Essential Home Skills Handbook

Whether you're moving from an apartment to your first home or you're inspired to tackle a particular home project, we're glad you're here! If you've decided it's time to fix that dripping faucet or a small gutter leak before it becomes a big problem, let's get to it.

Written by the knowledgeable editors at Cool Springs Press—recognised experts in DIY home improvement and maintenance with more than thirty years of experience in home improvement and hundreds of best-selling books under the BLACK+DECKER brand—this is DIY instruction you can trust. While we also publish expert-level guides on everything from plumbing to wiring, this book is designed to be different: it's a plain-language resource with directions not for experts, but for anyone looking to learn more about their home and make it better.

Inside, you'll find directions for 100+ common home repairs and maintenance tasks, with an eye toward the most common issues people have in their home. Whether you need to fix a leaky faucet, cure garbage disposal odours, stop a door from squeaking, or bring a dead electrical outlet back to life, everything a budding DIYer needs is between the covers. A sample of the projects inside includes:

• Home Heating and Cooling: Install v-strip door weather stripping, install adhesive foam window weather stripping, seal air leaks, insulate an attic or crawl space, caulk windows and doors, install a smoke detector, replace a bathroom fan, clean and maintain a central AC unit, replace a furnace filter, seal and insulate ductwork, install a ceiling fan, replace an exterior dryer vent.
• Structural Openings: Hang a new door, install a lockset, install a screen or storm door, install bi-fold closet doors, maintain a sliding glass door, replace a window pane, patch a window screen.
• Plumbing: Install a touchless faucet, repair a pop-up drain stopper, repair the four most common types of faucets, repair a kitchen sink sprayer, install a pedestal sink, unclog a sink, adjust shower water temperature, repair a leaking shut-off valve, replace a toilet o-ring or flush mechanism, drain your water heater, recaulk a tub, insulate water pipes.
• Electrical Issues: Install undercabinet lighting, install a dimmer switch, upgrade an outlet to GFCI, install a whole house surge protector, fix a dead outlet, replace a light fixture.
• Interior Surfaces: Fix a wall crack, install a backsplash, hang a floating shelf, fix damaged tile countertop, fix floor squeaks, repair water damage.
• Exterior Concerns: Fix a roof hole, replace shingles, patch a steel gutter, install gutter screens, repair or replace roof flashing, maintain a garage door, repair damaged siding, stiffen or reinforce an unstable deck, install a floodlight.

Clear, easy-to-follow instructions with photos of each step lead the way. This is a book that gives you more power and control over your home, saves frustration, and ideally, helps save some money as well.