Books published by publisher Creative Homeowner

Ultimate Guide: Wiring, 8th Edition demystifies residential electrical systems with easy-to-understand language, step-by-step photography, and detailed illustrations. Learn how to:Make common electrical repairsAdd new switches and receptaclesInstall lighting fixtures, appliances, & outdoor lightingRun wiring from room to roomAdd new circuits & service panelsAs a homeowner, you'll learn how your house's electrical system works and how to complete installations and repairs. This project-based book shows how to select the right cable, wires, and other equipment, and how to run wiring through walls and between floors. Projects guide you through installing switches, outlet receptacles, electrical appliances, and lighting systems.You'll also learn how outdoor lighting, including security and low-voltage systems, can help improve and illuminate the exterior areas around your home.The eighth edition has been updated with the latest information on everything from big screen TVs to 3-way switches required by the National Electrical Code.Ultimate Guide to Wiring explains residential electrical systems in easy-to-understand terms to help you learn how to work with electric wiring and repair, replace, and install typical electrical-system elements. Learn how to work like a professional electrician, and save money with DIY home electrical installations and repairs!

The most complete home improvement manual on the market, this book offers more than 2,300 photos, 800 drawings, and understandable, practical text. 600 page ultimate home improvement manual 325 step-by-step projects with how-to photos, tools, and materials lists Essential information on tools, materials, and basic skills Comprehensive wiring and plumbing sections Includes a remodeling guide, a special photo-illustrated section on contracts, contractors, and managing your remodeling projects Tech-reviewed by more than 20 industry experts Thorough index and glossary Inside this book, you will find essential instruction on plumbing and electrical repairs, heating and cooling, roofing and siding, cabinets and countertops, and more. Information is also provided on tools, materials, and basic skills, plus 325 step-by-step projects with how-to photo sequences. The Ultimate Guide to Home Repair & Improvement also includes a remodeling guide and a resource guide. Top to bottom, inside and out, this is the single, ultimate resource book for DIY projects and repairs to save you money when remodeling, renovating, repairing, and maintaining your home.

Learn all about how to build sheds, feeders, fences, and other backyard structures to enhance your sustainable living! Garden structures: Raised beds, planters and arbors, self-watering beds, grow-light stand, soil blocks Fences and pens: Fence post basics, picket fence, solar electric fence, installing and stretching fences, hen pen and hurdle, gates, PVC hen pen Housing chickens: Basics for housing chickens, building a coop and run, complete material and cutting lists, exploded views, building an A-frame chicken tractor Building sheds: Basics for building, goat shed, saltbox garden shed, backyard-homestead shop, roofing alternatives Solar and wind power: Compressor and gearbox windmills, how solar works, erecting a windmill, installing a solar power system Aquaponics and hydroponics: Understanding aquaponics, understanding hydroponics, basics of a DIY aquaponic system, how to install a hydroponic system Building beehives: Langstroth beehive, Warré beehive, top-bar beehive (aka the Kenyan or Tanzanian beehive), step-by-step building instructions and exploded views Plumbing and wiring: Plumbing basics, ground-fault circuit interrupters, freeze-proof watering options, outdoor wiring, supplemental lighting 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 your sustainable living. The projects in this book are designed with simplicity, convenience, and budget in mind. You will also find help on how to expand or contract the projects to suit your needs. With step-by-step instructions, tools and materials lists, exploded views, and easy-to-understand techniques, even if you are only moderately handy, you'll discover how to build your own feeders, fences, and structures. In the process, you'll save money and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself!

Save money by making minor and major plumbing repairs and improvements yourself, with help from this complete home plumbing guide! More than 800 photos Detailed how-to diagrams Learn how to skills, from fixing leaky faucets to soldering copper tubing like a pro Save money and resources with "Green Solutions" Install plumbing fixtures like sinks, faucets, bathtubs, showers, water softeners, lawns sprinklers, & much more Learn how your home's plumbing system works so that you can take action in an emergecy Add value to your home by making plumbing fixture improvements This updated and expanded edition of Creative Homeowner's comprehensive, bestselling plumbing how-to book covers the most up-to-date products and techniques. Strong emphasis in the how-to information is placed on doing things correctly, so all of the projects use only code-compliant techniques. Ultimate Guide: Plumbing, 4th Edition prepares the do-it-yourselfer to handle any plumbing task in the home, from replacing a washer in a leaky faucet to renovating a bathroom. It also gives an overview of a house's plumbing system, including supply, waste, and vent piping, and explains the basic physics that keep everything working well. In addition to learning how to plan and complete each project, you'll learn how to spot and improve outdated or dangerous techniques and materials in your home plumbing system.

If you're planning to build your own one-story dream home, this extensive collection will show you the best selling and most stylish designs available today! More than 360 plans to help you find & build your dream home More than 250 color photos of finished 1-story homes Home plans from top architects and designers from all over North America Wide variety of styles and sizes suited for any budget, from Traditional Ranch style to Country Craftsman cottages Special sections featuring outdoor living trends, kitchen design ideas, today's top features in a home, & how to maximize your living space CAD blueprint files available for order, for easy customizing More than 350 home plans were selected for Best-Selling 1-Story Home Plans, Updated 4th Edition as most desirable based on actual sales data. From convenient ranch homes to traditional cottages, you'll find a wide variety of styles and sizes here to meet your budget. And with complete construction blueprints available for each and every house shown, you can build your special home just the way you want!

Select from a catalog of more than 360 expertly prepared plans for building small homes—1,200 square feet or less!Over 360 plans to select from for building a variety of small homes 1,200 square feet or underEasy-to-follow construction blueprints and materials lists are available for each project to ensure successVariety of plans including cabins, cottages, small homes, and tiny houses in Craftsman, Country, Contemporary, and Traditional stylesIncludes helpful advice on rightsizing your home, and maximizing your living space with organization, decorating, and storage solutionsPractical do-it-yourself guide helps save money, making planning and cost estimating easier when building the small home of your dreamsSmaller homes are growing in popularity as more of us decide to live simpler yet fuller lives with less square footage, less responsibility, and less stuff. Smaller homes can provide substantial savings in tax, building, heating, maintenance, and repair costs, with reduced ecological impact.Build the small home of your dreams by doing all or part of the work yourself! This practical do-it-yourself guide will help you make your dreams a reality. Whether you're looking to build a cabin, cottage, small home, or tiny house, you're sure to find the ideal small home with the features that will fit your lifestyle inside The Big Book of Small Home Plans.Select from a catalog of more than 360 plans, prepared by expert architects and designers, for building a variety of small homes under 1,200 square feet. Easy-to-follow construction blueprints and materials lists are available to purchase for each project to ensure success. Construction blueprints are available in both print and digital formats.The Big Book of Small Home Plans is also packed with advice for rightsizing your house while maximizing your living space, with useful tips on small home organizing, decorating, and smart storage.Choosing a new house design is exciting, but can be a difficult task. The Big Book of Small Home Plans makes it easy with small home designs for everyone, with all of the amenities and features homeowners are looking for in a new home today. Start your search right now for the perfect small home!

Select from 780 of the most popular home plans from the country's top architects and designers, with full color photos of the actual homes, floor plans, and design ideas.780 of the most popular designs from the country's top architects and designersMore than 550 photos and 250 renderings of homes actually built from the designsHuge variety of home styles in all price ranges including farmhouses, country cottages, contemporaries, luxury estates, vacation retreats, and regional specialtiesPractical tips and advice on selecting a site, hiring a contractor, trimwork, fireplaces, and landscapingWhether you've always dreamed of building your own home, or can't find the right house from among the dozens you've toured, this collection of ultimate plans can help you achieve the home of your dreams.You could have an architect create a one-of-a-kind home for you, but the design services alone could end up costing up to 15 percent of the cost of construction—a hefty premium for any building project. Ultimate Book of Home Plans allows you to select from 780 of the most popular designs from the country's top architects and designers, for a fraction of the cost.More than 550 gorgeous, full-color photographs and 250 renderings allow you to experience homes actually built from the designs, plus some interiors. Virtually every home style is offered, including farmhouses, country cottages, contemporaries, luxury estates, vacation retreats, and regional specialties.Get practical tips and advice on everything from selecting a site and hiring a contractor to adding finishing touches like trimwork and landscaping. Once you've selected your dream home, you can obtain easily customizable construction blueprints, cost estimates, materials lists, and CAD files.Also included are special sections on home design and outdoor living ideas.

Make your backyard more nature-friendly by providing habitats for the local wildlife! From the National Wildlife Federation, the largest U.S. nonprofit conservation organization, with 6 million members and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations 17 step-by-step projects that everyone can do together make getting your family back to nature easy, educational, and fun Over 200 color photos of backyard wildlife habitats and the wide variety of creatures they attract, plus step-by-step photos and illustrations for family projects Learn wildlife-friendly practices for gardening, landscape design, supplemental feeders, birdbaths, nesting places, and more Learn how to attract backyard pollinators, from bees and butterflies to beetles, bats, and hummingbirds Get your garden certified by the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife(TM) program by following the included certification application checklist Your backyard can come alive by creating an environment with plants and spaces that attract nature's most interesting and friendly creatures! Colorful butterflies, uplifting songbirds, and lively toads can enhance your personal garden space, giving pleasure to nature lovers of all ages. Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife provides 17 inspiring wildlife-friendly projects that the whole family can enjoy, making getting back to nature easy, educational, and fun! Learn how to fill your yard and garden with the sights and sounds of nature with ideas for homemade feeders, birdbaths, ponds, native plants, protective cover, nesting places, and more. Author David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, presents simple plans for reintroducing native plants that birds, butterflies, and a whole host of critters can't resist. He shows ways to supplement nature to further entice wildlife to your yard and garden, and even provides new information on attracting backyard pollinators—a major issue for environmentalists as bee colonies continue to face challenges. Mizejewski holds a degree in Human and Natural Ecology from Emory University and has hosted television series on both Animal Planet and NatGeo WILD. He regularly appears on NBC's Today Show and makes dozens of other media appearances each year to promote wildlife conservation through natural gardening. He specializes in urban ecology, the role that native plants have on wildlife populations, and helping people restore wildlife habitat in their cities, towns, neighborhoods, backyards, and gardens. Get back to nature by learning how to give back to nature, with Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife, Expanded Second Edition from the National Wildlife Federation! Ben Franklin Award Winner, Publishers Marketing Association.

Choose from the 375 most popular house plans in North America, with full color renderings and photos!375 successful designs from top architects and designers across North AmericaOver 200 color photos so you can experience homes actually built from the designsCAD files are available to order for every home and are easily customizableVarious home styles are on display: Farmhouses, country cottages, contemporaries, luxury estates, vacation retreats, and regional specialtiesSpecial sections on home automation, home design trends, curb appeal tips, and moreBest-Selling House Plans is the perfect planning tool for aspiring home builders, allowing you to choose among the 375 most popular designs from the top architects and designers across North America! Over 200 gorgeous full-color photographs allow you to experience homes actually built from the designs, including stunning interior images. Full customizable CAD files are available to order for every home dream plan.Virtually every home style is offered, from country estates to urban sites, including farmhouses, country cottages, contemporaries, luxury estates, vacation retreats, and regional specialties. Completely updated and revised, this edition also offers new special sections on home automation, home design trends, curb appeal tips, and more.Home plans, decorating ideas, CAD file ordering information—it's all here in this book! The 375 plans featured were chosen as most desirable based on actual sales data. This extensive collection of homes offers the best range available, in all styles and sizes!

Build a better backyard! Over 100 outbuilding projects and plans for barns, sheds, and garages Step-by-step instructions for every aspect of the construction process with coordinating full-color photography An overview on planning, tools, materials, and safety tips Detailed chapters on foundations, framing, siding, roofing, wiring, plumbing, and finishing touches Blueprint plan packages are easily ordered, including PDF and CAD files Enhance your property with a new beautiful outbuilding! Adding a backyard storage shed, a new detached garage, an attractive playhouse, or any other type of utility building not only improves the functionality of your home, it also adds value to your property. Whether you want to build one yourself, order a project plan, or you just want to know the basics before you hire the work out to someone else, this updated guide will help! This book contains step-by-step instructions for constructing and designing more than 100 barns, sheds, and other types of outbuildings in a variety of shapes and sizes. Providing an overview on safety, planning, tools, and materials, you'll also learn everything you need to know about foundations, framing, roofing, wiring, and more. Then, choose between designing and building a shed or barn from scratch, buying a kit, or ordering a plan package within these pages. Inside, you can select from dozens of ready-to-build plan packages and order readily available construction blueprints, CAD files, cost estimates, and materials lists. Written with the do-it-yourselfer in mind, Ultimate Guide: Barns, Sheds, and Outbuildings will help you prepare, plan, design, and decide which outbuilding option is best for you!

Get all the ideas and how-to information you need to integrate popular hardscape designs into your home landscape!Dozens of design ideas you can use in your yardOver 500 photographs and how-to illustrations to help you improve your landscapeEasy-to-follow, step-by-step sequences on the most popular landscape projectsTools & materials lists for each projectLearn how to set pavers in a sand-and-gravel baseCreate a new patio with tile or stone atop a mortar baseBuild a wall that will stand the test of timeDesigning the outside of the home adds to curb-side appeal, creates ambiance, and increases the value of your home. Ultimate Guide: Walks, Patios & Walls provides the homeowner with all the information you need to integrate popular hardscape designs into the overall home landscape.Included are ideas for brick, mortar, and concrete walks and patios; flagstone and tile patios; and brick and mortared stone walls. Lavish color photographs provide design inspiration, while the extensive how-to section provides easy-to-follow information.With over 500 photos and illustrations, Ultimate Guide: Walks, Patios & Walls contains all the design and technical information you need to enhance your landscape and outdoor living areas with walkways, patios, and garden walls.

Find inspiring ideas to make your southeast home landscape more attractive and functional!54 beautiful designs created by landscape professionals specifically for the SoutheastMore than 200 plants picked for your region, with detailed descriptions and all you need to know to plant & maintain themOver 450 color photos and illustrations to help envision your resultsStep-by-step instructions for building structures like paths, patios, ponds, walls, fences, arbors, and trellisesCreative solutions for front entries, foundation plantings, patios, steep slopes, and moreSoutheast Home Landscaping, 3rd Edition is a larger-format edition of Creative Homeowner's award-winning book on landscaping southeast-style.Inside, you'll find inspiring ideas for making your home landscape more attractive and functional. The 54 featured designs are created by landscape professionals from the region and use more than 200 dependable plants that thrive in the southeast. States included are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.Included are detailed instructions for projects such as paths, patios, ponds, and arbors, concise information for gardening techniques, and easy-to-follow plans. Over 450 full-color photos and paintings are complemented by easy, step-by-step instructions that take the fear out of gardening.The southeast will be in full bloom with Southeast Home Landscaping!