“What are the best DIY and Home Improvement books?” We looked at 120 of the top books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 10 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best DIY” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 100+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!

Top 10 DIY Books

10 .) Black + Decker Home Repair & Improvement by Editors of Cool Springs Press

Lists It Appears On:

• Scrappy Geek
• Wonderful Engineering

BLACK+DECKER The Book of Home How-To is a comprehensive home reference book with all of the information you need to perform just about any home repair or improvement project you can dream of. And even though it boasts 600 densely packed pages of reliable DIY instructions, this brick of a book will still fit into your toolbox. This book is an A-to-Z encyclopedia with precise how-to instructions and clear photos on every page. With an expanded index of keywords that is intuitive and a simple, alphabetical strategy for organizing the information, you won’t spend precious time wading through stuff you don’t need to know. And all the most common tasks around your home are covered, including electrical, plumbing, flooring, walls, windows and doors, cabinetry, insulating, heating and cooling, roofing and siding, and much more. BLACK+DECKER The Book of Home How-To: it’s incredibly easy to use because it thinks like you do. Plus, it is portable so you can take it with you wherever the work is being done.

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9 .) Collins Complete DIY Manual by Albert Jackson

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• The Book People

This collection contains all you need to know about practically every DIY job you can tackle, from changing a plug to re-wiring a house, and from painting a wall to building one.

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8 .) Home Improvement 1-2-3

Lists It Appears On:

• Full Home Living
• Wonderful Engineering

Home Improvement 1-2-3 is a workbench classic. The new edition—more than 600 projects, thousands of color photos, detailed illustrations, charts, and graphs, and a 90-minute DVD—offers up-to-the-minute solutions for homeowners tackling home repair, maintenance, and improvement. Chapters cover painting, wallpaper, plumbing, electrical system, walls and ceilings, flooring, doors, windows, cabinets, shelves, countertops, insulation, weatherproofing, exterior maintenance, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. Clear, concise instructions accompanied by detailed how-to photographs ensure success no matter what your skill level. Every project offers tips, shortcuts, and advice on buying and using tools and materials, working safely, avoiding common mistakes, saving time and money, and developing skills. Home Improvement 1-2-3 also reviews new tools, technology, materials, and installation techniques.

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7 .) Home Improvement for Dummies by Gene Hamilton & Katie Hamilton

Lists It Appears On:

• Wonderful Engineering
• Wonderful Engineering

“All home improvements don’t require a contractor. Installing a smoke detector, painting a room, and unclogging a sink are all home improvements. In fact, doing the job yourself is often cheaper and always more rewarding. There’s no mystery to home repair. The most important tool you need to make home repairs is know-how—to fix the problem at hand and to buy the other tools and hardware you’ll need!
Home Improvement For Dummies is a whole-house repair manual for everyone from fledgling do-it-yourselfers to seasoned handymen and women. This anybody-can-do-it approach will help you with a repair that needs fixing right away or get you started on a project you’ve been planning.”

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6 .) Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World by Mark Frauenfelder

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Parts Warehouse

“From his unique vantage point as editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine, the hub of the newly invigorated do-it-yourself movement, Mark Frauenfelder takes readers on an inspiring and surprising tour of the vibrant world of DIY. The Internet has brought together large communities of people who share ideas, tips, and blueprints for making everything from unmanned aerial vehicles to pedal- powered iPhone chargers to an automatic cat feeder jury-rigged from a VCR.

DIY is a direct reflection of our basic human desire to invent and improve, long suppressed by the availability of cheap, mass-produced products that have drowned us in bland convenience and cultivated our most wasteful habits.

Frauenfelder spent a year trying a variety of offbeat projects such as keeping chickens and bees, tricking out his espresso machine, whittling wooden spoons, making guitars out of cigar boxes, and doing citizen science with his daughters in the garage. His whole family found that DIY helped them take control of their lives, offering a path that was simple, direct, and clear. Working with their hands and minds helped them feel more engaged with the world around them. “

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5 .) Reader’s Digest Fix It Yourself Manual by Reader’s Digest Association

Lists It Appears On:

• Real Simple
• Scrappy Geek

The indispensable reference guide for every homeowner, guaranteed to help you maintain and improve your home while saving time and money. Covering everything from replacing faulty faucets and showerheads to curing the quirks of an air conditioner, this book provides step-by-step illustrated instructions, plus a comprehensive chapter on tools.

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4 .) Renovation 4th Edition by Michael Litchfield

Lists It Appears On:

• Full Home Living
• Wonderful Engineering

“When it comes to home renovation, there’s no substitute for experience. Renovation 4th Edition contains the collective wisdom of hundreds of contractors, architects and tradespeople who shared their first-hand experience with Mike Litchfield as he interviewed and photographed them on job sites across North America.

As a founding editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine, the author of 12 acclaimed books, and a home renovator himself, Litchfield was able to record lifetimes of practical, field-tested solutions and trade secrets from the cream of the cropthe pros that other pros admire.

Both first-time renovators and professionals who want to supplement their knowledge of specific trades will find Renovation 4th Edition invaluable. R4 reflects the new realities of planning carefully, spending wisely, maximizing space and building durably. Its 614 pages contain extensively revised chapters on planning; doors, windows and skylights; electrical wiring; and energy conservation. Its illustrations are crisp and informative. And its 1000+ photos were selected from more than 40,000 that the author has taken over the years.”

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3 .) 100 Things Every Homeowner Must Know by Editors of Family Handyman

Lists It Appears On:

• Full Home Living
• Scrappy Geek
• Wonderful Engineering

“The Family Handyman’s 100 Things Every Homeowner Must Know gives you the knowledge you need to be a better homeowner. You’ll make informed decisions, avoid frustrations and save thousands over the life of your home.

The Family Handyman’s 100 Things Every Homeowner Must Know gives you the knowledge you need to be a better homeowner. You’ll make informed decisions, avoid frustrations and save thousands over the life of your home. “

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2 .) How Your House Works: A Visual Guide to Understanding and Maintaining Your Home by Charlie Wing

Lists It Appears On:

• Full Home Living
• Parts Warehouse
• XO Jame

“How Your House Works, Second Edition reinforces the fact that it pays to be an informed consumer. Knowledge of your home’s systems helps you control repair and construction costs and makes sure the correct elements are being installed or replaced. How Your House Works uncovers the mysteries behind just about every major appliance and building element in your house. Clear, full-color drawings show you exactly how these things should be put together and how they function, including what to check if they don’t work.

Covering topics such as electrical systems, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, major household appliances, foundation, framing, doors, and windows, this updated Second Edition has considerable additional information, with new chapters related to sustainability in and outside the house, as well as new topics, including clock thermostats, ventless gas heaters, moisture and mold, and passive solar heating.”

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1 .) The Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual by Reader’s Digest and The Family Handyman

Lists It Appears On:

• Full Home Living
• Health Line
• Parts Warehouse
• Scrappy Geek
• XO Jame

“The bestselling, most comprehensive guide to home improvements has been revised and updated once again since it’s revision in 2005. Over 10 million copies of READER’S DIGEST COMPLETE DO-IT-YOURSELF MANUAL have been sold since it’s original publication in 1973. In 2005, the manual got bigger and better than ever, when The Family Handyman and Reader’s Digest joined forces and completely revised, updated, rewrote, and redesigned this home improvement classic. Now in 2014, The Family Handyman has once again updated and revised this do-it-yourself classic to make it relevant to today’s homeowners and DIYers..

Written in a style of text that addresses readers in a very accessible, conversational tone for easy, user-friendly assistance with every do-it-yourself task. All instructions and materials have been updated to address current codes (electrical, plumbing and building), and revised to indicate the very latest in materials, tools, and technology. “

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The 100+ Additional Do It Yourself Books

12 Best Home Improvement Book Sources/Lists