Home repairs need no longer be intimidating Sarah Beeny’s practical, friendly book, DIY Home Repairs: 100 Fix-It-Yourself Projects. Helpfully divided into common-sense sections, you can learn to do on your own many tasks that would otherwise require calling in an expert, probably at some expense, but which are actually not too difficult. Beeny encourages readers by assuring them that all you need is knowledge, experience, and determination. If you have the latter, her book gives you the knowledge so you can go ahead and do it! And the more you do, the more successful you will become.

“Once you have the knowledge you can gather experience. Then, with a little determination, you’ll soon find that you’re able to take charge of maintaining and improving your own home, perhaps saving yourself thousands of dollars along the way.”

Sections include Bathrooms and Kitchens; Doors and Windows; Curtains and Blinds; Floors and Walls; Painting and Decorating; Storage and Furniture; Heating and Insulation; and Home Safety and Security. Got a toilet that doesn’t run? Beeny’s projects include Unclog Toilet and Repair Toilet Flush. Want to Sand your Walls or Build Simple Alcove Cupboards? Beeny can help. Painting, Insulating, Hanging Curtains or Installing Doors or Locks, this great book has you covered.

The instructions are clear and simple, with an essential list of tools needed prefacing each project. Although there are no photographs, simple line drawings explain any steps that might be confusing. Each step within a project is also carefully separated from the others, so you won’t feel overwhelmed. Later projects frequently reference earlier, more basic ones – for example, Install Chair and Picture Frames refers to sections on choosing screws and anchors (in the essential Back to Basics section); Install Baseboards; and Paint Interior Woodwork. Those earlier sections give more detail, so you can still tackle more advanced projects that build on more basic techniques.

The hundred projects covered will give you a lot of experience on which to build, and Beeny’s directions cover the majority of home repairs you will find yourself needing to do. This is a great book to have on hand so you can do the work yourself, just the way you like it.

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