Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2559 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

Review
Property Homes and Gardens. Includes a step-by-step guide to 36 key DIY projects and a ready reckoner for the estimating those all important material quantities brilliant for those of us who can never work out how many rolls of wallpaper we need. --Property Homes and Gardens

Optima. Described as the DIY Bible that no home should be without --Optima

Manchester Evening News. My Bible was the Reader's Digest Complete DIY Manual that I bought from a charity shop. Is has taught me things that I never dreamed I could do --Manchester Evening News

Synopsis
With a fresh new design, new artwork and photography and whole new sections, this manual is a worthy successor to the renowned Complete DIY Manual. It is packed full of invaluable advice for anyone fixing, extending, decorating, renovating or building their home and garden. Whether you want to know how to rewire your house or build a deck, repair a faulty ball valve or mend a hole in plasterboard, wallpaper a stairwell or unblock a downpipe, it's all here. The completely revised and updated text reflects current best practices and the latest tools, techniques and materials. Also included is new material on assembling flat pack furniture, putting up plaster mouldings, adding decking to your garden, wiring computers and home entertainment systems and much more. Each section in this invaluable guide is clearly described with step-by-step instructions, drawings and diagrams for every project. This handsome book will save you hundreds of pounds and hours of effort - it has all the information you will ever need to keep your home in good condition. Every home should have one!

Customer Reviews

A rock solid guide to getting things done
I'm not the world's most practical man, but this book was a godsend. It features clear, step-by-step instructions on everything you could need to do around the house or flat.

When I moved into my place, I just didn't know what to do about the plumbing and lighting niggles around the place. It saved me hunting for tradesmen, and let me know that I really could Do It Myself. Just yesterday I replaced the sink trap - win!

There's lots of information on the web (there are useful Youtube videos that are a nice supplement to this), but it's all in one place here - and you know it's reliable and more readable than print-outs. If you don't know how to drill a hole in a wall, start here. And if you're already an expert, there'll be plenty of useful reference tips too.

Best available
This book is the best of its type available

It bought it when we moved to our new house, and found some rather slip-shod DIY had been done by the previous owner. It covers anything you would ever likely need to know for home DIY.

This book will pay for itself in no time at all, be it through avoiding trademens costs, avoiding waste of materials or detecting "cowboy" builders. I've looked at other similar books, e.g. Collins, but I reckon this one is the best illutrated and easiest to use for the non-expert.

Probably the definitive book on this subject.
This book is fantastic. It was bought for me by my dad when I bought my first house and it is one of the most useful books i own. It covers most subjects you are likely to need in any home DIY situation, as well as garden DIY and relevant legislation that may affect your DIY projects. I cannot stress enough how invaluable this book is and how often I've referred to it, even if I've decided I'm not confident enough to tackle the problem and call in an expert. A must have along side your tool kit.