrong or be freaky with your miserable excuse for a house. From installing metal ceilings to ceramic tile to three ways (three way switches, you filthy-minded galoot!), it’s all here. Other topics to pique your dude radar: installing wallboard. Bullnose edging. Installing an undersink garbage disposal. It might as well be a picture of Jessica Simpson—you can’t look away, can you? - Library Journal, April 1, 2010

 

About the Author

Dozens of top-level home improvement writers, editors, and technical experts, guided by the editors of Creative Publishing international, contributed to this landmark book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Creative Publishing international (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589234529
• ISBN-13: 978-1589234529
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too basic in many areas, September 10, 2010

By 

Alan K. Schmoll "jasper" (SC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement: More Than 200 Value-adding Remodeling Projects (Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide) (Hardcover)

This book has useful step by step info in many areas but misses important areas. For example, want to know how to replace an alcove tub, install new tile? Covers the tub to some extent. Then goes to installing panels around the tub. If you want steps for installing the tub, installing cement board, then the tile, this is not the book you need. Purchased a Plumbing book by BD. It has the very same pages and photos / steps.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement, August 13, 2009

By 

Jeffery G. Gedgaud (Moorhead MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement: More Than 200 Value-adding Remodeling Projects (Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide) (Hardcover)

Black & Decker brings a great how to and home improvement manual from the experts with plenty of step by step photos with the necessary in depth techniques to guide you through plenty of common projects.

Contents 23/25
Ease of Understanding/Practicality 24/25
Pictures/Illustrations 24/25
Additional Features 21/25
Total 92/100

Black & Decker brings a great home improvement and do it yourself manual with The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement. The book starts with techniques and skills for all kinds of home improvements and finishes with complete remodeling jobs that you can tackle.

They give great detailed photos to help you understand things they are doing as well as guide you in text to give you a detailed and in depth explanation of each topic. They continue from the basics to more complex tools and new materials and techniques that may not be common in building but soon will be.

From electrical to plumbing they take you on a safe tour of your home and give not only basic techniques but the continuation into projects helps you out with some common things you may want to do to your home. Projects include bathroom and kitchen remodeling, attic and basement finishing and a host of other common do it yourself projects to give you a good broad range of ideas and help.

The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement takes you not only into common practices in these projects but covers enough of a variety in each project that will cover the variety that will happen with your home. They cover enough of a broad range in each project so you can have a good idea of what you want in any given area of your home from remodeling and installing new counters, plumbing, fixtures, electrical and more.

The first chapter includes Anatomy of a House, Building Codes and Permits, Working Safety and more to get you in the mood for home improvement projects. The next chapter is on techniques and you move onto home improvement basics and then to major remodeling for an in depth look at projects you can accomplish.

The book goes from tools and planning with how to get the proper permits you need for work on your home to the actual steps to get the job done. Once you get into the actual work the book has plenty of tips and hints for odd circumstances that can crop up in jobs to help you out as well.

The books use of pictures makes sure you know what you're doing on a reference job so that once you get to your own work on your house you can have plenty of references. Simple examples like cutting a hole in an exterior wall shows how to do this on wood sided and stucco walls which will cover older homes.

Other sections also have these general tips on various types of materials and construction types to help you out in many general circumstances so you can work on your own home. This is a major benefit to the Complete Photo Guide with its step by step process of doing projects and improvements like installing a window.

The book shows on two different wall types how to cut the hole in the wall so you do the same on most any type of wall in your home. They also go into the safety of checking the wall for plumbing and electrical to give you a step by step guide for how to do the same thing on your home.

The Complete Guide does the same thing for all types of projects from simple things like adding an outlet or light fixture to complete jobs like finishing an attic or basement. While many of the projects are pretty specific like the attic finishing you can complete other jobs that are similar using many of the same principles and ideas.

The guide shows you how to do many jobs or projects including cutaway photos and general anatomy of a home so you can use these guides and photos on your own project or home improvement. The book also contains plenty of useful tips and hints like tools for special jobs or handy ways to make jobs go safer and easier.

This is one book that is a helpful and handy reference to keep on your bookshelf for jobs around the home to help you when things go wrong as well. The book contains plumbing and electrical guides so you can troubleshoot problems you may be having as well as the normal way things should be done.

I really like how they show various ways to do things according to different situations and materials that may be in a home or project so you have many different circumstances and jobs covered in one complete guide. I highly recommend this as an all in one guide and photo step by step book to help you with a lot of home improvement projects.

This is one handy reference for those times when some explanation of homes and their various systems may be needed and makes a fantastic home improvement manual. This is a great book to have on hand and use not only for home improvement projects but just to have for reference for electrical, heating and plumbing problems that may occur in the common home.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures - great descriptions, October 22, 2009

By 

Berry M. Blanton - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement: More Than 200 Value-adding Remodeling Projects (Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide) (Hardcover)

If you're someone that loves learning by SEEING than this is your book. I went to borders and flipped through many home improvement books and this one, even though its super heavy, had the best pictures.