Running a small business can be daunting to the contractor whose expertise is in building -- not finance or law. This book helps to demystify the day-to-day challenges that contractors face. Running a Successful Construction Company is acknowledged as the leading book in its field. Includes 50 color photos and drawings.

The essential ingredient for full enjoyment of your river, lake, pond, or oceanfront property.

If you're fortunate enough to own waterfront property, you know that a dock is essential for realizing maximum value and enjoyment of that land. Now you can build your own dock, or repair an existing dock, with this comprehensive, easy-to-use guide -- the only book devoted exclusively to residential docks.

The Dock Manual contains 10 complete plan for stationary and floating docks -- each with materials and tool lists, and simple, illustrated construction techniques. You'll also find step-by-step instructions for analyzing your shoreline and choosing the right dock for your needs.

You'll refer to The Dock Manual throughout the year for expert advice to help you:

* Make repairs and upgrades

* Winterize your dock

* Build angle, roller, and stair ramps

* Paint, stain, and treat your dock

* Deter and repair decay to wood and plastic

* Incorporate design options like trims and colors

Filled with practical advice as well as history, Blu Greenberg's book is a comprehensive guide to the joys and complexities of running a modern Jewish home. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household is a modern, comprehensive guide covering virtually every aspect of Jewish home life. It provides practical advice on how to manage a Jewish home in the traditional way and offers fascinating accounts of the history behind the tradition. In a warm, personal style, Blu Greenberg shows that, contrary to popular belief, the home, and not the synagogue, is the most important institution in Jewish life. Divided into three large sections-"The Jewish Way," "Special Stages of Life," and "Celebration and Remembering"-this book educates the uninitiated and reminds the already observant Jew of how Judaism approaches daily life. Topics include prayer, dress, holidays, food preparation, marriage, birth, death, parenthood, and many others. This description of the modern-yet-traditional Jewish household will earn special regard among the many American Jews who are reexploring their ties to Jewish tradition. Such Jews will find this book a flexible guide that provides a knowledge of the requirements of traditional Judaism without advocating immediate and complete compliance. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household will also appeal to observant Jews, providing them with helpful tips on how to manage their homes and special insights into the most minute details and procedures in a traditional household. Herself a traditional Jew, Blu Greenberg is nevertheless quite sympathetic to feminist views on the role of women in Jewish observance. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household therefore speaks intimately to women who are struggling to reconcile their identities as modern women with their commitments to traditional Judaism.

Honey is amazingly powerful, both in and out of the kitchen. Rich in vitamins and minerals, and containing antioxidant and antibacterial properties, honey can be used to soothe ulcers, burns, skin sores, inflammation, and more. And studies have shown honey does a better job of easing nighttime coughs and improving sleep than many commercial cough suppressants. In The Honey Companion, chef and DIY maven Suzy Scherr showcases recipes, home remedies, and beauty solutions that highlight honey's unique flavor and utilize it in unexpected ways. She even includes clever household uses for beeswax. You can try: Honey-Sesame Popcorn Shortcut Baklava Herbal Cough Drops Burn treatment Conditioning Hair Treatment Beeswax Granite Countertop Polish

From New York Times Bestselling Author Erica Bauermeister comes a memoir about the power of home and the transformative act of restoring one house in particular. "I think anyone who saves an old house has to be a caretaker at heart, a believer in underdogs, someone whose imagination is inspired by limitations, not endless options." In this mesmerizing memoir-in-essays, Erica Bauermeister renovates a trash-filled house in eccentric Port Townsend, Washington, and in the process takes readers on a journey to discover the ways our spaces subliminally affect us. A personal, accessible, and literary exploration of the psychology of architecture, as well as a loving tribute to the connections we forge with the homes we care for and live in, this book is designed for anyone who's ever fallen head over heels for a house. It is also a story of a marriage, of family, and of the kind of roots that settle deep into your heart. Discover what happens when a house has its own lessons to teach in this moving and insightful memoir that ultimately shows us how to make our own homes (and lives) better.

Building a new house or planning a remodel? Here's the first place to shop for ideas. Enter more than 50 kitchens, each carefully planned and perfectly primped to inspire you. These pages are packed with professional design ideas to help you create a perfect culinary paradise. With an emphasis on fine cabinetry and built-ins, the book examines how a kitchen can be configured to maximize both visual appeal and utility. One chapter also explores other rooms furnished with custom cabinetry.

Build a natural pond for wildlife, beauty, and quiet contemplation Typical backyard ponds are a complicated mess of pipes, pumps, filters, and nasty chemicals designed to adjust pH and keep algae at bay. Hardly the bucolic, natural ecosystem beloved by dragonflies, frogs, and songbirds. The antidote is a natural pond, free of hassle, cost, and complexity and designed as a fully functional ecosystem, ideal for biodiversity, swimming, irrigation, and quiet contemplation. Building Natural Ponds is the first step-by-step guide to designing and building natural ponds that use no pumps, filters, chemicals, or electricity and mimic native ponds in both aesthetics and functionality. Highly illustrated with how-to drawings and photographs, coverage includes: Understanding pond ecosystems and natural algae control Planning, design, siting, and pond aesthetics Step-by-step guidance for construction, plants and fish, and maintenance and trouble shooting Scaling up to large ponds, pools, bogs, and rain gardens. Whether you're a backyard gardener looking to add a small serene natural water feature or a homesteader with visions of a large pond for fish, swimming, and irrigation, Building Natural Ponds is the complete guide to building ponds in tune with nature, where plants, insects, and amphibians thrive in blissful serenity. Robert Pavlis , a Master Gardener with over 40 years of gardening experience, is owner and developer of Aspen Grove Gardens, a six-acre botanical garden featuring over 2,500 varieties of plants. A well-respected speaker and teacher, Robert has published articles in Mother Earth News , Ontario Gardening magazine, the widely read blog GardenMyths.com, which explodes common gardening myths and gardening information site GardenFundamentals.com.

The busy person's guide to mindful consumption How do you reduce your impact when you don't want to compromise your lifestyle? How do you live lighter when you're juggling the motherlode of life? How can you become more mindful of how and what you're consuming? In a previous career, Nicola Turner's job was to convince us to buy more - and now she uses this insight to help us consume less. With her unique ability to keep it real, Nicola shares how her family now lives with less stuff, less waste and less impact. It's made life simpler, saved heaps of time and money and created a healthier, happier family. Filled with do-able ideas and practical hacks, Living Lightly is for everyday people who want to simplify their life and reduce their impact but feel they're just too damn busy. It's all about making simple changes that work for you - and not letting perfect get in the way of good.

Vegetables from your own farm to your own table We all love good food, and the fresher it is, the better! And what could be fresher than farm-to-table terms than vegetables you've grown at home? The new edition of Vegetable Gardening For Dummies puts you in touch with your roots in a thousands of years old farming tradition by demonstrating how easy it is to grow your own. And there's no need to buy a farm: all you need to become a successful cultivator of the land is this book and a small plot of soil in the yard, or a container set aside for some tasty natural edibles. Add water and some care, love, and attention--et voila! In a friendly, come-relax-in-my-garden style Charlie Nardozzi--leading horticultural writer and guest expert on shows such as Martha Stewart Living Radio--shares the nutritious results of a lifetime of vegetable-growing experience to delve into the nitty-gritty of micro-farming. It's not rocket science--quite the opposite--but you do need a bit of patience before you can reap your first glorious harvest. This book shows you how to master that, as you get down and dirty with the enjoyable work of building soil, starting seeds, controlling pests, and maintaining your garden. And as your early efforts turn to green shoots, you can dig deeper into information on special tips and tricks, as well as hundreds of vegetable varieties--many of which are beautiful to behold as well as tasty to eat! Plan out your garden Know your veggies, from tomatoes to chard Keep your plants happy and healthy Harvest, store, and preserve your crops Whether your thumb is a fertile green or you've never put plant-to-pot before, this book will bring out your inner farmer: you'll find everything required to transform your garden into a self-renewing larder--and complement every meal with a crisp, healthy, home-grown treat.

Tired of spending money on contractors? Does home repair seem beyond you? Matt Weber and the team at Extreme How-To share over 300 guides to help you save money while improving your home. Whether a first time home owner or an experienced amateur fixer, everyone can learn something from this comprehensive guide to home repair. Written by Matt Weber and his team of home repair experts from Extremehowto.com, this new 2020 paperback edition is guaranteed to help you become your own contractor.

Life on 1/10th the fossil fuels turns out to be awesome. We all want to be happy. Yet as we consume ever more in a frantic bid for happiness, global warming worsens. Alarmed by drastic changes now occurring in the Earth's climate systems, the author, a climate scientist and suburban father of two, embarked on a journey to change his life and the world. He began by bicycling, growing food, meditating, and making other simple, fulfilling changes. Ultimately, he slashed his climate impact to under a tenth of the US average and became happier in the process. Being the Change explores the connections between our individual daily actions and our collective predicament. It merges science, spirituality, and practical action to develop a satisfying and appropriate response to global warming. Part one exposes our interconnected predicament: overpopulation, global warming, industrial agriculture, growth-addicted economics, a sold-out political system, and a mindset of separation from nature. It also includes a readable but authoritative overview of climate science. Part two offers a response at once obvious and unprecedented: mindfully opting out of this broken system and aligning our daily lives with the biosphere. The core message is deeply optimistic: living without fossil fuels is not only possible, it can be better. AWARDS GOLD (tie) | 2017 IPPY Awards: Books Most Likely to Save the Planet SILVER | 2017 Nautilus Book Awards: Green Living / Sustainability BRONZE | 2017 Foreword INDIES: Ecology & Environment

Marie Kondo will help you declutter your life with her new major Netflix series Organise the World with Marie Kondo Spark Joy is an in-depth, line illustrated, room-by-room guide to decluttering and organising your home, from bedrooms and kitchens to bathrooms and living rooms as well as a wide range of items in different categories, including clothes, photographs, paperwork, books, cutlery, cosmetics, shoes, bags, wallets and valuables. Charming line drawings explain how to properly organise drawers, wardrobes, cupboards and cabinets. The illustrations also show Ms Kondo's unique folding method, clearly showing how to fold anything from shirts, trousers and jackets to skirts, socks and bras. The secret to Marie Kondo's unique and simple KonMari tidying method is to focus on what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of. Ask yourself if something 'sparks joy' and suddenly it becomes so much easier to understand if you really need it in your home and your life. When you surround yourself with things you love you will find that your whole life begins to change. Marie Kondo's first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, presents her unique tidying philosophy and introduces readers to the basics of her KonMari method. It has already transformed the homes and lives of millions of people around the world. Spark Joy is Marie Kondo's in-depth tidying masterclass, focusing on the detail of how to declutter and organise your home.

Praise for The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family

"A guidebook for frantic families who want to reduce stress, tension, and pressure, and make the adventure of family life more exuberant."
--Frances Hesselbein, chairman and founding president of Leader to Leader Institute, formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit

Management; former CEO, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

"This is terrific. Just like he does in his business books, Lencioni combines great fiction with uncommon wisdom and practical advice. He provides simple toolsthat will help any family reduce stress and increase vitality."
--Tim Tassopoulos, senior vice president, operations, Chick-fil-A, Inc.

"By interjecting concepts like strategy and organizational values into families, Lencioni may just revolutionize the way we see our roles as leaders at home. This should be a classic."
--Jim Levine, author, Working Fathers: New Strategies for Balancing Work and Family

"Finally, a family book that doesn't bore me with academic jargon or make me feel inadequate as a parent. I loved it and put it to use immediately."
--Patty DeWitt, school teacher, wife, mother of three

"Patrick's delightful story is as engaging as it is powerful. He elevates the difficult role of managing a family to the place where it belongs."
--Elisa Morgan, CEO, MOPS International; publisher, FullFill

Part celebrity memoir and part self-help book, Better than New goes behind the scenes with an entrepreneurial single mum who worked her way from waitress/real estate agent to home renovation expert, preservationist, and television star. With eight chapters in the book - eight lessons told through her life story and through several of the homes she has remodeled - readers will get to see another side of Nicole Curtis, including the private and personal struggles that are not seen on TV. Working in Detroit and Minneapolis, Curtis has opened her fans' eyes to the beauty of older homes and the value of reclaiming and reusing authentic original materials rather than sending dumpster loads to the local landfill. Curtis applies the same principles to her personal life - valuing old friends, rescuing dogs, and advocating for the wounded, the elderly, and the disadvantaged. Readers will find inspiration to apply to their own lives supplemented with never-before-seen photos of Curtis and the homes she renovates. Better than New is a visual treat, packed with more than 75 colour photographs from Curtis's personal collection, ranging from family photos to before-and-after photos of the rehabbed homes' interiors and exteriors.

In seven simple steps... Lean removes waste: wasted money, energy, resources. Lean will give you the gift of time. Lean is a set of principles embraced by the most creative and dynamic organisations around the world, and now for the first time, Swedish social entrepreneur Eva Jarlsdotter applies them to family life. Embracing the Japanese 'stream' technique, Eva's seven steps show you how to systematically create and maintain order. From kaizen (continuous improvement) to kanban (visual planning), these principles will bring harmony and a sense of flow to your home. No more time wasted searching for your keys, important paperwork or your internet banking password; no more throwing away food past its sell-by date or arguing about the mess; no more feeling on the back foot all the time. This transformative book will also empower children in the household to take responsibility for their belongings and their schedules, meaning a lot less parental nagging. This modern guide will transform family life from the inside out. The time you save can be channelled into doing things you actually want to do. Be inspired by Eva's own story, understand how Lean works and start to apply her small changes to your everyday life - you will be delighted with the results.

With his signature wit, charm, and seemingly limitless knowledge, Bill Bryson takes us on a room-by-room tour through his own house, using each room as a jumping off point into the vast history of the domestic artifacts we take for granted. As he takes us through the history of our modern comforts, Bryson demonstrates that whatever happens in the world eventually ends up in our home, in the paint, the pipes, the pillows, and every item of furniture. Bryson has one of the liveliest, most inquisitive minds on the planet, and his sheer prose fluency makes "At Home" one of the most entertaining books ever written about private life.

Taking care of the earth is more important than ever, but the problems we're facing can seem overwhelming. Living Green: The Missing Manual helps make earth-friendly decisions more manageable by narrowing them down to a few simple choices. This all-in-one resource is packed with practical advice on ways you can help the environment by making simple changes in your home routine, work habits, and the way you shop and get around town. You don't have to embark on a radical new lifestyle to make a difference. Living Green: The Missing Manual shows you how small changes can have a big impact. With this book, you will: Learn how to make your home energy efficient and free of toxic chemicalsDiscover how to reduce waste, repurpose and recycle, and do more with lessBuild and remodel earth-friendly homes with new techniques and materialsLearn tips for buying organic food and what it takes to grow your ownGet helpful information on fuel-efficient cars, including hybrid and electric modelsMake your workplace greener and more cost-effective -- from changes at your desk to suggestions for company-wide policiesExplore how to choose renewable energies, such as wind and solar power

The book also provides you with ways to connect with like-minded people and offers a survey of exciting new green technologies. Learn how you can help the planet with Living Green: The Missing Manual.

NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES: CAROL DRINKWATER'S SECRET PROVENCE The first in Carol Drinkwater's bestselling series set on a Provencal olive farm. 'She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside' BELLA 'Spellbinding' CHOICE 'Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'All my life, I have dreamed of acquiring a crumbling, shabby-chic house overlooking the sea. In my mind's eye, I have pictured a corner of paradise where friends can gather to swim, relax, debate, eat fresh fruits picked directly from the garden and great steaming plates of food served from an al fresco kitchen and dished up on to a candlelit table the length of a railway sleeper...' When Carol Drinkwater and her partner Michel have the opportunity to buy 10 acres of disused olive farm in Provence, the idea seems absurd. After all, they don't have a lot of money, and they've only been together a little while. THE OLIVE FARM is the story of the highs and lows of purchasing the farm and life in Provence: the local customs and cuisine; the threats of fire and adoption of a menagerie of animals; the potential financial ruin and the thrill of harvesting their own olives - especially when they are discovered to produce the finest extra-virgin olive oil...

"Jen Robin is not just an organizer-she is a teacher and a healer. As she helps sort our 'stuff' she is also sorting our values, emotions, relationships, and dreams. She is a magician and this book will work magic on your home and life." - Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed In this essential guide, the creative force behind the popular organization company Life in Jeneral reveals her emotionally engaged approach to decluttering-a unique process that empowers people to re-envision their spaces to suit their evolving needs. Life is about connection, not collection. Jen Robin's company, Life in Jeneral, focuses on the "soul work" of home organization-the psychological and emotional foundation necessary for creating a streamlined and sustainable lifestyle. For Jen, change comes from within-a process that to succeed, must begin with the heart. Americans are spending more time at home than ever before, and many have come to realize that their living spaces aren't serving them. We have too many things, resulting in physical and mental clutter. And the organizational strategies we try only go so far, leaving us feeling disconnected and disheartened. Life in Jeneral helps you build healthier mental habits that allow us to break free from the clutter, while providing traditional strategies to get-and stay-organized. Beautifully designed and featuring examples from Jen's personal experiences and those of her clients, Life in Jeneral teaches us how to: Flip common mental blocks that prevent us from organizational success Identify and tackle "clutter magnets"-the spaces where things seem to gather Discover common emotional baggage keyed to specific types of clutter Organize and evolve specific spaces in the home, room by room Life in Jeneral offers a holistic approach to organization; once we understand what we want from our spaces-how they can nurture and support our emotional well-being-we can create a home that feels both practical and joyful.