Homeowners know that owning a home means having a project – either ongoing or pending. So, most of us read the magazines and watch the television shows that help us learn more about completing home remodeling, repair and maintenance projects.
Learning to complete home projects yourself is a great way to save money and gives you a feeling of accomplishment. It’s great to know there are resources out there for inspiration.
But sometimes what you really need is a “go to guide” for instruction on a project you’re about to complete, without having to wait until there’s a magazine article or television episode covering it.
That’s where home improvement encyclopedias become a big help. Here are some of the best on the web.
- The Encyclopedia of Home Improvement – This is a simple guide to use, and it lists many different home improvement projects. Simply go to the directory and you’ll find a huge alphabetical list of home projects. Once you click on your chosen project, you’ll get step by step instructions for completing it.
- DIY Network – Though this site is the companion site to the television network, and many of the articles are related to episodes of the tv shows, it also has a good library of articles on home repair and remodeling. You can click on the category of home improvement job you’re about to tackle and find a list of projects related to that category. If your project is listed, there will likely be step by step instructions, or at least answers to the most common questions.
- Do It Yourself – This website is very well organized. Right on the home page you’ll find a list of home improvement categories down the left side of the page. Click on your category and you’ll quickly be able to tell if there are instructions for your project. This site has some great information, including topics you might have difficulty finding elsewhere, like air conditioning repair.
- Home Tips – Another great site filled with articles on how to and step by step instructions. You can search under home repair and care to find maintenance and repair projects or choose interior, exterior or construction from along the left side of the page to find remodeling and building projects. There are garden and landscape projects along with house projects. The buying guides on this site are great.
- Michael Holigan.com – This site is filled with information and instructions on do it your self projects. Click on “Home Improvement Center” and then “How to Library” to find an alphabetical listing of projects. Once you’ve chosen your project, you’ll find that the step by step instructions are clear, yet concise. On some projects, videos are also available.
When you’re ready to tackle a home improvement or repair project, sites like these can make preparing for and executing your project simpler. You’ll get a list of materials needed, and often find a calculator to help you determine exactly the amount of materials needed for your size project. And, with good instructions, you’re less likely to make a mistake, which saves you time and money in the long run.
Mary E. Ward writes about how to get an online construction degree.
Thanks for the great resource list. We’re renovating our entire home and still have some things to complete and I’m sure I’ll find some good help.
You have given very much important information about home improvement. Recently i have came across an idea of Loft conversions,which is also good one for home improvement.
Your photos are wonderful! Are you a photographer? Tiny house builder? Tour Guide? Is there a way I can link to your blog? LOVELY Pics.
great resources and the DIY is my favorite. it’s got a lot of useful information and is the most entertaining of the sites.
good stuff here keep it up man
I’m infatuated with the tiny houses, I love them!
oke, thanks for good information about home improvement
Ola! Tinyhouseblog,
Thanks you for your post, member “feature00” said the Ortho Home Improvement Encyclopedia had info but I can not find it in editions 1997 and 2000.
Catch you again soon!
Definitely love doityourself.com! Just so you know, the link to MichaelHoligan.com is broken… seems to redirect to a weird site. Now if there were some sites for DIY home improvement projects for tiny homes in particular.. hmmm.. =p
I have a ceilingmax system on my garage ceiling and above it is a 1″ styrofoam ceiling directly nailed to the ceiling joists. I am getting moister between the two ceilings that is ruining my ceiling. How can I get one of the ceiling tile out so I can replace it with a ventilated panel to get air circulation between the two ceilings. How can I release the last ceiling max strip that locks the tile in place.
Don