Mr. Fix-It Introduces You to Your Home

I bought my first house, and knew nothing--and got this as a housewarming gift from my brother. It is a really terrific book! I found it easy and fun to read (which is something I could not say about the other home improvement books I have), and yet there is a huge amount of information crammed into it. It's got clever illustrations in it, which I've found really useful. I have to have a lot of renovations done and am working with contractors more than I ever imagined. This book has made it possible to talk to them without sounding like a numbskull. After reading this book I know I am saving a lot of money, and I've got a good feeling that I am spending my money on the right things that will improve the value of my house in the long run. Even if you think you know something about houses, GET THIS BOOK!!!

This book gives a great overview of how your house works. It's geared towards first time homeowners and I think it does a pretty good job explaining the various systems in a typical house -- how they work and what can go wrong with them.I think a problem with the book is that it tries to keep every chapter to about 20 pages. I don't know why this is. As a result, some subjects that are more complicated could use more detail, and some just seem to drag on a little longer than I would've liked.The chapters near the end are also less defined and appear to be just a bunch of thoughts thrown together.But all-in-all, it's a great book to learn about your new house. The text is easy to read with some humour and good annecdotes from the author's experience. Great housewarming gift.NOTE: There is a newer version of this book under a different title that you might want to check out (ISBN: 0345449894).