INTRODUCTION

For even the most seasoned home repair expert, gaining experience begins with one project. It might be as simple as painting a wall or unclogging a sink. Then, he or she might tackle a drafty window and then a damaged floorboard. As the projects mount, confidence grows and comfort level increases. Soon, the budding DIYer attains a new level of self-sufficiency. Then, when a new problem or challenge arises, it can be dealt with immediately and at little or no cost. That is the goal.

The home repair projects featured in this book were chosen because they are the ones a new homeowner is most likely to encounter: and they are achievable even for folks with little or no DIY experience and only a handful of basic tools. They range in difficulty from the quick and simple to the somewhat more ambitious and time consuming. But each featured project or skill is shown in full detail with clear color photos and comprehensive, step-by-step instructions.

Sure, these days you can go online and find dozens or hundreds or thousands of articles and videos that claim to show you how to fix your house. Some are helpful, others are incomplete or even wrong. In BLACK+DECKER The Book of Home How-To Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair you can be assured and confident that the information and guidance you find is reliable and exceptionally helpful. We have been making books like this for more than 30 years using a vast network of professional tradespeople to guide the information. But perhaps the best reason to own this book and keep it close at hand is that you will always know where to find the information—no backtracking over dozens of links or discovering that the information you were using is missing or has changed.

So consider this book to be something of a primer for your new adventure in home ownership and home care. You can find many other home repair books that are far thicker than this one and tackle many more projects, including several in the BLACK+DECKER family. But we are confident that the carefully chosen projects featured here will help you solve the home repair projects that are the most likely to come up. Thank you for relying on us to get you started in your handy career and best of luck!