Popular Mechanics Home How-To [Hardcover]

Albert Jackson (Author), David Day (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1989

This home maintenance book is filled with practical advice on how to save money, time, and aggravation on everything from plumbing to color schemes. More than 200 subjects are covered, richly supplemented with over 3,000 color photographs, diagrams, and tables. Illustrated step-by-step directions clearly and precisely walk you through each task. A unique system of cross-referencing - color-coded pages, references to related topics on every page - allows you to explore all facets of a subject and to make projects as simple or complex as you choose. A special section unravels the mysteries of tools, specific skills, and materials, and an extensive glossary and index mean no question has to go unanswered.

This book is for all those who want to increase the value of home or apartment, save on costly repairs, and have the satisfaction of doing a job themselves. No home can afford to be without it.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Exhaustive in scope, this is similar to the Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual (Reader's Digest Pr., dist. by McGraw, 1973). Like that earlier classic, this emphasizes home maintenance and improvements rather than large-scale construction and renovation projects. To list a sampling of topics risks misrepresenting its sheer breadth. Certain topics--wiring, plumbing, and heating, for example--are treated at length. What really sets this apart from similar treatments is its design and organization. An inventive page layout, imaginative use of color, a multitude of drawings and charts, and a comprehensive system of cross-references make this a pleasure to use. Sure to be in demand as a basic reference in most public libraries.
- Bill Demo, Tompkins Cortland Community Coll., Dryden, N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Hearst Books; 1st edition (February 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688085121
• ISBN-13: 978-0688085124
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,110,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The non-idiot guide to home repair, October 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Home How-To: Easy-To-Follow Step-By-Step Instructions with More Than 3,000 Color Illustrations and Photographs (Popular Mechanics) (Hardcover)

This is the only home repair book I've seen that doesn't treat the reader like an idiot. By assuming that the reader already knows how to use a hammer, the editors are able to devote far more attention to actual home repair projects. For example, this volume devotes about 8 pages to plaster repair - a critical task for anyone maintaining an older home, yet one ignored by every other comparable book on the market. This book fills a needed gap between beginner do-it-yourself volumes and advanced instruction for the professional tradesperson.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Choice in DIY Books, June 21, 2001

By 

Richard Giordano - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home How-To: Easy-To-Follow Step-By-Step Instructions with More Than 3,000 Color Illustrations and Photographs (Popular Mechanics) (Hardcover)

This book is something of my bible. It's clearly written, has excellent illustrations and, above all, treats the reader with respect and intelligence. I've used this book successfully with doing large electrical projects, plumbing, sanding floors, laying out a brick garden path, and many many others. The detail provided in this book to guide you is both extensive and clear. An excellent choice that will serve you well for years to come.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars home wiring, December 18, 2000

By 

Reiner A. Montiel (Granada Hills, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home How-To: Easy-To-Follow Step-By-Step Instructions with More Than 3,000 Color Illustrations and Photographs (Popular Mechanics) (Hardcover)

I bought this book for its section on electrical wiring. I had a problem with a couple of outlets at my house, and looked at several books that dealt specifically on home electrical wiring (ie Ortho, Black & Decker, Time-life and Better Homes) Pop Mech's "Home-How-To" book in my opinion far exceeded all other books on electrical wiring. This book went into more wiring configurations than the other books and explained them in simple step by step instructions with color diagrams to help. This book also explained alot about the different circuits (120v,240v,small appliance, lighting and individual) that are in your house and required by the NEC. There is even a small section on the process of getting a permit for adding extra circuits to your house. If your completely new to electricity the first few pages in the elecrtical section explains what amps, volts, and watts mean and even how to read your electric meter. So if you are new to home wiring and just want to know how to replace a switch or outlet then this book is for you, but if you are more knowleged and want to add a indoor or outdoor circuit line with a seperate circuit breaker in your main elec box, then this book is also for you. On a last note, I must again state that I am only rating and giving a 5 star rating on its electrical section, I have not had the chance or need to read into the other chapters.