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.

Ron Kamrowski has written this book to share the experiences of using a metal detector. Most writings of this nature deal with the workings of a metal detector, this work contains actual events to explain that there are literally millions of places to search. Untouched areas abound in the United States where history, although only dating a few centuries, can be discovered in your own backyard.

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.

Finally, an easy to follow guide for prepping that seasonal vacation property for the off-season. This do-it-yourself guide is written by an expert who manages personal properties every day- and sees the problems!! Now he shares the secrets so you can avoid the heartaches and headaches when you leave your beautiful summer home, home For Sale, or part time only residence behind.

A complete diary for your home. Great source for keeping and organizing all your information in one place. Space for your notes and photo's. Keep track of your renovations, taxes, and even outdoor plants. A helpful aid for selling or buying. Makes a great Housewarming gift!

This book offers hundreds of ideas for turning a backyard into an outdoor living area. Taunton's best-selling "Idea Book" series has sold more than 2.5-million copies. Featured ideas range from outdoor kitchens and fireplaces to innovative and clever solutions for outdoor storage and play areas. Everyone wants more from their homes and that means expanding the liveable space to the outdoors. In fact, homeowners are spending more time and money than ever on their gardens. This book brings together hundreds of fresh ideas and unique solutions for making the most of outdoor space. The inspiration is limitless for small to extensive projects. It is brimming with ideas for porches and patios, outdoor rooms for dining and entertaining, garden rooms, all types of sheds and outdoor buildings and more. Add natural pool settings and picturesque outbuildings to the mix and readers will delight in this outdoor design guide. A new sidebar features a DIY project for more hands-on homeowners.

In this book, Taunton present 21 articles from past issues of "Fine Homebuilding" magazine, - all of which deal with windows and doors-choosing them, building them, installing them, fixing them. Written by builders, these articles represent hard-won knowledge and years of experience. Because they're often called on to remodel homes, builders see first-hand what has and hasn't worked. You'd be hard pressed to find better advice than what's collected here. You'll learn techniques that yield weather-tight installation, how to choose energy-efficient units, how to install specialty doors, how to make stock windows a custom look, and more.

This is the manual for anyone who wants to become a skilled upholsterer. The book, now made available again in paperback, contains a total of 15 step-by-step projects. The first eight are basic skills projects and collectively these explain the key skills needed to complete any upholstery task.The projects include a drop-in-bottom chair, an overstuffed seat, caning, a box cushion and recovering a modern chair. The remaining seven projects involve the application of skills learnt in the first chapter. Pieces featured are an Art Deco armchair, a wing chair, a chaise longue and a leather chesterfield. A basic techniques section is included, but the aim of this book is to get straight in to the projects, getting hands-on experience of upholstery. There is information on the tools and materials needed, where to look for furniture that you can upholster and advice on choosing fabric. No other book on the market takes such a clear, progressive approach to teaching upholstery.

The immensely popular blogger behind Little House Living provides a timeless and "heartwarming guide to modern homesteading" (BookPage) that will inspire you to live your life simply and frugally-perfect for fans of The Pioneer Woman and The Hands-On Home. Shortly after getting married, Merissa Alink and her husband found themselves with nothing in their pantry but a package of spaghetti and some breadcrumbs. Their life had seemingly hit rock bottom, and it was only after a touching act of charity that they were able to get back on their feet again. Inspired by this gesture of kindness as well as the beloved Little House on the Prairie books, Merissa was determined to live an entirely made-from-scratch life, and as a result, she rescued her household budget-saving thousands of dollars a year. Now, she reveals the powerful and moving lessons she's learned after years of homesteading, homemaking, and cooking from scratch. Filled with charm, practical advice, and gorgeous full-color photographs, Merissa shares everything from tips on budgeting to natural, easy-to-make recipes for taco seasoning mix, sunscreen, lemon poppy hand scrub, furniture polish, and much more. Inviting and charming, Little House Living is the epitome of heartland warmth and prairie inspiration.

Imagine a world where Wellington boots come with a 24-page instruction manual, or council carers who are prohibited from making tea for OAPs in case they scald themselves on the job. Welcome to Britain in the 21st century, where the Jobsworths now lords it large, issuing edicts of mind-boggling stupidity that ruin the quality of people's lives all in the name of 'elf n safety'. Journalist Alan Pearce has compiled the most outrageous and hilarious (and unfortunately all true) examples. They will make you cringe whilst crying with laughter. Read about the author who was banned from selling his book in case it caused paper cuts; the swings removed from a playground in case children were blinded by the sun while playing on them; an international cycle race banned after worries about urinating cyclists; the risk assessment needed before a local village hall could sell mince pies. You couldn't make it up!

Build your own treehouses, swing sets, skate ramps, Ninja courses, and more! Kids and families of all ages are rediscovering the great outdoors, including their own backyards. It is more important than ever to be able to entertain our kids at home, teach them about nature, and give them a great time building, exercising, staying in shape, and working together. All of these actions help foster independence, confidence, and growth. In Do-It-Yourself Backyard Playgrounds, authors Jean and David Stiles offer user-friendly plans (all hand-drawn by David) and step-by-step instructions to help you build something great in your own backyard. They offer a range of easy, timeless projects that can be made in an afternoon--trolley ride, treasure chest, circle swing, lemonade stand--alongside more ambitious projects, like the warped wall and treehouse. Learn how to build a complete Ninja adventure course and see how the treehouse can double as a home base for the adventure course that radiates from it! The book includes photos of projects (during construction and completed), and explanatory step-by-step illustrations.

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!

A completely revised, redesigned and updated edition of the number one guide to home wiring and lighting, now in handy paperback format. Contains comprehensive and up-to-date information on the new electrical regulations. Whether you're changing a fuse, inserting a light fitting or rewiring an entire room, Collins Wiring and Lighting contains all the information you need to complete the job simply and safely. Now in paperback, this new edition includes information on all the new products, techniques and electrical regulations, allowing you to make home improvements cheaply and easily. With over 250 colour illustrations and photographs and clear, step-by-step instructions, this book will help you turn your good intentions into a job well done! contents include: emergency repairs uses and plugs complete wiring light fittings and fixtures identifying faults and maintenance safety tips tools for the job

A companion volume to "Backyard Homesteading, 40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead" provides details on how to build more than 40 projects to enhance readers' sustainable living. Even if they are only moderately handy, they'll discover the tools and techniques for building their own feeders, fences, and structures. In the process, they'll save money and have the satisfaction of doing it themselves.

Making, maintaining and mending our own homes is part of what makes us human. It is a skill that was alive and well until just two or three generations ago. Harrison Gardner is a man on a mission to help us rediscover the lost art of building our own while leaving a more harmonious mark on the environment. Build Your Own explores the principles of construction and outlines a multitude of practices and methods that enable you to build a home with the materials available to you. Practical techniques, such as plastering, moving earth, basic demolition, installing insulation, building internal walls and attaching cladding, are demystified and made easy. Whether you plan to build your own structure, are curious about the idea or are dealing with construction workers, Build Your Own is an essential tool that shows that anyone can learn to build - and perhaps everyone should. 'A revolutionary book ... within it is the knowledge to empower you to shape and craft your own living space.' Manchan Magan

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

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.