Maintenance

This is the Bible of the Range Rover

As a beginner PC user I found this book to very helpful. I wish I had gotten it sooner. It would have helped define the error messages, that can be such a mystery. It's easy to find what you are looking for, and when you find it the book clearly presents an explanation of the problem & how to solve it. The book is well laid out. If it helps me solve my computer problems, then other beginners might find it very helpful.

I just bought this book. Haven't read all of it yet, but what I've read, I really like. Very detailed, and very informative. I plan to build a Gen VI 454 or 502 for my latest street rod, and this book answeres all of my questions. Very well done and worth the money. Invaluable reference.

I am a rotating equipment specialist, and consider this a very thorough book on all aspects of reciprocating compressors, from the general design, installation, and maintenance point of view. What sets this book apart from others is that the author is a reliability specialist, and many of the hidden details that can lead to failures are pointed out. In addition, the book is extremely well illustrated with large clear pictures and drawings.

This is the 5th edition of DJ Smith's excellent book on reliability in the real world. Having worked in this field for a number of years, I can honestly say that Mr. Smith has provided a perfect means of understanding the principles behind basic reliability calculations, in a way that is neither condescending nor unneccesarily complex. I recommend this book in the strongest possible terms to readers interested in gaining a greater understanding of the world of reliability engineering without having to trawl through pages of postgraduate mathematics.

This book gives you step by step instructions - to the point of including samples of phone questionnaires, Request for Proposal letters, the agenda for the architect interview, etc. It tells you how to interview for an architect and a contractor, and what to expect at each stage of the remodeling process. It relies heavily on formal AIA procedures, but if you're investing a lot in a renovation and you're new to remodeling, the AIA procedures are probably the best way to go. If you read just one book about remodeling, I recommend this one! (Too bad it's out of print.) I also recommend Rusk's On Time On Budget for more good info (but Rusk does not give all the details that Gibson gives).

"If it ain't broke beyond fixing, then fix it" says William Hague in this tremendous guide to home maintenance. As Hague says in his introduction, it is the dream of many homeowners to move house, but in many cases (such as his own hilariously unrealistic aim of moving to a quiet street in Whitehall) these are just pipe dreams. This book gives you excellent advice on how to make do with what you've got, such as the no-nonsense chapter "Keep the Buggers Out", on how to keep unwanted bogus intruders out of your home. The style of his home-improvements is best described in the the author's own words - "compassionate conservatism for the 14 pints of bitter a day man."

It's easy to say that this is the best book on renovating barns - it's the only one that I know of. But, this book is very, very good. I'm lucky enough to be able to spend much of my time designing new barns and helping clients restore old ones. I'm amazed and embarrassed by how much I learned from this book. Nick Engler presents a good primer on barn design, and then goes to work, explaining in detail how to repair each and every common problem with old barns. If your barn is leaning, if the stone foundation is buckled, if your pole-barn posts are rotting, if your timbers have splintered, if your roof sways, you'll learn what to do to fix the problem and to keep it from happening again.

Nash is a classic author who joyfully shares his experience in restoring old houses. While there have been a lot books we've enjoyed, no book has been more useful regarding issues specific to old homes than THIS ONE. The book is published by Taunton Press, known for other high quality publications like Fine Homebuilding and The Not So Big House. It's been critical for helping us to figure out how to do everything from fixing a smelly basement to removing a load bearing wall. What it has done the most is helped us to think of our house as a system (not just as the sum of it's parts). While it's true that construction and engineering have come a long way in 97 years, you can't always slap on a new [insert any product here] and assume everything will be better. Nash emphasizes how old houses are different in many ways, including how they circulate air, keep in heat and even stay standing. We never knew a balloon from balloon framing until we read this book. Finally, Nash shares our own values for design integrity. We know that his heart is with us and other old house owners trying to "right the wrongs" brought upon a house which has been 'remuddled' one too many times. We never lend this one out!

These four stories, each centered around an old house, are truly heartwarming. If you are feeling down, these great stories will definitely "restore" you too.