Essential Home Skills Handbook: Everything You Need to Know as a New Homeowner

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-recognized 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 odors, 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.