Customer Reviews

Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Pretty useful book that covers a wide variety of topics and explains things pretty well through words and pictures. The only issue is that it is sometimes missing topics that probably should be in the book, but my complaints are few and far between. I recommend this book for what is already in it.

I purchased this book as a gift for my husband. Being new homeowners, we're often frustrated not knowing how to take care of issues around the house. This book has EVERYTHING you need to know to do almost any project around the house. Great illustrations, photos and directions. I know we'll be reaching for this book again and again! Would make a great housewarming gift!

My husband (who is very skilled in various home improvement areas) and myself (who is a complete and utter novice) both find this book helpful and informative. If you do not have a book like this and you own a home, you need to get this.

So glad I upgraded my copy. It really is a must have for the homeowner, even if you have to understand the jobs you contract to others.

Grew up with the original 70's edition in my house that belonged to my dad. He was telling me that this book probably saved him thousands of dollars. Knowing he isn't much of a handyman, and that his patience with following instructions is very limited, I figured this book must be pretty straightforward. The updated edition isn't any different.

As a first-time homebuyer, I felt this would be an invaluable guide for all of my future projects. Highly recommended.

I own a TON of DIY, tool, method, and Home Improvement books... but I have found this book to be one of the most comprehensive and helpful on the market. The TIPS alone are worth the price of the book, and the projects are functional, useful and easy to build.

The repair methods and descriptions are well documented and easy to understand and complete.

The section on tools and machines is great for those who don't fully understand the uses of various implements and power tools.

All of this book is easy to understand; well-written, and complete in its material. A very very welcome addition to my DIY library!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I remember reading the first edition in the mid '70s, and this new edition has all the information I was hoping it would have. It is perfect for me, someone who is somewhat handy when a problem presents itself. I need a reference to give me the correct information about solving problems involving home repair or DIY. I would suggest that you get this out of the library first to see if it is helpful to you. You just might get a copy because it is so useful.