Home ::  Articles

Look It Up! Our Go-to Reference Books
Home improvement booksThe day may come that the Web will offer all the home improvement information you'll ever need. But until people can take their computers under the sink to compare onscreen how-to illustrations with the faucet they're replacing, there will always be a place for books. That said, here are the books we return to time and again.

Common Sense Pest Control
By Bill and Helga Olkowski and Sheila Daar (Taunton Press, 1991)

When pests invade your home, garden, or even your body (yes, this book covers lice), reach for this 715-page guide to least-toxic solutions before you reach for the bug spray. The authors explain the biology of the pests that plague us, then show you their weaknesses so you can control the infestation.

Renovation: A Complete Guide
By Michael W. Litchfield (Sterling Publications, 1977)

A classic guide to restoring and updating old houses by our very own Mike Litchfield, this 592-page book covers the keys to a successful rehab in the sequence that the work should proceed. Over 1,000 photographs and illustrations complement the real-world experience Mike captured in the course of restoring five houses and talking with hundreds of pros from coast to coast.

A Pattern Language
By Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein
(Oxford University Press, 1977)

One of the most influential, and unconventional, books on architecture ever published, this 1,171-page book provides structured solutions to more than 200 design problems, everything from laying out a town to making plans for a bed alcove or staircase. Drawing inspiration from many countries and cultures, the design patterns they propose stimulate the imagination and provide specific suggestions on scale and proportion.

Code Check: A Field Guide to Building a Safe House
By Redwood Kardon (Taunton Press, 1995)

How high should you mount a handrail above a staircase? How large a hole can you drill through a stud? Answers to these and about 600 other common questions about residential building codes are neatly addressed in 32 laminated, spiral-bound pages. Conceived and written by a former building inspector for use by contractors and inspectors on the job, this guide boils down hundreds of pages of code books to the most frequent head-scratchers.

The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling
By Charlie Wing (Rodale Press, 1990)

This extensively illustrated book gives a quick and concise visual reference to all the common building systems from design to framing and interior finish work.
 Copyright ©2012