Home ownership - recommended books?

[poptart77]

My wife and I are moving into our new home this Saturday so I started wondering if there were books I should be reading to help me prepare for the types of things that come up as a homeowner. Are there any books that are well recommended for maintenance, repairs, upgrades, etc... ?

Thanks a bunch!

[jm1]

The CMHC website is excellent for non-biased, free info to get started and to identify issues. You can then look at the many how-to detailed books or online for specific items. For example, CMHC talks about humidity/moisture in the attic and why it's bad, how it gets there and ways to fix it. The how-to books will give you specifics on how to fix the issue, but mostly assume you already identified the issue to start with.

[Dustbunny]

The best book I've found lately is called Do It Yourself, A step by step guide to fixing, building, and installing almost anything in your home. It's co authored by Jon Eaks and just came out this year. This book doesn't go into basic maintenance, but it does show you how things work and how to repair a lot of things.

Readers Digest also puts out good books, some on maintenance, some on repair/reno. They have one which I can't find at the moment (probably the basic home maintenance) which also describes tools, materials, hardware that you should just have on hand. If this is your first home I suggest you get some basic tools because you will need them right away just to hang things for instance.

One reason I like both Readers Digest and the new one is there are good clear instructions and good clear illustrations. After buying a few books, those are the ones I tend to use most. There are a lot of books which tend to assume you know some things or don't give clear instructions so they are frustrating.

If you are a Costco member they often have great books for less than other sources. You have to keep your eye open and grab them when you see them.

[poptart77]

Thanks for the suggestions! I do have a Costco membership and never even thought of checking their selection until you brought it up. I'll have to stop there tomorrow to see if they have the book you recommended.

If anyone else has suggestions to offer, please let me know.

[Dustbunny]

I can't remember seeing much there lately (seems they are stocked up on gift and cook books this time of year) but it seems to me that come Jan. is when they fill the place with home books. It is worth keeping an eye open. I got all my favs mentioned there and they cost $25 vs $45 - $60 in stores.

I do think that at the moment they have the new Mike Holmes book which just came out in paperback. It's tailored more to the type of things he deals with on his shows but may be useful to you. I think it's $12.