No projects offer more aesthetic or financial satisfaction than DIY masonry and stonework projects. Homeowners can routinely save thousands of dollars in labor costs by buying and installing materials that are now readily available for routine purchase. This book includes traditional techniques for laying concrete adapted to the special needs of ordinary homeowners, but also features cutting edge materials and techniques, such as tumbled concrete pavers, acid-etching for colored concrete slabs, and important green paving options, such as rain-garden arroyos and permeable pavers. Several cutting edge projects are included, such as polished concrete countertops and stamped concrete walkways. A complete outdoor kitchen project, ideal for a patio, is also included.

"This updated 3rd edition of Black & Decker's Complete Guide to Roofing & Siding provides detailed and updated information on modern materials and techniques for evaluating, installing, and maintaining a wide variety of roofing and siding materials"--Provided by publisher.

Love all of your masonry and concrete projects--knowing that you did them yourself!--with help from our experts. No projects offer more aesthetic or financial satisfaction than DIY concrete and masonry projects. Homeowners can routinely save thousands of dollars in labor costs by buying and installing materials that are readily available. This updated 4th edition of Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Concrete & Masonry includes traditional techniques for laying concrete, adapted to make them easy for ordinary homeowners, and also features completely modern materials and techniques, such as tumbled concrete pavers, acid-etching for colored concrete slabs, and important green paving options, such as rain-garden arroyos and permeable pavers. Several cutting-edge projects, like polished concrete countertops and stamped concrete walkways, are included in this book. An exposed aggregate patio, a reinforced concrete block wall, and the latest tools and materials for handling new products are featured. A completely new section on foundation walls shows you all the options, including the latest structural insulated panels, that are now more DIY friendly than ever. No homeowner or do-it-yourselfer will want to miss this chance to master the best methods to create lasting beauty around the house.

A clear, photographic guide to the building, wiring and plumbing codes that actually matter to single-family homeowners.

DIVA graphic, highly user-friendly guide to national codes for residential construction. Codes for Homeowners uses clear photographs to show exactly how the parts of your house are supposed to look once the work is done. Written by International Residential Codes-certified home inspector Bruce Barker, this second edition of Codes for Homeowners is current with most national codes in force for the period of 2012 through 2014. Based on his decades of experience, Inspector Bruce has winnowed down the massive heap of codes in force to only those that a single-family homeowner is likely to encounter. Building codes, electrical codes, plumbing codes and mechanical (HVAC) codes are shown and described in everyday language. The 2nd edition includes all of the great information in the first version but is updated to reflect any changes in the codes in force, including the National Electrical Code, the Universal Plumbing Code and the International Residential Code./div

Current with Codes through 2014 A carefully selected group of home wiring projects that goes beyond the basics of adding a receptacle or rewiring a lamp. With the information in this book you can take your skill in working with electrical systems to a new level. Projects include: adding a stand-alone, direct-current circuit powered by the sun; installing an automatic standby power system; replacing a main service panel; grounding and bonding your electrical system; installing a radiant flooring system; and working with 240-volt and three-phase power.

Bruce Barker, one of the country's leading authorities on building codes, has turned his eye toward one of his favorite subjects: building decks. Although it's one of the most popular DIY building projects, just about every deck built in the past decade (by pros as well as homeowners) falls short of current codes. In BLACK+DECKER Deck Codes & Standards Barker zeroes in on the main areas of concern and shows accurately and precisely how to design and build it right. Given that every year in the U.S. more than 120,000 people are injured by deck collapses, and more than 50 die, following Barker's careful and detailed advice is the surest way for a homeowner to protect against disaster.

Brickwork and Bricklaying is written for those who are new to the craft of bricklaying, and those who are improving their skills. It provides an overview of the materials, processes, craft skills and related subjects to enable the reader to construct their own simple brickwork projects and undertake brickwork-related maintenance projects around the home.The book covers: Materials; Constituents and mix proportions of good quality concrete and mortars, and how to successfully mix both, with an overview of different types of bricks and blocks; Foundations: How to place, compact and cure concrete for simple foundations and bases; Setting-Out: Methods of setting out the positions of simple wall lines, corners and buildings; Bricklaying: Overview of tools required; step-by-step methods and instruction on all the basic craft skills of bricklaying from first principles; different methods of bonding and finishing mortar joints; Boundary Walls: Design principles for boundary and garden walls, including the application and construction of piers; Decorative Brickwork: Simple methods of decoratively enhancing brickwork projects; Maintenance: Identification of the common defects associated with brickwork and masonry and methods for rectifying those defects. A practical guide aimed at those who are new to the craft of bricklaying and also for those who are improving their skills. Provides details of materials, processes and craft skills for the reader to construct their own simple brickwork projects and maintenance around the home. Superbly illustrated with 110 colour photographs and 160 diagrams. Jon Collinson has been involved in bricklaying within the construction industry, as well as teaching brickwork, for over twenty-five years.

From simple stone walls to elaborate homes and studios, this is the ideal book for any DIY builder interested in working with stone. Thanks to its utility and cost-effectiveness, stone is an ideal construction resource for the astute owner-builder. Cheap and readily available, rock can be gathered from streambeds, abandoned quarries, and open fields with relative ease. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a natural landscape devoid of building stone. In this book, beloved home-building expert Ken Kern teams up with fellow stone masons Steve Magers and Lou Penfield to present the ultimate guide to DIY stone masonry. THE OWNER-BUILDER'S GUIDE TO STONE MASONRY is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of building with stone. Everything from detailed information on sourcing, sorting, and selecting stones, to the various methods of building with stone. There are even chapters on building fireplaces, steps, floors, and arches.