A retro-fit offers many benefits: cutting electricity and heating bills, increasing the resale value of homes, slashing carbon emissions and creating a healthier place to live. This book is the guide to making it happen. It looks at: draught-proofing, insulation and damp ventilation, heating and cooling electrical efficiency and renewable energy water use and re-use materials' life cycles and incorporating nature protection from climate change impacts - modelling energy flows and embodied energy how we can meet the need to cut carbon emissions from dwellings by eighty percent by 2050. Projects can apply to apartment blocks, recent builds and older, solid-walled properties. Enlivened with helpful diagrams and photographs, plus plenty of pointers for further information, it provides a comprehensive resource handbook for any building professional and contractor, students - or any homeowner serious about efficiency (cash and carbon) savings.

Driveways, paths and patios are an essential part of most properties and this comprehensive book provides a detailed explanation of exactly how they are designed, planned and constructed. Discusses the design of driveways, paths and patios with reference to their planned use, style, size, gradients and special features such as steps, ramps and terraces. Considers the range of materials available including block paving, flags, slabs, setts, cubes, cobbles, loose aggregates, plain & patterned concrete and tarmac. Analyses how to estimate costs and making the choice between the DIY approach and using a professional contractor. Examines the critical issue of drainage. Lays bare the mathematics associated with accurate setting-out and levelling. Describes the range of tools and equipment needed. Details the correct constructions of kerbs and edging and laying methods for flags, block paving and much more.

Handmade Tile is a contemporary guide for ceramic artists and anyone interested in custom tile installations-from making, designing, and decorating to designing your space and installation. No matter how many years of experience you have as a ceramic artist or how many home-improvement projects you've tackled, nothing prepares you for the unique world of ceramic tile. From concept and design, through firing and installation, ceramic tiling is one of the few places in a home where art is permanently installed as a feature of a room. In Handmade Tile, Forrest Lesch-Middelton shares everything he's learned as the founder and owner of the custom tile business FLM Ceramics and Tile. From his years as a one-man operation to his current production facility, Forrest has seen it all and helps you every step of the way. Whether you want to make your own tile, or want to use artistic and custom-made tile in your home, this book has everything you need. Key features of the book include: Making Tile: key tools, rolling, cutting, extruding Decorating: glazes, image transfer, cuerda seca, underglaze, slip Designing Your Space: tile in context, choosing your tile, codes and standards Installation: removing old tile, backing, preparing surfaces, setting, grouting Galleries and interviews with today's top workings artists in tile round out the package. Featured artists include Allison Bloom, Boris Aldridge, Disc Interiors, PV Tile, and more.

BBC Interior Design Masters finalist Siobhan Murphy brings you a fearless home interiors handbook that celebrates maximalism and shows you how your taste in fashion can influence your home decor. 'For me, maximalism is about using colour, patterns and textures in a happy and joyful way. It's about showcasing your personality and the things you love, both in the way you dress and in the way you decorate your home. It's decorating from the heart, going with your gut and not worrying what the neighbours will say.' Siobhan Murphy This first-of-its-kind interiors handbook encourages you to think about the colours, textures, patterns and prints that bring happiness into your life, then shows you some clever ways to work these elements into your home decor. A celebration of bold fashion and maximalist interiors, More Is More Decor showcases key maximalist influencers of the past and present, from Jayne Mansfield to Jonathan Adler, before demonstrating how fashion and other interests such as travel can inspire your interior design choices. Fully illustrated throughout with photos of Siobhan's incredible art deco home, as well as all of her favourite influencers, it's a feast for the eyes and a book that can be pored over or dipped in and out of. With Siobhan's guidance you'll find the confidence to experiment, be bolder with your style and curate a space that fills you with joy. It's time to banish the beige, ditch the drab and throw the interiors rule book out of the window. Chapter breakdown: 1. What Is Maximalism? 2. Inspiration From Places and Things 3. Inspiration From Influencers Past 4. Inspiration From Today's Influencers 5. Playing With Colour 6. Pattern and Print 7. Accessories: The Jewellery of the Home 8. Mood Boarding and Sourcing

The Queen of Clean
with her royal tips for every season,
an untidy home would almost be treason!

Winter

Make snow shoveling a breeze...store holiday decorations with no tangles...humidify dry indoor air...care for flannel sheets...make those Valentine's gems sparkle

Spring

Garden the natural way...allergy-proof your home...banish grass stains...color your Easter eggs

Summer

Prepare for family road trips...care for your camping equipment...keep bugs away without chemicals...clean your sports gear

Fall

Get organized for back to school...store your summer clothes properly...put away your air conditioner...prepare for stress-free holidays!

The Sunday Times bestseller, Making It is an inspirational memoir about beating the odds and turning things around even when it all seems hopeless, by Jay Blades, the beloved star of hit BBC One show The Repair Shop. We had our hardships, and there were times that we didn't have a lot of food and didn't have a lot of money. But that didn't stop me having the time of my life. In his book, Jay shares the details of his life, from his childhood growing up sheltered and innocent on a council estate in Hackney, to his adolescence when he was introduced to violent racism at secondary school, to being brutalized by police as a teen, to finally becoming the presenter of the hit primetime show The Repair Shop. Jay reflects on strength, weakness and what it means to be a man. He questions the boundaries society places on male vulnerability and how letting himself be nurtured helped him flourish into the person he is today. An expert at giving a second life to cherished items, Jay's positivity, pragmatism and kindness shine through these pages and show that with care and love, anything can be mended.

This Old House meets #HomeImprovementFails in this collection of laugh-out-loud essays, perfect for fans of Nick Offerman, CarTalk, or The Red Green Show. "This book is all the fix-it you need for your hurt home improvement ego." --Harrison Scott Key, Thurber-prize winning author of The World's Largest Man Meet Brian Harris, a (mostly) retired, self-proclaimed jack of all trades with a penchant for DIY and inventive money-saving schemes. Armed with a soldering gun, his trusty nine-foot ladder, and of course the handyman's secret weapon--duct tape--Brian's projects start out as simple chores: trim a tree branch, stain the cedar siding on his home...but all too often they end in costly disaster. Sometimes he's trying to do the right thing, like the time he wrecked his pool while saving some baby ducks. Often, he channels his inner MacGyver: he once taped his hockey skate back together so he could finish his rec-league game, only to get suspended for falling on the referee when it broke (again). But usually he's just being, well, cheap! Like the time he inadvertently destroyed a $295 car key fob because he wouldn't pay the (outrageous) $10 fee to have the battery professionally replaced. In The Cheap Handyman, Brian anthologizes his hard-won wisdom, teaching us how (not) to cut down a tree, what to do if a stray cat has kittens in your HVAC system, three very incorrect uses for duct tape, the manifold hazards of pool maintenance, and more. Filled with unforgettable true stories from the everyday life of an average guy just trying to save a few bucks, The Cheap Handyman is a delightful tribute to anyone who has ever thought, "Sure! I can do that!"

There are other manuals on how to build cabins, but W. Ben Hunt's is the only one that shows you how to build and furnish an authentic pioneer cabin the easy way, natural, using only hand tools and the woods around you. Our ancestors used logs and hand tools to build durable, dry, windproof, and protective dwellings; and they fashioned chairs, beds, and tables out of half logs, twigs branches, and bushes. In this day of power saws, lumberyards, and high prices, it's good to know that you can build in the same way.

Todays leading interior designers are absolutely enamored with concrete. Innovators and artisans are enthusiastically exploring the ever-expanding uses for concrete as an artistic medium, and the potential seems endless. New permanent colors for concrete are infinite and the textures limited only by the imagination. Concrete can imitate any surface, from expensive marble and granite to slick glass or worn and faded terracotta and brick.\nThis book takes you on a visual tour of amazing concrete applications indoors, from floors and countertops, to fireplace surrounds. It highlights groundbreaking artistry in concrete that is opening the doors for craftsmen, and even do-it-yourselfers, to create murals on floors, walls, and ceilings.\nA companion volume explores decorative applications for the homes exterior.

One of a new series of Haynes DIY Manuals. Welding is an art that goes back to the days of the village blacksmith, but until recently the tools and materials needed were too expensive for DIY use. Nowadays, however, equipment that was once considered

Each title in this new do-it-yourself series presents over 20 projects to complete with clear, step-by-step color photographs throughout. Each book includes an easily-accessible materials list for each project as well as all necessary stencils, patterns and templates. Whether you decide to decorate an entire house or garden, or simply want to make a thoughtful hand-made gift, the In A Weekend Series has all the ideas you need.Look inside for a host of creative ideas for making planters and window boxes from scratch, as well as transforming and reviving articles from around the home.

If you have only dreamed about the beauty of building with timbers, this book will open your eyes. It will convince you that this method is not only practical today for homes and other buildings, but often is less expensive than "stick building."

Timber frame builder Jack Sobon and writer Roger Schroeder offer a book for builders as well as those wishing to have the work done for them. Here is practical how-to for both beginners and experienced carpenters who want to try this method. It offers:

The basics of timber framing.

How to design for strength and beauty.

How to combine modern tools and time-tested methods.

A starter project: How to build a 12 x 16 garden toolshed.

Dozens of illustrations and photos that make it all easy to understand.

Guided by a rediscovered spirit of self-sufficiency, a renewed sense of thrift, and a deepened commitment to the natural environment, legions of people are finding satisfaction in vegetable gardening. As gardeners spend more time in their gardens, they look for ways to make their gardens more productive, their garden chores easier, and their outdoor spaces more enjoyable. Now, with just a little time and a handful of tools, gardeners can create handsome, handcrafted items for their gardens at a fraction of the cost of buying retail. "The Vegetable Gardeners Book of Building Projects" presents 39 ideas for simple projects from cold frames to compost bins, from planters to picnic tables, and from trellises to tool storage. Each project was hand-selected by Storey's editors to be functional, attractive, and easy to complete. Each includes step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, complete materials and lumber lists, no-nonsense tips, and a four-color photograph of the finished product in its natural setting. Projects are as practical as they are simple; many are ideal for the beginning woodworker, and most can be completed in a matter of hours. Whether a gardener needs a support for his beans and peas or looks forward to relaxing in a lawn chair or garden swing when the work is done, these plans are the perfect starting point.

Only you can know what kind of kitchen you need, so whether you plan to do most of the work yourself or hire specialists to do it for you, this book takes you through the whole process of working out your requirements and translating them into reality. It helps you anticipate practical problems, offers detailed guidance & is fully illustrated in colour, making the process of creating your dream kitchen as painless as it can be. Dennis Dixon is a professional kitchen fitter and a qualified electrician, with many years' experience of kitchen installation and property management. He lives in Hampshire and works on projects throughout the south of England.

In 2003 Ben Law captivated the nation by building his woodland house on Channel 4s Grand Designs programme, the home was later voted the most popular Grand Design ever by viewers. The presenter, Kevin McCloud, loved the project so much that he has written the foreword to this book! A Grand Designs Revisited programme was aired on British TV in October 2005. Full of stunning colour photographs, The Woodland House is a visual guide to how Ben built his outstandingly beautiful home in the woods. It is also a practical manual, and the story of a man realising a lifetimes dream to build one of the most sustainable and beautiful homes in Britain. The Woodland House gives details of the evolving design process, the identifying of materials, costings, project management and the actual building. It proves that low cost, low impact and high aesthetics can go hand in hand and that it is possible to build green and affordably. As the pre-eminent UK example of building with wood and renewable materials this will also appeal to the growing number of people with environmental and green interests, as well as to the building community