By JESSICA WATTS

Updated 47 minutes ago

Iam a DIY junkie. I can admit it, I know I’m addicted. I love all things ‘Do It Yourself’. It can be crafts, cooking, woodworking, sewing, home improvement or car repair (though I’ll admit, I don’t get very far in that last category). I am addicted to books that teach techniques in various subjects because I’m always itching to learn something new. So, the library is a very helpful place to work as I am constantly coming across new books on different subjects to keep me busy.

We have many new and fabulous DIY books I would like to share with you. If you are anything like me and enjoy learning about how things work and like to dabble in different areas of creativity, you are in luck. I’m going to try to dedicate one column a month to the topic DIY. Each month will have a different subject matter but the great part, it’s all DIY!

This week we will start with something for all you homeowners. After buying my own house a little over a year ago and not having a handy-man around to help with the many little things that need fixing, I started falling in love with the books & magazines available to teach you tricks about how to improve your home yourself. Any of you ladies looking to take more ownership over some projects in your house or men looking for some extra tips and tricks, these suggestions are for you.

When it comes to magazines, there are two that I check out on a regular basis. Canadian Home Workshop, the Do-It-Yourself Magazine and The Family Handyman. Both of these magazines highlight not only great projects like how to make over your bathroom yourself and build a step stool for your kids in the kitchen, but they also feature tips for many household jobs like how to hang cabinets properly. You do need to have the right tools for many of the projects in these magazines, but they really break down the steps with easy to understand instructions. The kind of make me think that one day I’ll actually attempt to install my own kitchen faucet!

Fast Fixes for Almost Everything Around Your House by Charlie Wing is a great little book that covers plumbing, heating and cooling, wiring, lighting and appliances. This book goes over things like replacing a toilet seat, bleeding baseboards and unclogging a sink drain. For someone looking to tackle minor fixes around the home but needs a bit of encouragement in the form of a diagram, this book is a handy tool.

Another great resource is DIY Quick Fix; Over 100 helpful tips and techniques for repairing and improving your home by Julian Cassell, Peter Parham and Jon Eakes. With full-colour pictures this book is broken down into the following sections: alterations and repairs, kitchens and bathrooms, decorating and finishing, outdoor repairs, electrics, and plumbing and heating. Learn to repair a hole in drywall, replace a door hinge in the kitchen or the proper way to remove a broken light bulb.

A few more to consider: How to fix damn near everything by Franklynn Peterson, Ty’s Tricks: Home repair secrets plus cheap and easy projects to transform any room by Ty Pennington, and Popular Mechanics Home How-to: home repairs and improvements by Albert Jackson and David Day.

Stay tuned next month to find out about DIY craft projects to make your own homemade gifts or to use to decorate your home and living spaces.

Jessica Watts is co-ordinator of outreach programs and partnerships at the Greater Sudbury Public Library.

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