 This week's Home section features a new book: “Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations” by Debra Prinzing with more than 200 photographs by William Wright, Clarkson Potter, $30.
Pictured here is a 124-square-foot shed, inspired by midcentury modern architecture, in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. Designed and built by Seattle-based Modern Shed, the shed is owned by Lin Su, who needed more space for entertaining and painting.
The book's author is making several local appearances:
May 31: Local Hero Books, Gifts & Wine Tasting, Ojai, 3 p.m.
June 7: Botanik, Summerland, (805) 565-3831, 1 to 3 p.m.
June 28: Descanso Gardens, La Canada Flintridge, 10 a.m. to noon
See more photos
 How Your House Works: A visual guide to understanding and maintaining your home, by Charlie Wing
About a month or so ago, my favorite table lamp began making a crackling sound near the base. So I unplugged it and pondered my options.
I considered taking it to a nearby electric shop. Then I considered taking it to the tool shop that recently replaced the cord on my power sander. That cost $46, nearly one-third the price of a new sander.
But the lamp would be well worth a fee like that. It cost only $15 at a swap meet, but it's an unusually pleasing blend of red enamel and brass with a mod metal shade and definitely not something to set out with the garbage.
About that time, I picked up a copy of "How Your House Works," a book written by home improvement expert Charlie Wing, and my thinking started to shift away from being rescued by a shop and toward taking charge of my own repair.
There are scads of home fix-it books in print, maybe thousands of them.
What raises this one to the top of the heap are the large, clear color illustrations of what the insides of things in a house look like.
And when you see what's inside a garbage disposal, for instance, you might be able to fix it -- or at least unclog it.
Read the whole review
 "Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House" by Daniel P. Gregory, with photographs by Joe Fletcher and a foreword by Joel Silver. (Rizzoli; 256 pages; $60)
Reviewed by Robert Nebolon
(Robert Nebolon, a Berkeley architect, designed a contemporary Hermosa Beach home featured previously on this blog.)
Cliff May, the father of the California ranch house, is finally getting his due. Thanks to Daniel P. Gregory’s superb book “Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House,” the work of this prolific Los Angeles-based architect is finally being recognized.
As much as members of the Los Angeles architectural community rave about their modern architectural history (they should; it’s quite impressive), Cliff May seems never to get mentioned. Maybe it’s because of those wagon wheels out in front of his houses.
Yet it’s hard to imagine an architect whose work affects more Westerners on a daily basis than Cliff May. Most of us have either owned a ranch-style house ourselves or had friends who lived in one. These houses are found everywhere.
Gregory’s book explains how May blended Spanish courtyard houses with modern open plans filled with modern conveniences to create an elegant contemporary house well suited for the hot, dry climate found in the Southwest.
Read on »
 Greening-your-home books are sprouting like alfalfa seeds. New choices this year include:
Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life (Clarkson Potter, February, $18 paper) by Ed Begley Jr. The author shares his eco-experiences and offers advice on what works and what will save readers money.
Green House: Eco-Friendly Disposal and Recycling at Home (M. Evans, June, $9.95 paper) by Norm Crampton. Suggests tips for recycling a variety of household items.
Using Natural Finishes: A Step-by-Step Guide (Chelsea Green, May, $40 paper) by Adam Weisman and Katy Bryce. Addresses the environmental and practical benefits of natural plasters and paints.
Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home (Rodale, April, $25 paper) by Renée Loux. Suggests using nontoxic, environmentally safe products to enhance personal and planetary health.
Black and Decker: The Complete Guide to the Green Home: The Good Citizen's Guide to Earth-Friendly Remodeling & Home Maintenance (Rockport, May, $24.95 paper) by Phillip Schmidt.
Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home (Dutton, April, $24.95) by Christopher Gavigan. Features essays from experts and notable parents.
Green-Up Your Cleanup (Creative Homeowner, March, $16.95 paper) by Jill Potvin Schoff. Explains how to replace toxic household cleaners with natural solutions.
And not a green home book, but notable:
Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fast-Food–Fueled Mercedes, and a Cross-Country Trip in Search of Greener Pastures (Algonquin, October, $15.95 paper) by Greg Melville. The author and a college buddy traverse the country—without using any fossil fuel—to investigate what's being done to preserve the planet.
— Compiled by Publishers Weekly More . . .
 Why do we elect politicians who pass legislation to benefit the rich? My theory is that we all think we could be rich someday (most of us won't be!) and we want the laws set in place when we get there.
I mean, isn't that one of the main advantages of living in the United States, the idea that a person of average means can become wealthy?
And so perhaps that's why I picked up a copy of Real Estate Tax Secrets of the Rich, a new book by CPA Sandy Botkin. I figured I should know what the rich know about real estate and taxes.
And here's something I learned: When it's time to sell my house, I will be taxed on the sales price minus my "basis," (which includes the purchase price and improvements, and maybe some other stuff) and I'll want my basis as high as possible. According to Botkin, improvements to a house are added to the basis, while repairs are not.
"The main key to whether something is a repair or an improvement," Botkin writes, "is determined by whether it is new or not. New doors would be an improvement, but repairing the door or door handle would be a repair."
The following, he writes, have been held by the courts to be improvements:
• New doors
• New iron grills on windows
• New skylights
• New windows
• New permanent partitions
• New roofs (although some courts have held this to be repairs)
• New floors
• Rewiring
Plus, he writes, I can also include these items that are not necessarily built-in, but which transfer with the house: bookcases, sinks, lighting fixtures, refrigerators, stoves, dishwasher, fire and burglar alarms, cabinets and storage sheds, television antenna and wiring, washers and dryers, and automatic garage doors.
And finally, he said if a repair is part of an overall improvement plan that will add value to the home, and I can prove it was part of a grander plan (maybe tucked inside a home improvement contract), that repair could be added to the basis.
The key to benefiting from the tax secrets of the rich is discussing all these strategies with your tax professional for your particular situation.
And then dahling (channel Katharine Hepburn's accent here), let's do get together for a latte when we're rich!
 As the phrase "green building" becomes fixed in the American vocabulary, a big question arises: What exactly is it?
The concept of green building has evolved over recent decades. In the 1960s, the back-to-nature movement meant log cabins, sod roofs and wood-burning stoves.
However, the population of the country has nearly doubled since 1960, from 179 million to more than 300 million today. And with housing units increasing from 58 million in 1960 to more than 112 million today (according to the U.S. Census), there is growing awareness that buildings -- how they are constructed, operated and deconstructed -- are a major part of either the problem or the solution to current crises with energy, water, pollution and global warming.
Some estimates say buildings are responsible for 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
The focus today is not so much on "getting in touch with the Earth" as saving it from environmental catastrophe.
And a slew of new books aims to help us understand how building green can move that cause along. Among them are "Green Building A to Z: Understanding the Language of Green Building" and "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies."
Both books have merit, but each provides a different perspective.
Green building is often broken down into three areas of concern: 1) energy and water efficiency, 2) renewable and recycled materials and 3) health and comfort.
That simple, and simplified, shorthand is good to remember when the barrage of green-building terms and abbreviations comes your way: on-demand water heaters, rigid foam insulation, gray water system, CFC, VOC, LEED and LED.
Read on »
 If you're interested in feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement, Amy Hubbard, a Los Angeles Times staff writer, reviews two of them, as seen in the Real Estate section. Hubbard writes:
It wasn't until I read two new books on feng shui that I realized the mirror facing my living-room window was bouncing good energy out into the frontyard, my sink and stove were locked in a power struggle and a hunk of my house was completely missing.
I told my husband this, and he cocked an eyebrow and continued to read the paper.
Reading these books about the ancient art of object placement from a Western (read: "narrow") viewpoint, it's easy to shake your head at some assertions. Neither book sets out to persuade readers of the merits of these beliefs. Rather, the authors assume you have an interest in the subject. And it's tough not to be curious as proponents -- and books on the subject -- multiply.
MaryAnn Russell's stated purpose in "The Feng Shui Factor" is to demystify the Eastern art and make it useful for Western readers. Does she succeed? Partially. Some points remain a mystery. Advice is given without sufficient explanation. For example: If you are living in a home that is next to a hospital, mortuary or cemetery, keep an exterior light on 24 hours a day. Or: Avoid placing pictures of living people on the mantel. Why?
Read the whole review
Read on »
 When considering a $40 kitchen design book, you must ask the question: Is this any better than the countless -- and less expensive -- magazines at the checkout stand that explore the same subject?
"Lyn Peterson's Real Life Kitchens" is superior to magazines when you read her text: informed, practical and helpful, with none of the breathless excitement -- spectacular, fabulous, must-have, trendy, gorgeous -- some magazines manufacture to capture readers.
However, when you consider some of the photographs, it's the magazine world all over. The rooms you see on the finished pages have that souped-up-model feeling. For a book titled "Real Life Kitchens," you expect a higher degree of reality -- that real people live and cook in these rooms.
If you can accept that the look of some of these rooms may be impossible to achieve in your real life -- unless you've got a line on high-end appliances, never-ending bowls of tulips and strategically placed lighting that emulates streaming sunlight -- and buy the book for the author's knowledge as a kitchen designer, you will have spent your money well.
Peterson is an interior designer and mother of four who lives in Scarsdale, N.Y. She is also the author of "Lyn Peterson's Real Life Decorating" and "Lyn Peterson's Real Life Renovating."
Read on »
 Remodeling contractors can be infuriating, especially when they stand in your house and respond to your ideas by saying things such as: "That's really going to cost you." Or: "There's going to be maintenance issues with that."
You might reply with a simple: "Thanks for stopping by," but what you're really screaming inside is: "You're supposed to help me realize my dreams, not kill them!"
But after reading "Affordable Remodel," a new Taunton Press book by general contractor and Fine Homebuilding magazine contributor Fernando Pagés Ruiz, it seems more clear to me that many contractors have, as a result of their years in the field, a unique intelligence about what makes economical sense in a remodel and what doesn't.
For instance, adding 6 feet of kitchen space onto the end of the house is monumentally, ridiculously expensive when you consider the grading, foundation, walls and roof that are required. So many tradesmen, so much coordination, so little benefit.
The far more economical way to get a larger kitchen, he explains, is to borrow existing interior square footage from an adjacent space, such as a laundry room or an infrequently used dining room.
Or perhaps you can add a charming bay window, which will give the impression of more space by cantilevering the bay out past the existing foundation.
You can also create the feeling of more space by punching the ceiling up into the attic, which is mostly wasted space here in Southern California.
One idea I really like is capturing the 3 1/2-inch-deep space between wall studs for use as nooks for books, artworks and photos. By installing a wood ledge that extends 2 more inches past the wall, you've got a nice little shelf.
See more book reports
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 When you first pick up "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Simple Home Repair," you may not be overly excited; it may not give you that "gotta-have-it" feeling. But don't set it aside too quickly.
With some quiet consideration, you may find, as I did, that home-improvement author Judy Ostrow's new book has some sound and savvy nuggets of knowledge. Did you know, for instance, that because window screens are made of woven wire, you can repair a hole by weaving the loose edges of a patch over the edges of the hole? I didn't.
And this: "If you're going to take apart a faucet, clear an area where you can line up the pieces in the order you remove them." Then, "if you need to take parts to the store to find replacements, make a list of the parts and the order, so you can put things back the way you took them out."
If you're handy already, you're probably thinking: Only an idiot needs to be told that -- hence the title of the book, which is one of more than 450 Idiot Guides.
Add this to the "Dummies" series of books, and it's obvious publishers are hoping for a lot of dim bulbs. But when it comes to simple home repairs, I think the audience is big enough, starting with me. I'm supposed to know about houses, but, sad to say, I've always found it easier to commission the help of a handy boyfriend or husband than to learn how to fix a squeaky floor board. With a book like this, though, I could start acting like the feminist I claim to be.
Read on »
 I admire the entrepreneurial spirit, and passion about one's work, and courage.
So when Steve Broujos, a painting contractor and educator in Wilmington, Del., asked if I'd like to see his new book, I thought: Why not?
The title is not exactly dynamic: "Surface Preparation for Interior House Painting." But I'll tell you what: It's accurate.
This book sounded interesting because I've heard so many times that the trick to great house painting is preparing the surface. But that's usually all you hear. Surface prep is important. So how do you do it?
This book tells you how, along with giving you tips and tricks only a professional would know. For instance, you know how there's a rim inside a paint can to attach the lid? And you know how that rim gets filled with paint as you bring your brush in and out? Well, if you don't need to put that lid back on, here's a trick: You can remove the rim with an old manual can opener (never to be used again in the kitchen) to give you a smooth edge. This is now known as a "paint pail" rather than a paint can.
Another idea I like: A sanding block attached to a pole. It's known as a pole sander. I love the idea of sanding rough spots on walls and ceilings, but not at arm's reach from a ladder. Using a pole to reach up and out is much more my style.
This looks like a self-published book, and though there are plenty of photos in the book's 223 pages, they are all in black and white. That's how it is with short-run, self-published books; color pages are far too expensive to reproduce. So if glossy color photos are important to you, skip this book.
But I think it's a useful book, in which you'll learn about setting up and lighting your work area, removing wallpaper paste residue, applying caulk, skim coating, repairing holes and many other topics. It's a sincere book by a real expert. If you're going to spend hundreds of dollars on paint and countless hours applying it, perhaps some extra thought to the surface preparation would be a good investment.
You can order it from Amazon or the author's site.
 It seems to me there are two kinds of homeowners: those like my friend Kitty who have a keen awareness of the state of their home's condition -- what's working and what needs to be fixed -- and those like me, who walk around in a state of denial about their home's shortcomings, hoping that the house will somehow heal itself.
And let me tell you: A house does not heal itself.
Which is perhaps why I'm so fond of About the House With Henri de Marne: How to Maintain, Repair, Upgrade, and Enjoy Your Home. It's a question-and-answer book you can browse randomly, flitting from topic to topic until you come across a problem you have in your own home and then find an immediate solution to it.
Moisture between the panes of your dual-pane windows? Stains on stucco? Sewer odors coming from the sink? Algae-stained shingles? Yep, these are all problems with causes and solutions.
De Marne writes a syndicated column called "First Aid for the Ailing House," and in interviews I've found him to be a delightful handyman type with a French accent. What could be more appealing?
"About the House" is a compilation of columns that have been updated, the book jacket says, "to reflect the latest in research, materials, methods, concerns and tastes." The author gives just the right amount of information, and there's no showing off. He speaks in a language readers can understand.
More book reports
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 *** BREAKING NEWS: WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations to Jeannie M. of Cambria. ***
The book I'm giving I gave away is called The New Bungalow Kitchen, and it's published by Taunton Press. You can see my report on it here.
How do you win? Be the 4th person to send an e-mail to podblog@aol.com with "gimme the book" in the subject line.
If you're the winner, I'll send a return e-mail to get your contact info.
If you're not the winner this time, check back next week for another Pardon Our Dust book giveaway.
*** BREAKING NEWS: WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations to Jeannie M. of Cambria. ***
 If you're a lover of bungalow homes and want a chance to drool, I suggest The New Bungalow Kitchen, a recently published Taunton Press book by Virginia architect Peter LaBau.
"Classic charm meets modern convenience," the book jacket says. "Craftsmanship, comfort, and a little piece of history. This is what bungalow kitchens are all about."
The book is lushly illustrated with images of 17 bungalow kitchens all across the country, with two of them by architects in Pasadena. With all the detail shots, however, the 200-plus glossy pages of the book seem to suggest many more kitchens than that.
The first question one might ask is: What is "bungalow style"? This book says it "refers to a type of small (usually one-story) house built in the United States between 1900 and 1940. Bungalows almost always featured large, deep front porches . . . and almost always had many windows." Typical elements inside include pronounced wood trim around windows, doorways, ceiling moldings and baseboards; hardwood floors; built-in furniture such as china cabinets, bookcases and window seats; stained-glass windows; tile work; and subdued earth colors. Ah, I'm starting to get the picture.
The book is divided into these sections: The Allure of the Bungalow Kitchen; Making Room: Reconfigurations and Additions; From Floor to Ceiling: The Interior Shell; Out of the Box: Cabinetry, Counters, and Built-ins; The Working Kitchen: Appliances, Fixtures, and Gadgets; and Finishing Touches: Lighting, Hardware, and Climate Control.
The book helped me answer a question I had about putting slate floors into a Craftsman cottage. Would slate look good? Be consistent with the era and style? Yes, it turns out. And even though hardwood floors are common in bungalow homes, so are linoleum floors, which I think are so cool.
As a big bonus, the back of the book lists each of the kitchens and information on where to buy the various tiles, knobs, lighting, counters, appliances, and cabinets you just got finished salivating over.
See more remodeling book reports
 If you want to undertake a home remodel but have no idea how to get started, here's one way to proceed: Type “remodeling” into an Internet search engine such as Google and spend about two weeks reading everything you can set your eyes on.
Or, you could pick up a copy of "50 Plus One Tips When Remodeling Your Home" by William Resch and get a sampling of pertinent information in a couple of hours.
Want to know the issues in creating a home office? Health and safety on the job site? Doing part of the work yourself? Seeking arbitration? Going green? Resch has done a lot of thinking about these topics and apparently a lot of Internet research.
Despite its title, the book is not really a compilation of tips per se, but is composed of 51 chapters, four pages each, broken down into four sections: the challenge, the facts, the solutions and resources.
Chapters include “Neighbors and Noise,” “Windows and Lighting” and “What Is Hot in Attic Remodeling?” The final chapter, “The Celebration,” is an oddity, sharing recipes such as sausage and egg casserole you can prepare for an open house when the remodel is finished.
The book is one in a series from Chicago–based Encouragement Press and includes “50 Plus One Tips When Hiring & Firing Employees” and “50 Plus One Greatest Sports Heroes of All Time” among other titles. While the cover states that the author is a contractor and builder, the inside bio says he is a project manager for a millwork company and that “he has been in the general contracting and millwork industries for 20 years.” Continue report . . .
See more remodeling books
Read on »
 I live in a house
of transparent adobe
that you cannot see
and you cannot touch.
Just try to come knocking
on my door sometime
when you are drawn
by the music and the light.
You will not hear doorbells ring
though you may hear
the barking of a dog.
I will answer through a metal grate
and we will both be fooled into thinking
you will be entering soon.
You will not.
Instead, the walls will begin to expand
until you are gently pushed off the front porch
and by the time you are standing on the sidewalk
you will have forgotten why you came.
— Kathy Price-Robinson
Question: My husband and I moved to Las Vegas a year ago and are now buying a fixer upper in an early 1980s tract home development. We love the floor plan, but it needs to be updated for looks and energy efficiency. We're already planning to remove the popcorn ceiling and the shag carpet (replace with bamboo). But it needs storage, new windows, etc. It's a small house and we plan to do most of the work ourselves. And we'd like to "green" it up as much as we can afford. Are there any books or other blogs you would recommend? — Stephanie T.
Answer: Stephanie, you're on the right track replacing the shag carpeting with bamboo floors. You will find your indoor air quality going up immediately. However, make sure the bamboo comes from a sustainable source (ideally FSC certified) and is not processed with toxic adhesives. I realized during a recent trip to Home Depot that finding truly green products is not simple. There is not aisle where you find the good green stuff. You have to do your own research and detective work. With the Internet, that is more possible than ever before.
For a book, I'd like to suggest Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time by David Johnston and Kim Master. The two authors, especially David Johnston, are highly known and respected in the green building arena. It's not a colorful design-type book, so don't expect that. But it does give you a green perspective on all areas of your house: roof, floors, heating, insulation, windows, etc. I also suggest the Not So Big House series by Sarah Susanka. The idea is to build smaller houses of very high quality. As I heard Sarah say recently, the houses she advocates are 30 percent smaller but will cost just as much. But her books will give you great ideas to update the space you have, whereas other design books might show enormous spaces that you can't relate to. And Sarah is way into green building and green remodeling.
For a green remodeling blog, check out Get With Green, which we discovered here thanks to a eco-reader on this blog.
Any other suggestions for Stephanie?
See more green remodeling • • Got a remodeling question?
 I have such respect and compassion for contractors and subcontractors. Most of them "came up through the trades," as they put it, often learning construction skills like carpentry or electrical from their fathers, uncles or family friends. As young guys, they are strong and praised for going at it, getting it done, muscling through.
Later on, when they decide it's time to go into business for themselves, they sometimes carry that same brawny mentality into their entrepreneurial venture.
Unfortunately, many more skills are needed — marketing, financial, human relations, and visioning, among others. Sometimes the tradesman figures all this out on his own, but many times he doesn't. And it's heartbreaking to see these guys in the business world, giving the lowest bids on jobs, rushing around trying to "put out fires," working their rear ends off, and getting further and further behind.
There are many ways tradesmen-turned-businessmen can learn what they need. There are peer-review groups, construction business conferences, professional certifications, some very good magazines and some good books.
One book specifically designed for these entrepreneurs is "The E-Myth Contractor: Why Most Contractors' Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It."
If you are looking for a contractor, you need to avoid those who have not figured out the business side of their endeavor. If you get hooked up with one of these, their financial troubles and lack of proper cash flow will cause you grief.
On the other hand, if you happen to know a young tradesman or tradeswoman who is going to strike out on his or her own, consider giving them a copy of this book. As author Michael Gerber puts it, the secret to a successful business is not working harder in the business, but working on the business.
 Do we really need another book on how to get through a home remodel? I mean, people have been remodeling since they started hanging pelts over cave openings, right?
And it's pretty much the same as it's always been: Figure out what you want, find someone to do it, pay a lot of money, rip your hair out when things go wrong, do the final walk-through and live happily ever after (or sue someone).
So, what's changed that made us need a book called "Remodel This! A Woman's Guide to Planning and Surviving the Madness of a Home Renovation"?
First of all, there are more aging houses that need work. And more women are remodeling than ever before, if only because there are more of us (simple population growth). And the remodeling industry is not straightening up the way it should have after so many decades of valiant effort by the National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry, the remodelers' segment of the National Assn. of Home Builders; the Better Business Bureau; Angie's List; contractor licensing boards; and local contractor associations.
It's still like the Wild West out there, with shady contractors doing shoddy work for truly clueless homeowners. Of course, there are awesome, excellent, amazing remodeling contractors in our midst, but how does one locate them, hire them and work with them?
"Remodel This!" intends to show women the way, and it's pretty successful at doing so with an insider's perspective.
Read more book reports
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 Good news, junkies! Garage-sale shopping is bigger than ever, helped along no doubt by the environmental movement's focus on reusing and recycling.
Garage Sale America, a new book by Bruce Littlefield, takes the reader on a journey of homey bargains.
Here are some reader comments from Amazon:
It is a quiet chilly afternoon, and the rain is dripping down. All you want to do is to curl up with a good book, and escape the dreary day. Picture a friend stopping by and sitting down with you and taking you on a most wonderful voyage through time, place, and through many adventures. That is what will happen when you sit down to the 132-page Garage Sale America book by Bruce Littlefield.
. . . and . . .
What I did not expect, but I probably could have, is this is a design book. Here I've been making excuses for our psychedelic-themed bathroom, and our western-themed coffee room, and our dark and brooding theatre-like TV room. I walk into "normal" people's homes and everything was bought to match. That's design, right? Well, as it turns out, not necessarily.
Reviewed today in the Los Angeles Times.
 If you're building a house or planning a good-sized remodel, you should read "House" by Tracy Kidder. It's one of the top 10 books I've ever read. Kidder, who won a Pulitzer Prize for a previous book on the birth of personal computers, "Soul of a New Machine," hangs out for a year with Apple Corps, a team of homebuilders in Maine, as they build a new luxury home for some wealthy and difficult clients. Kidder is a compelling, lucid writer, and captures the building process giving equal time to each of the three parties: architect, homebuilders and clients. Time called it "a subtle examination of cultural and class differences." Author Anne Tyler wrote in the Boston Globe: "A cliffhanger. . . I read it in one sitting. You'll be fascinated."
Other books that deal with homebuilding tell you the ins and outs of a contract or working with an architect, but this book brings it to life in a true tale, my favorite kind. To get the best work out of a homebuilder, it helps to understand his mindset. This book shows you that.
Have you read it?
 My first suspicion when a magazine publisher puts out a book is: Uh-oh, recycled magazine articles.
Even the subtitle of the book — "Easy Projects to Transform Your Home Inside and Out" — made me wary. As any DIY-er can attest, projects in books are rarely as easy and painless as book authors, editors and marketers would have you believe.
So it was with some surprise that I opened Taunton Press' "52 Weekend Makeovers" to find my concerns unfounded. The projects are lavishly illustrated with large, clear photos of people who look like average homeowners (rather than expert craftsmen, such as those featured in Taunton's Fine Homebuilding magazine) using tools to do the tasks the text explains. Considering some of the competition — books that rely heavily on bland illustrations or that show the same expert at work page after page — these photos are a joy.
Furthermore, the book invites homeowners to face reality with occasional sidebars titled "What Can Go Wrong." How bold to suggest something can go wrong. And yet so much can.
When installing baseboard, for instance: "Walls don't always meet at right angles. When the wall angle is off, a perfectly cut miter joint won't fit."
The text goes on to explain how to cut angles that fit out-of-square walls. The only suggestion I would make is to change the wording from walls "don't always" meet at right angles, to walls "rarely" meet at right angles. But that's a quibble.
The book is hefty, with 346 pages that are 9 inches by 11 inches. Not a bad deal for $24.95.
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This week's Home section features a new book: “Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations” by Debra Prinzing with more than 200 photographs by William Wright, Clarkson Potter, $30.
