Ultimate Guide to Masonry and Concrete, 3rd edition, covers a wide range of masonry subjects, including basic installations, specific projects, and common repairs with concrete, block, brick, stone, tile, and stucco. Readers will find the information they need on tools, materials, and techniques explained in plain language and shown in full-color photographs and detailed, colorful illustrations. The construction of 60 of the most popular masonry projects, such as laying a brick patio or walkway, building a barbecue, and building a retaining wall, are covered in detail with dozens of step-by-step photographs and large, cutaway illustrations. Readers will find tips and special features on alternative approaches to projects that let them apply the information to different types of buildings and sites. Thorough coverage of masonry repairs and maintenance is also included.

Today's homeowners are looking to create additional storage space in the home with the most design flair possible. Ultimate Guide to Cabinets, Shelves & Home Storage Solutions addresses a problem that is common to all homeowners: lack of adequate storage. The book presents the reader with the latest in storage solutions and covers the latest in storage ideas and products. For the do-it-yourselfer, there are 35 fully illustrated projects for the kitchen, bath, bedroom, living room, and utility room to improve the storage possibilities of any home. An extensive techniques section provides the novice handyperson with the skills they will need to complete the projects.

Creative Homeowner's new title in its tremendously successful home plan series, Home Plans for Baby Boomers offers readers over 300 best-selling designs featuring main-level master suites. The book's subtitle pretty much sums up what it's about: Finding the "me" in Boomer; Master Suites on the Main Floor; Right-Sizing to Fit Your Lifestyle. Over 200 gorgeous, full-color photographs allow readers to experience homes actually built from the designs, plus some stunning interior images. Virtually every home style is offered, including farmhouses, country cottages, contemporaries, luxury estates, vacation retreats, and regional specialties. In addition to these designs, Home Plans for Baby Boomers offers practical tips and advice on everything from selecting a site and hiring a contractor to adding finishing touches.

Ultimate Guide to Kids' Play Structures and Tree Houses is a complete guide to building a wide range of outdoor play structures, including a central tower to which a swing set and monkey bar can be attached in various configurations or built as stand-alones. In addition, there are various sandboxes, a playhouse, a teeter-totter, a ground-hugging balance beam, a kids'-size picnic table, and a tree house that any kid would love to have. Beginning with chapters on planning, tools, materials, and construction and finishing, the book then presents the projects themselves in lucid presentations that have become Creative Homeowner hallmarks. All projects were designed to conform with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines. For any parent considering play yard equipment, this book is an essential guide.

Ultimate Guide: Plumbing is an updated and expanded edition of Creative Homeowner's comprehensive, best-selling plumbing how-to book. The most up-to-date products and techniques are covered. For the how-to information, strong emphasis is placed on doing things correctly, so all the projects use only code-compliant techniques. Author Merle Henkenius prepares the do-it-yourselfer to handle any plumbing task in the home, from replacing a washer in a leaky faucet to cutting and joining cast-iron vent pipes. The book also gives readers an overview of a house's plumbing system, including supply, waste, and vent piping, and explains the basic physics that keep everything working well. So in addition to learning how to plan and complete each project, readers learn how to spot and improve outdated or dangerous techniques and materials in their home's plumbing system.

This Smart Guide shows readers how to build and finish their own garage or carport from the ground up. The most essential information readers need to successfully handle each task is packed into this concise construction manual. Information on reading blueprints is also included.

Ultimate Guide: Wiring demystifies residential electrical systems through easy-to-understand language and the use of step-by-step photography and detailed illustrations. Homeowners will learn how their home's electrical system works and complete installations and repairs themselves. 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 the reader through installing switches, outlet receptacles, electrical appliances, and lighting systems. Outdoor lighting, including security and low-voltage systems, can help homeowners improve and illuminate the exterior areas around their homes. As with previous editions, the seventh edition has been updated to comply with the latest National Electrical Code.

Smart Guide®: Trim, 2nd Edition is an all-new photographic edition of a best-seller that shows readers how to select and install the right molding and trim for their homes. The book describes room preparation, tools, planning the layout, cutting molding and trim, installation, finishing techniques, and maintenance. Smart Guide: Trim, 2nd Edition covers a variety of trim types, including base, crown, and chair rail moldings, as well as window and door casings.

Whether readers are deciding on the type of pond that best suits their wants and needs or trying to decide whether a stream or a waterfall fits better into their landscape, Smart Guide: Ponds, Waterfalls & Fountains has it all. Completely rewritten and packed with all-new full-color photographs and illustrations, this guide will help homeowners plan, build, and maintain their water feature with step-by-step do-it-yourself sequences and easy-to-understand directions. Chapters cover everything from plant and fish selection to tips on choosing a spray or statuary fountain, how to install pond shells, digging out a watercourse and waterfall, and even adding accents such as bridges and stepping-stones to the backyard. For homeowners who can't wait to get started in the spring and want to show off their creativity, Smart Guide: Ponds, Waterfalls & Fountains will not only help their project take off; it will instill the confidence to finish.

Decks continue to be one of the most popular additions to homes today as more and more homeowners seek to enjoy outdoor living and expand living space. Ultimate Guide to Decks, 4th edition: Plan, Design, Build leads the homeowner through the process of designing and building a deck, whether as a do-it-yourself project or working with a contractor. Hundreds of step-by-step color photographs highlight the clear, concise, and friendly text. The author provides helpful advice on generating ideas, selecting materials, and using tools as he leads the reader through the complete process. Further inspiration comes from dozens of deck designs and ideas the author has gathered from four of the nation's top deck designer/builders. Finally, three different deck projects, complete with plans and materials lists, are included so that even a novice can create a finished deck with this complete guide.

Smart Guide®: Basements, All-New 2nd Edition, provides readers with the information they need to convert their dark, dreary basements into bright, airy living spaces. Readers learn how to eliminate moisture problems, change rough concrete walls and floors into finished surfaces, hide pipes and wiring, and bring light and ventilation to these rooms.

Storage and garden sheds can add value to any property. Smart Guide: Garden Sheds helps readers make the decisions necessary to obtain maximum value from a new shed. The book covers general principles of selecting a shed style and picking a site for the building. The construction of three different styles of sheds–gable-end potting shed, gambrel yard shed, and salt-box garden/tractor shed–are explained, step by step. Readers will learn key construction techniques, including how to build and install foundations, floors, walls, roofs, doors, windows, and accessories through easy-to-follow photo sequences. Smart Guide: Garden Sheds is a valuable resource for anyone planning on building a shed or having one installed on a property.

As a showcase of Signature Kitchens & Baths magazine's top kitchens, Best Signature Kitchens provides a glimpse of more than 100 modern, state-of-the-art kitchens from leading designers around the country. With numerous possibilities, it is no wonder why this cornerstone space is one of the most commonly updated and renovated rooms for new and existing homeowners. Over 250 beautiful, full-color photographs and illustrated floor plans show readers how to turn any kitchen into a warm, inviting heart of the home.

Smart Guide: Pruning provides information and instruction on the proper methods and techniques for pruning shrubs, roses, trees, hedges, and other perennial plants. The book tells home gardeners why pruning is important and how it can be used to maintain, train, and in some cases, revive damaged plants. Homeowners learn proper tool selection as well as techniques for pruning for specific purposes, such as maintenance and pruning to achieve a specific plant shape. An extensive gallery shows pruning recommendations for specific plants, including when to prune, techniques for shaping, general maintenance and bringing a neglected plant back to full vigor.

There are many ways a homeowner can improve the usefulness, value, and design of their outdoor living spaces, and the Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Projects brings the most popular of those projects together in one complete book. Created to both inspire homeowners by showing the possibilities as well as providing the instruction to build the project, the Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Projects covers everything from building fences to planting a lush, green lawn. Projects include the tools and materials readers will need, as well as photographs or illustrations to show them how to do the job right. Projects include patios and walkways, stone walls, garden sheds, pools and spas, raised planters, trellises and arbors, perennial borders, lawns, and much more.