It’s Tool Time

It seems like there is never enough time to get around to all the things that need fixing around the house or the small projects that you want to do to improve the house. Never enough time to take care of the lawn; fix the doorbell, the leaky faucet or the broken garage door; mount new curtain rods and everything else that is on the infamous "to do" list. There's no time like the present to take care of some of the household projects and repairs that have been lurking on that list.  Since I am a DIY novice and have no idea how to tackle some of the projects on my list, I've made friends with the books in the DIY homeowner section.

1001 Do-it-yourself Hints & Tips is a great go-to book for just about anything related to home repair. It is full of "how-tos" to help you do anything from installing weatherstripping to refinishing furniture. It has full-color photos and illustrations to help guide you through any project.

Complete Do-it-yourself Manual Perfect for novices like me, this book offers an introduction to many of the basic tools that a DIY homeowner needs to know about. It's loaded with information, tips and how-tos for almost every imaginable  project.

Lastly, The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair is great for people who like visuals. This book offers more than 2,000 step-by-step photos for all types of home repair projects from replacing a hot water heater to repairing stucco.

The "to do" list is daunting, but the tips and tricks in these books will hopefully help make the projects go smoothly.