Home Improvement for Dummies.

All home improvements don’t require a contractor. Installing a smoke detector, painting a room, and unclogging a sink are all home improvements. In fact, doing the job yourself is often cheaper and always more rewarding. There’s no mystery to home repair. The most important tool you need to make home repairs is know-how—to fix the problem at hand and to buy the other tools and hardware you’ll need!

Home Improvement For Dummies is a whole-house repair manual for everyone from fledgling do-it-yourselfers to seasoned handymen and women. This anybody-can-do-it approach will help you with a repair that needs fixing right away or get you started on a project you’ve been planning. This book is for you if you need advice on these topics and more:

• Painting and decorating
• Carpentry
• Plumbing and electrical
• Outside repairs
• Building shelves
• Tiling
• Insulating

Calculate how much a repair will cost you, and know when to hire a pro. With clear illustrations that walk you, step by step, through projects, Home Improvement For Dummies helps you:

• Refinish and stain wood
• Repair squeaky stairs
• Install floor tiles
• Improve your home’s energy efficiency
• Maintain and upgrade plumbing
• Install an outdoor sprinkler system
• Install a ceiling fan
• Maintain central air conditioning and heating

Whether you just have a few pesky projects you want to fix quickly or you want to become a home-improvement expert, this easy-to-follow guide gives you everything you will ever need to know. A helpful appendix is packed with online resources that let you network with other do-it-yourselfers.

"The most comprehensive guide available for those of us who are ‘home improvement challenged.’"

—Susan Powell, Host of Discovery Channel’s Home Matters

Over 300 step-by-step illustrations show you how

"Gene and Katie Hamilton . . . offer lots of do-it-yourself know-how."

—USA Today

Make your own house calls with this handy guide to home improvement. From fixing leaky faucets and replacing faded wallpaper to installing light fixtures and repairing broken furniture, Home Improvement For Dummies® shows you how to save time, save money, and save your sanity!

Praise for Gene and Katie Hamilton’s HouseNet.com

"For home renovators looking for tips . . . HouseNet is the place to go."

—Newsweek

"Voted the best place on the Web for fixing up your home."

—Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine

"Think of . . . Gene and Katie Hamilton as your helpful neighbors."

—Chicago Tribune

Discover how to:

• Tackle basic home improvement projects
• Paint, refinish, and wallpaper like a pro
• Fix or replace all kinds of flooring
• Maintain and weatherproof windows and doors
• Troubleshoot plumbing and electrical problems

The authors provide the knowledge do-it-yourselfers need to tackle routine home repairs--complete with two-color illustrations for guidance. Step-by-step instructions walk readers through such major tasks as plumbing, electrical repair, and carpentry projects. 300 illustrations.

Gene and Katie Hamilton write the syndicated "Do it Yourself . . . or Not?" newspaper column and are authors of For Dummies guides to carpentry, painting & wallpapering, and plumbing.

Introduction.

PART I: Getting Down to Business.

Chapter 1: The Biggest Room in Your House.

Chapter 2: Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

Chapter 3: Gearing Up for Your Home Improvement Adventures.

PART II: Painting and Decorating.

Chapter 4: Interior Painting: A Quick Facelift for Your Rooms.

Chapter 5: Exterior Painting: Now That's a House of a Different Color!

Chapter 6: Refinishing and Staining Wood.

Chapter 7: Wallpapering Projects.

PART III: The Nuts and Bolts of Carpentry.

Chapter 8: Walking the Floor Over You.

Chapter 9: Windows Don't Have to Be a Pane.

Chapter 10: Doors: An Open and Shut Case.

PART IV: Plumbing and Electricity.

Chapter 11: Becoming Your Own Plumber.

Chapter 12: Maintaining and Upgrading Plumbing Appliances.

Chapter 13: Light Up Your Life with Electrical Repairs and Replacements.

Chapter 14: Maintaining and Upgrading Electrical Appliances.

PART V: Improvements Inside and Out.

Chapter 15: Inside Repairs and Improvements.

Chapter 16: Outside Repairs and Improvements.

PART VI: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Avoid Common Painting Mistakes.

Chapter 18: Ten Important Ways to Burglar-Proof Your House.

Chapter 19: Ten Great Ways to Save Energy.

Chapter 20: Ten Things to Remember When You're Hiring a Contractor.

Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Make Your Home Safer and More Accessible.

Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Kid-Proof Your Home.

Chapter 23: Ten Quick Fixes to Transform Any Room.

Appendix: Home Improvement Help Online.

Index.

Book Registration Information.