Review of This Old House Essential Hand Tools: 26 Tools to Renovate and Repair Your Home (Essential (This Old House Books)) (Paperback)

This book is a good read and a practical reference.

Although I am not a professional craftsperson, or even "seasoned" by most standards, I am a tool nut and have been using them for nearly fifty years in a variety ofsituations and know my way around a toolbox.However, the book showed mesome common tools in a new perspective and has even given me an excuse topick up a few more unusual tools for my collection.An example would bethe cat's-paw. I was not familiar with this device before, but have nowlearned how superior one is to the claw of a hammer or a flat pry bar forpulling nails.

The book is more a discussion of the philosophy and theoryof tools than it is an instruction manual.Nevertheless, I highlyrecommend it to anyone trying to get a handle on how to start putting a kittogether and those who are curious about what two famous carpenters have tosay about a tool you may have been using seemingly all your life.

Product Description
Whether you're a home repair novice or a veteran renovator searching for new tricks of the trade - you'll find invaluable advice and expert knowledge about hand tools straight from master carpenter Norm Abram and contractor Tom Silva in this full-color tool book from the editors of This Old House Magazine.



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Review of Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living (Paperback)

I'm single, a downtown apartment dweller, and I've been using natural, homemade cleaning products for almost three years. I have read - and use regularly - several natural cleaning books, including another of Annie Berthold-Bond's titles, "Clean & Green." However, I have become interested in "green living," not just cleaning. That means switching from commercial household products to homemade products for personal care, pest control, etc. That is what led me to "Better Basics For the Home."

"Better Basics" is far easier to use and much better organized and written than "Clean & Green." It is set up in logical sections according to the products' uses. The index is very good. You can find a recipe quickly, although I would suggest you read through the book once and get a feel for how to go about things. Also, one of the best aspects is the "Sources and Resources" section near the back. If you live in an area without health food stores, woods or land suitable for growing your own herbs, then this will be essential for your ability to find ingredients to make your own green household products.

This book is also suitable for the beginner green cleaner. Most of the recipes, once you have the correct ingredients, are very easy to make and quick to put together. That being said, this book is also for people who are really serious about green cleaning, personal hygiene, pest control and other aspects of running a household. I say that because some of the ingredients used in many of the recipes are costly if you have to buy them instead of gathering them from your yard or a nearby wooded area. Also, essential oils - literally essential in green cleaning! - are expensive. (A little goes a loooong way, though.) This is a lot more than vinegar-baking soda-Castille soap cleaning and requires a higher level of commitment financially.

As a single person, I also found that many of the recipes, especially the ones that are highly perishable, would make too much for me to use in the time they are fresh. Of course, the easy way to get around this is to simply cut the recipes in half or even a quarter. If you can cook or do some simple math (I'm terrible at math and I have no troubles), then you as a single person can cut the recipes down to a manageable, useful amount. I have already cleaned my leather couch, made lanolin hand lotion (great stuff!) and protected my hemp shower curtain from mildew with a spray-on solution containing tea tree oil. How long did it take? I did it effortlessly in one day, around other chores. Very easy.

I would recommend, if you are really interested in green cleaning by desire or necessity, to buy this book and also get "Clean House, Clean Planet" by Karen Logan. To me, Logan's book is the single best way to get someone involved in green cleaning. Her recipes tend to be cheap, easy and effective. This book has a far greater range of recipes for many more uses, but they are overall more expensive and specialized.

Also, a few tips if you are going to get into green cleaning:

1) Get equipment that is used only in making your cleaning products. Some essential oils and other ingredients are very bad for you to eat, and mixups and residues could make your day very long and very bad. I have a simple list: a medium-sized Pyrex bowl and 2-cup Pyrex measure, a silicone spatula, *metal* measuring spoons, a whisk and some glass jars with metal screw-on lids you can get at any decent-sized grocery store. With about $20-$30, you can have nearly all the equipment you will ever need.

2) Start with one product that is cheap and easy to make, and works on something you want to clean right now. Instant gratification is a great way to get into the habit!

3) Especially if you want to clean rather than make personal care products at first, buy one small bottle of essential oil that smells good AND disinfects to cut down costs. I happen to like tea tree oil, but if you prefer a wintergreen type smell, choose lavender. If you find out that green cleaning is for you, then you can branch out into other essential oils more suited for other tasks.



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Review of Lynda Lyday's Do-It-Yourself!: The Illustrated, Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Popular Home Renovation andRepair Projects (Paperback)

this is the only manual you need to get started around the house. no need to wait for "your man" to get something fixed!! can't wait to get her tool line for women. what a great idea.

Product Description
"Can I paint my kitchen countertop?" "How do I stop that annoying drip in the faucet?" "Is there an easier way to fix a cracked tile?"

As the host of DIY Network's popular viewer call-in show "TALK2DIY Home Improvement," professional carpenter Lynda Lyday guides viewers through hundreds of fix-it projects. Now, Lynda has created an easy, accessible, room-by-room guide to the most common home repair and improvement projects that she gets asked about on her show. She shares her expert techniques, along with fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions, so just about anyone can learn to get a job done right--in less time and for less money!

Lynda teaches homeowners to use every tool--from paintbrushes to power tools--to complete essential projects such as:

- installing cabinets and countertops
- fixing cracks and scratches
- repairing or installing flooring
- replacing light fixtures
- hanging drywall
- defrosting frozen pipes

About the Author
Lynda Lyday, a licensed contractor and award-winning carpenter, hosts a home-improvement/repair show on the DIY Network and has also hosted shows on HGTV and the Discovery Channel. She grew up in the South and now lives in New York and Los Angeles.

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Review of What The Experts May Not Tell You About Building or Renovating Your Home (Paperback)

Designing and building a new home is intimidating for three reasons (1) It is something with which you are not familiar; (2) you are not likely to have many friends who have done it; and (3) it is VERY expensive. Worse, you feel responsible for every mistake made, and you know that each mistakes cost you money and time. Buying this book is NOT one of those mistakes. Instead, it is the "ounce of prevention" that will pay for itself many hundreds of times over.

Amy Johnston is a professional construction manager and owner's representative. Her wisdom focuses with framing the entire construction project in terms of a tradeoff between time, quality, and money - you can only have two of the three. We're only part way through our new house, and that rings very, very true. We clearly opted for taking a longer time - will we keep that focus as construction progresses? In any case, she gives the insights into each part of the triangle. Better yet, she is fair - she makes sure that neither you, nor anyone else, is getting cheated. Contractors, architects, bankers, inspectors, and everyone else are clearly defined in their roles - though the most important role is the home owner's, which she describes in great detail.

Every chapter is focused on another phase of the project, and her clear writing opens up the mysteries along the way. She describes who is doing what (or should be doing it), and describes what choices need to made - and what the alternatives are - before saying what her choice is.

Her points are illustrated with good references, pertinent anecdotes, and points that she labels "Insider's tips" and "pitfalls".I was pleased to find that I had miraculously avoided some pitfalls before I bought the book, and I expect to avoid many others as a reuslt of her advice.

I was trying to figure out if this book could be described a "home construction for dummies" book. My initial reactiion was that dummies shouldn't be building a house - there are too many choices and decisions, and way too much complexity. But anyone can feel like a dummy when they make a bad decision, based on not enough knowledge and information.With this book, I have far more confidence that I will be well informed, and the problems that will inevitably occur will be minimzed as much as possible. I refer to the book constantly, and appreciate the wide margins that allows for notes to be made.

Product Description
Creating a dream house shouldn't be a nightmare, but you've all heard the horror stories. Hiring a contractor is an enormous investment and a high-risk endeavor involving decisions that will last a lifetime. This book is a practical survival guide for anyone trying to make it through the construction, expansion or renovation of their home while keeping their dreams, budget and sanity intact.With wit and expertise Johnston reveals the secret pitfalls that can trip up even the most careful homeowners, while equipping them with information and strategies they cannot find elsewhere. Chapters include detailed coverage of critical topics: design, selecting and supervising an architect or contractor, cost estimates, budgets, plans and specifications, contracts, dealing with town officials, as well as methods to keep track of everything along the way. Johnston offers insider tips and discusses pitfalls to be avoided in this step by step guide to help every savvy homeowners learn how the pros set up a project, select the perfect team,and manage it all from start to finish.

From the Publisher
Creating a dream home shouldn't be a nightmare. Hiring a contractor is an enormous investment and a high-risk endeavor involving decisions that will last forever. This book equips homeowners with the information and strategies needed to turn their vision into a home or a renovation that can be built on time and within budget.This book was previously published by Warner Books (2004) and titled What the "Experts" May Not Tell You About Building or Renovating Your Home.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



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