Bessie Sullivan: Hello, I’m Bessie Sullivan from the Haliburton County Public Library and this is Library Moments. Once a week some of us from the library will come and talk about books, upcoming events, or the services we offer at the library.
Father’s Day was this past week-end and it made me think of the technical skills I gained from my dad. My dad could fix or build anything. It was never fancy, but whatever he built it did the job. I was always his helper, much more so than my brother. If nothing else, I learned that with a little research you can always try to solve a problem yourself, or learn enough to know when you need to hire a professional. A quick look at the library catalogue using the search term DIY, which stands for “Do It Yourself” yields great results. From construction to decorating, inside and out there is lots to choose from.
Today on Library Moments Sherrill Sherwood, Erin Kernohan-Berning and I will each talk about a book that could help you with a DIY project.
Sherrill Sherwood, Collections Development:When something breaks in your house, finding and hiring an expensive repairman shouldn’t be the only option for homeowners. Next time your faucet springs a leak or that bedroom doorknob punches a hole in your drywall, fix it yourself with help from The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: a one-volume encyclopedia of do-it-yourself fixes that will save you money, time, and frustration. With 350 projects offering clear instructions and over 2,000 photos to guide you through common repairs, The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair is your one-stop do-it-yourself manual.Formatted in a compact size and arranged by general subject matter, this comprehensive book includes directions for repairing trouble spots such as water damaged walls and ceilings, installing entry doors, repairing gutters, staining siding, replacing a water heater, quieting noisy pipes and replacing a toilet. Published in 2016, The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair has up to date visually appealing information that will help you to help yourself.
Erin Kernohan-Berning, Branch Services Librarian: HGTV star, Bryan Baeumler, tackles nearly 200 mistakes to avoid when you are doing it yourself in his book Measure Twice. Never try drywalling a ceiling in your own, don’t just knock out that load-bearing wall, don’t pick paint colours solely based on the paint chip, and don’t do your own electrical work are just a few of the mistakes he addresses in the book. He also talks about some of the proactive things homeowners can do to avoid disaster with their renos, builds, and diy projects such as understanding what structurally keeps the roof of your house over your head, how your water and electricity come into your house, and dedicating 25-30% of your project budget to contingencies, for those inevitable surprises hiding behind your walls. The title Measure Twice not only refers to the carpenter’s adage “measure twice cut once”, but also refers to the need for diy’ers to step back, take their time, and approach their project with patience and attention to detail – and to read the instructions, that’s important too.
Bessie Sullivan, County Librarian: Home Decorating by Julian Cassell, Peter Parham, and Alex Potelli will help you translate your ideas into reality, whether it’s re-tiling your bathroom, painting your windows, or wallpapering a bedroom. Home Decorating was written by professional decorators and explains the fundamental principles underlying successful home decoration. It breaks down a wide variety of decorating projects into manageable stages, with easily followed instructions and clear step-by-step colour photographs explaining each stage in the process. The book also gives suggestions on colour choices and details of the tools and materials that you will need, as well as comprehensive information on how to undertake the task itself, the book is designed to take the mystery out of even seemingly complex home decorating jobs.
Summer starts this week and with longer days it’s great time to take on the projects you’ve been putting off, I suggest that you start with the publication Deck Ideas You Can Use by Chris Peterson, that way you will have a summertime place to read, and really, isn’t that everyone’s priority?
Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of Library Moments here on 100.9 CanoeFM.
*Originally aired on 100.9 CANOE FM June 19th – 25th, 2016.
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