Customer Reviews

The Stanley Complete Step-by-Step Revised Book of Home Repair and Improvement

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

 

 

I highly recommend Stanley's new Guide Book to Home Repair. After recently renting an unrenovated loft space in Brooklyn, I found myself facing a litany of home repair "projects". My budget was too small to hire a contractor and though I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to anything involving tools, I decided to give it a go on my own. Although there were a few mishaps, I have created a liveable space and the Stanley Guide was a huge help. They cover most common household building and repair projects in a fashion that's very easy for a layman to follow. Even one that doesn't know a sprocket from a ratchet.

This book is a must-have reference for the novice to the expert do-it-yourselfer. It contains well presented, step by step directions to everything from simple, routine fixes to more advanced around the house projects. The clear photography really helped to clarify the sequence of the work. Would make a great gift.

I recently moved into a new home that needs a lot of repairs, and this book is the absolute best resource I've found! I am especially grateful for Stanley's clear, step-by-step instructions (no scratching my head or throwing down my tools in despair!) and detailed illustrations. The book describes the whole gamut of household projects, from painting to patios to roofing, in terms a novice can understand, but won't offend a pro. I'd stake my foundations on this one!

This book is a must-have for anyone who owns a home. It offers clear, step-by-step instructions and expert advice for a wide range of projects.

The step-by-step illustrations were extremely clear, helpful and easy to understand. If you need a book to assist you with projects, this is a good buy!

IMHO this book offers a summary introduction to the repairs. For any of the major projects described, I will want to read an additional, more specific, book before tearing my house apart.

This book is a real good addition to every carpenter's library. You could even use the woodworking section of this book (Chapter 3) to help you build library shelving that you could then use to place this book (or similar woodworking books) upon. Hot dog!

The illustrations were fun, but they fell short. Any good profesional worth his spackle knows, not every project goes to plan. Aluminum foil covered pennies installed incorrectly in the fuse box, or sump pump flooding, or what to do when you drop a running bandsaws in the crib, the illustrations never tell you about what to do then. But they're part of any job, yet the book really leaves you out to dry. There isn't even a single section on Stop! Drop! and Roll! What if you forgot? What if you mixed them up? What then?

It's still really helpful and comprehensive though.

And while helpful and comprehensive, I do have a few points of "disagreement" about this book too. Mr. Huffington is the profesional, I know, but consider: when it comes to hanging the wallpaper, your standard staple gun work just as well as Mr. Hufnagel's more traditional glue methods. And shingles aren't nearly as complicated as he makes it out to be. Am I the only one who has ever used a tarp to stop leaking? I doubt it. And particleboard cabinets do, too, work. You just need to paint them yellow or black. Mr. TV-money never tells you that. And you might as well rip out the chapter on replacing clogged drainage pipes. It's a waste. Just use the chemicals you have left over from sealing your grout (Chapter 13) and pour them down the drain. Drop in a lit match, leave the room, and you just saved time and money.

And while I didn't care for the salty langauge he chooses to describe his various chores, I forgive him. He should just clean up his "blue" act some. Kids might be reading this.

Although maybe more kids should read this. With their dainty hands they could replace you when it comes to cleaning the gunk from stormdrains (Chapter 23) and dislodging chunks of wood that might jam up an otherwise perfectly good Skill Saw (Chapter 3).

I highly, highly recommend this book!!