Reader’s Digest published the first edition in 1973 and it became the standard American home repair reference almost immediately — over 10 million copies sold in the half-century since. In 2014, the editors of Family Handyman, the country’s best-selling DIY magazine, thoroughly updated the book: revised to current electrical, plumbing, and building codes; new photography throughout; and updated materials and techniques reflecting what’s actually in homes today. The A-to-Z encyclopedia format means you can reach for it when something specific needs attention, without reading cover to cover.
It covers every major home system: electrical panels, circuits, and wiring; plumbing supply and drain; furnaces, water heaters, and air conditioning; roofing, windows, and doors; walls, ceilings, and flooring; and the tools you need for all of it. More than 3,000 step-by-step photographs. Written for the person who doesn’t have a tradesperson’s vocabulary but needs to understand what they’re looking at — which describes most homeowners in most situations.
When something breaks — a circuit that keeps tripping, a pipe dripping behind the wall, a water heater that won’t fire — your first task is knowing what you’re dealing with. This book makes that possible. It won’t replace a licensed electrician or plumber for permitted work, but it gives you the systems fluency to identify the problem, assess whether it’s safe to wait, and decide what’s within your capability to address. Pair it with our Energy & Grid-Down guides for the preparedness layer, and our First 72 Hours guide for immediate-action context. And since some code-specific guidance has moved since 2014, the section below identifies exactly what to verify.
