Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 7, 1991 TAG: 9104060177
SECTION: A GUIDE TO BETTER HOMES PAGE: 12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KIM SUNDERLAND
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
Bookstores carry a number of do-it-yourself manuals - most in paperback - to help the layman or the professional improve, renovate or repair whatever job pops up. Here is a list to get you started:
"A Consumer's Guide to Home Improvement, Renovation & Repair," by Robert M. Santucci, Brooke C. Stoddard and Peter Werwath. What stands out about this 1990 paperback is that it offers the skill level of a particular project, which can help you understand what you're getting into before you take on a project.
The first section deals with methods and materials for floors, ceilings, cabinets, doors, windows, carpentry, plumbing, electricity, masonry, heating and cooling systems and roofing.
The second section of the book discusses money saving statistics that include cost guides. Turning the thermostat back by 12-degrees each night, for example, can save a family approximately $170 annually.
This 250-page guide has lots of tables and diagrams as well as some photographs. The suggested retail price is $19.95.
"Better Homes & Gardens Do-It-Yourself Home Repairs." This paperback, which was first published in 1985, offers step-by-step instructional photos that teach you how to master the basic techniques of carpentry, plumbing, wiring and household repairs. Such techniques as marking, leveling, rips and crosscuts and drilling are included so that any job can be done professionally and correctly.
There are also other segments, including the ABC's of cabinet construction, quieting noisy pipes, troubleshooting for disposals, opening clogged drains and remedies for leaky or frozen pipes. These are really informational for, not only the expert, but the novice, such as the houseperson, babysitter, etc. The suggested retail price of this 300-page volume is about $15.
"How to Design, Build, Remodel and Maintain Your Home," by Joseph D. Falcone, A.I.A. This 600-page manual is packed with 1,100 illustrations, including maps, diagrams and tables, that show you how to design an entire home or complete a simple remodeling job.
There is detailed information that includes making an efficient work plan, choosing basic tools, designing for the physically handicapped and dangerproofing.
There's also information in the various sections on an introduction to construction, how to read plans, solar energy and the high cost of cheap construction.
Good photographs, too. The suggested retail price is $19.95.
"The Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual." This comprehensive hardcover book sells for about $24, contains almost 600 pages and includes 17 sections on a wide variety of topics to help the beginner and the expert finish the repairs, renovations and redesigns.
Interesting topics included in the sections are climate control, solving power problems safely, working with wood, repairing and restoring furniture, how to use metals and painting.
One unique section of the book - which is probably most interesting for do-it-yourselfers - is a section on "50 Projects You Can Build," which has lots of photos and diagrams, plus step-by-step instructions on building items such as shelves, drop tables, storage boxes, utility cabinets, wall-hung bars and filing units.
Also included is a guide to better plan your project with information on how to estimate costs, how to finance improvements and how to make a small house bigger.
And if you don't know if you need a contractor, there's also information on how to make that decision, including the money saving jobs you can do, whether you can handle the total job, when architects are needed and how to select a contractor.
'`This Old House," by Bob Vila with Jane Davison. Anyone who has ever wanted to learn how to build something is probably familiar with Bob Vila's Emmy award-winning PBS television program of the same name.
This 265-page paperback, which deals with restoring, rehabilitating and renovating an older house, is geared toward first-time buyers and homeowners who want solid advice on how to understand, plan and manage a major overhaul of their older home, or any of its rooms, using professional help and their own time and effort.
In this book, Vila takes you through a 13-week project that transforms a 100-year-old Massachusetts home into a Victorian beauty. There's plenty of information on how to cope when things go wrong, appraisals and budgeting, contracting and planning and designing.
It's amazing to watch what happens through the book's use of photographs, and you just might learn something along the way. The suggested retail price is $19.95.
"Guide to Building and Remodeling Materials," by Bob Vila. Vila's at it again, but in this 475-page paperback he offers useful tips on how to save money, avoid mistakes, choose siding, paints, finishes and wood, and learn about bricks, cement, blocks and stone.
And if you don't know anything about nails, screws or fasteners, it's all in here, too. The price is about $19.
Sunset Books. The editors of Sunset Books and Sunset Magazines, which publish books that deal primarily with building, cooking, gardening, traveling and various hobbies, have a Sunset collection with do-it-yourself information.
Each 120-page hardcover, which sells for roughly $7, looks at specific rooms for remodeling, such as the kitchen and bathroom. There are also how-to books on wall systems, shelving, patios, spas, hot tubs and home saunas, woodworking and tile remodeling.
"Time-Life Books Complete Fix-It-Yourself Manual." Standouts in this edition, which was published in 1989, include emergency repairs, troubleshooting and maintenance techniques.
Emergencies caused by fire, water, electric appliances, gas or plumbing are easily fixed with these instructions. And there's help for cleaning up spills, first-aid treatment and safety precautions.
Don't buy another appliance - learn how to fix what you've got. Information on how to repair small appliances, such as the microwave, iron or toaster, and larger ones, such as the refrigerator or washer, are included. And you can get your kids to read up on how to fix the family's home electronics, including entertainment systems, turntables, TVs and CD players.
The hardcover book sells for about $25 and includes six sections in about 440 pages.
by CNB