Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated [Hardcover]

Editors of The Family Handyman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2005

Since 1973 over 10 million copies of Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual have been sold. And now, the definitive "on-the-job" manual has just gotten bigger and better than ever. The editors of Reader's Digest and The Family Handyman magazine have joined forces to completely revise, update, rewrite, and redesign this home improvement classic. This edition combines the best elements of the original manuals with The Family Handyman's rich informational and photographic archives, new illustrations and photographs, and the wisdom and experience of over 150 of the best experts in the field today.

Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual is written in a style of text that addresses readers in a very accessible, conversational tone for easy, user-friendly assistance with every do-it-yourself task. All instructions and materials have been updated to address current codes (electrical, plumbing and building), and revised to indicate the very latest in materials, tools, and technology.

Suitable for beginners and experts alike, the new innovative ideas and features include:
* Over 3,000 photos and illustrations including more than 1,500 new full-color photos and 100 new technical drawings
* New sidebars, such as "Shop Smart," "Handy Hints," "Go Figure," and "Safety First", provide readers with helpful information
* Two new chapters, Landscaping and Storage Projects, include material and cutting lists
* Yellow highlighted notes of caution or important points to remember * Cross-references at the top of each page
* Metrics are given with most measurements throughout the text and a complete metric conversion chart is included at the rear of the book.
The book's tried-and-true instructions provide do-it-yourself solutions to a ton of problems that could cost a fortune if you had to hire a professional. This manual is a "must-have" reference guide for every homeowner.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This super-handy manual, first published in 1973, has received a major upgrade. Seventeen chapters' worth of fixer-upper opportunities are enhanced with more than 3,000 photos and illustrations that would look equally at home in an upscale home decorating catalogue. The first few chapters cover hand and power tools, fasteners and adhesives, and are enough to incite hardware envy among even dwellers of tiny apartments. There is strange beauty in the cutaway views of five different hollow-wall fasteners and the machinations of nine types of pliers. But homeowners are, of course, the real target audience, and an all-new section on Landscaping reflects this with entries on fences, water gardens and retaining walls. The plumbing section offers a mega-view of wastewater-treatment systems as well as a micro-exploration of unclogging a toilet. Another new section, Storage Projects, is full of cabinets and shelves that either "Swing-out" or "Fold-away." New technologies are generally overlooked in favor of meat-and-potatoes projects. For instance, a home satellite dish is pictured but not indexed or dwelled upon, while carpeting is charted, graphed and deconstructed in the extreme. Intriguing sidebars on wood refinishers (the fastest drying versus the safest), the financial benefits of renting specialty tools for a large drywall project and other subjects round out this must-have guide. (Apr. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Readers Digest; Rev Upd edition (March 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762105798
• ISBN-13: 978-0762105793
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 10.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Do-It-Yourself
  • #21 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Home Design
  • #85 in Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just buy it. Period., November 14, 2009

By 

ProfWombat (Andover, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated (Hardcover)

The 1973 version was one of the first things I bought when moving from a NY City apartment, where maintenance involved calling the super, to a 220 year old house previously owned by a succession of people who did it themselves and thought they knew what they were doing. Every time a tradesman walked into our basement, his eyes would light up, and a sly smile would flash over his otherwise imperturbable countenance. I had no skills whatever at that point.

We had no money at all to hire these guys. So within a couple of years, I'd replaced the entire hot water circulating baseboards, most of the supply plumbing, a whole lot of knob-and-tube wiring, added GFCIs, put in new cartridge circulators north of the boiler, and replaced the hot water heater. Among other things: windows, doors, toilets, on and on. Like the morning on the day we were leaving for Kazakstan, and I went into the basement to find a new pinhole leak that I fixed within the hour so we could make our plane without shutting off the water to the whole house.

This book saved me, conservatively, $15-20,000, and an enormous amount of aggravation. And the house became mine in a way it wouldn't have had someone else done all the work. The revision makes it better. Just buy the damned thing. Even if all it does for you is let you talk intelligently with a contractor, it's more than worth it.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beats saving all the Handyman Magazines, September 30, 2007

By 

R. William Pratt (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated (Hardcover)

This is an excellent "fix it yourself" book that includes many fixes you can find only in The Handyman Magazine. The magazine is a top-notch periodical, in my opinion, for guys like me - mediocre at making everyday fixes to common problems around the home. This is the latest upadate I could find, and for the price, it was an excellent deal. For all you do-it-yourselfers who have two left hands, and for indepent women who need to economize, this is an a very good book. Covers most every day maintenance and repair stuff that comes up when you least expect and need a fairl quick, but easy and inexpensive fix. I'd buy this one again.

52 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good!, February 22, 2006

By 

Guy Chamberlin (Ottawa, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated (Hardcover)

This do-it-yourself book is very good. It is an excellent resource for the homeowner with some to many handyman skills. My first complaint is that several projects are way beyond the capacity of the weekend home-warrior. Secondly, many of the instructions are not detailed enough. You are forced to figure out internal steps to procedures on your own. I have the original 1973 edition, and its new look and upgrade is amazing. It is a book I wouldn't do without.