Good video / book / etc. for basic home handy work?

[slackerinabox]

I'm a New York yank who has no idea how to do basic home repairs. Also, since I'm a relatively new home owner with a baby I'm more scared/less experimental than I was in my youth - I even hired a guy to change a light fixture because I don't want to burn my house down. I have an unfinished basement and figure it would be a good place to practice, culminating in me framing and finishing my basement.

Any good book or video series out there as a starting point? Would a community college course be worthwhile for practical knowledge? Everything home related costs a ton here (painting our living room and kitchen cost a grand, rotorooting cost $600- it's been an expensive week!), so putting in some cash would be worthwhile if I can do some work myself.

I've googled and looked at guides but most of the instructions look like they're written in greek to me, and assume some prior knowledge.

 

[vshah]

i had a book in my basement growing up called "how to fix anything" that covered a lot of what you're talking about. i remember flipping through that for fun from time to time.

no idea who it is by though. it had a red and yellow cover.

 

[slackerinabox]

i had a book in my basement growing up called "how to fix anything" that covered a lot of what you're talking about. i remember flipping through that for fun from time to time.

no idea who it is by though. it had a red and yellow cover.

Found it on amazon - wonderful! Thanks!

 

[Texashiker]

I like to watch the show "Holmes on Homes"

http://www.hgtv.com/holmes-on-homes/show/index.html

Holmes does home repair, usually after a contractor has already screwed the job up the first time.

 

[JimKiler]

I like to watch the show "Holmes on Homes"

http://www.hgtv.com/holmes-on-homes/show/index.html

Holmes does home repair, usually after a contractor has already screwed the job up the first time.

Good show, while not the best for a beginner it is still beneficial to watch and understand concepts. That show helped me understand things better when my new home was recently built. I understand why they put an air intake into my basement next to my furnance. Although my builder did not use that mold resistant blue lumber and drywall anywhere in my house.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Do you have any close friends or relatives who have experience with basic home repairs and the like? I learned a lot when a friend helped me to finish part of my basement and build a home theater... Since then I've done flooring and put up drywall in other parts of my house....

 

[slackerinabox]

Do you have any close friends or relatives who have experience with basic home repairs and the like? I learned a lot when a friend helped me to finish part of my basement and build a home theater... Since then I've done flooring and put up drywall in other parts of my house....

Unfortunately, no. My dad is super handy but in his 70s. He's good for advice but not hands on stuff (and with his asthma I don't even want him in the same room).

 

[luv2liv]

i just bought a house and clueless also on houses.
youtube is my best friend! its amazing how people willingly share their knowledge

 

[slackerinabox]

i just bought a house and clueless also on houses.
youtube is my best friend! its amazing how people willingly share their knowledge

Youtube's cool but some of it's awful advice, and I'm too dumb to know it's awful.

I found that my local community college offers 3 hour workshops for very little cash- $60 for wall tiling (floor is a separate class), $55 for basic electrical, etc. My wife's going to take the tiling workshop with me and, hopefully with some practice, we'll end up saving a few grand redoing our bathroom ourselves!

 

[Saint Nick]

Trial and error is my method of learning. Shitty but it works.

 

[twinrider1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=kPIIWGqzmRw

I like this guy's videos on drywall. Yep, a lot of bad videos out there, but this guy seems to know his stuff and I just like his delivery.

 

[sdifox]

there should be plenty of diy websites.

 

[MrChad]

My real estate agent gave me this book as a gift when we bought our first home: http://www.amazon.com/Home-Improveme.../dp/0696238500

It's a nice reference guide and has good illustrations and pictures. Not a bad place to start.

 

[Saint Nick]

Trial and error is my method of learning. Shitty but it works.

I forgot to add that this method is also FUCKING EXPENSIVE.

 

[slackerinabox]

I forgot to add that this method is also FUCKING EXPENSIVE.

YES! I like trial and error learning but it's frustrating, expensive, and sometimes dangerous. Like the time I was a teenager and tried to impress my then girlfriend by installing a ceiling fan, not realizing it needed to be attached to a joist and.. Well, you can pretty much figure out what happened soon after.

Self plumbing is fun, I usually end up crying a few hours in after an important screw ends up in the drain. Or the time I tried to clear a roof drain with draino or..I've learned not to trust my instincts

 

[Fausto]

The Home Depot books are honestly not bad for general stuff.

 

[Saint Nick]

YES! I like trial and error learning but it's frustrating, expensive, and sometimes dangerous. Like the time I was a teenager and tried to impress my then girlfriend by installing a ceiling fan, not realizing it needed to be attached to a joist and.. Well, you can pretty much figure out what happened soon after.

Self plumbing is fun, I usually end up crying a few hours in after an important screw ends up in the drain. Or the time I tried to clear a roof drain with draino or..I've learned not to trust my instincts

Hehe. Oh the joys of home repair.

Last fall our faucet broke and I spent hours upon hours to remove the old one. I didn't have a basin wrench, or really many of the tools required. I ended up using a hacksaw and cutting the faucet clean off from the basin...

...but alas the task was not complete. As I lifted the decapitated faucet into the air as if I was Link opening his first chest, I realized there was still a large, threaded copper screw thingy calcified to a copper nut, which was calcified to the basin. Not to mention I am a fairly tall person trying to work in a tiny space. No way this thing was going to come out.

Yeah...I called a plumber.

I've replaced toilets with success. Also have performed some basic electrical work. Never again with the plumbing!

 

[Fausto]

Hehe. Oh the joys of home repair.

Last fall our faucet broke and I spent hours upon hours to remove the old one. I didn't have a basin wrench, or really many of the tools required. I ended up using a hacksaw and cutting the faucet clean off from the basin...

...but alas the task was not complete. As I lifted the decapitated faucet into the air as if I was Link opening his first chest, I realized there was still a large, threaded copper screw thingy calcified to a copper nut, which was calcified to the basin. Not to mention I am a fairly tall person trying to work in a tiny space. No way this thing was going to come out.

Yeah...I called a plumber.

I've replaced toilets with success. Also have performed some basic electrical work. Never again with the plumbing!

The take-home lesson here is "spend the money on the right tool". So many projects are just not that bad if you follow this rule.

 

[Saint Nick]

The take-home lesson here is "spend the money on the right tool". So many projects are just not that bad if you follow this rule.

Yup. My motto now is that if I don't have the right tool, I will buy it. Not worth the headaches. Makes a job SO much easier :thumbsup:

 

[BurnItDwn]

YES! I like trial and error learning but it's frustrating, expensive, and sometimes dangerous. Like the time I was a teenager and tried to impress my then girlfriend by installing a ceiling fan, not realizing it needed to be attached to a joist and.. Well, you can pretty much figure out what happened soon after.

Self plumbing is fun, I usually end up crying a few hours in after an important screw ends up in the drain. Or the time I tried to clear a roof drain with draino or..I've learned not to trust my instincts

hahahaha
My buddy when he bought his house had a ceiling fan that danced around the ceiling, always looking like it was going to fall down.

Sure enough, the junction box was not secured to the joist ...

He fixed it, I just helped by drinking his beer and allowing his kids to attack me whilst I handed him tools.