New home-improvement books are being published almost daily in the United States, which confirms my belief that a little knowledge is a profitable thing.

The problem is that most of these books are very expensive - typically $30 to $35. Frankly, they all are pretty much the same - some better illustrated than others - which means you just need one.

So what is the best one for the money?

That’s hard to say. What fits my needs may not fit yours. Most of the books tend to favor new houses over older ones, so if you have a 17th-century house you wish to restore, how to install vinyl replacement windows isn’t what you are looking for.

Here’s another thing to remember: What is presented in any particular book might not reflect your reality. These books often make these projects look easy and relatively sanitary. They never are.

In addition, there are many problems around the house that require the efforts of a professional. Going it by yourself may actually cost you more in the long run.

Anyway, here’s a look at some of what’s on the bookshelf. Prices are at Borders bookstores, as of Aug. 5.

Stanley’s Complete Step-by-Step Revised Book of Home Repair and Improvement, Simon & Schuster, $35. Pretty much what you can find elsewhere, but it has a useful section on fence repair techniques and framing rooms with metal studs. Most of the competition focuses instead on installing fences and framing with lumber.

Black & Decker’s Complete Guide to Home Repair, Creative Publishing, $34.95. It includes maintenance checklists and troubleshooting charts that give you a quick reference to what should be done and when for appliances, fixtures, furnaces and the like.

There is a Black & Decker Complete Guide to Home Improvement, which doesn’t stand out among the competition. Also $34.95.

The Complete Book of Home Improvement, by Michael Lawrence, Annis Publishing Ltd., $5.99. You can’t beat the price or the diversity of topics, since the British Lawrence not only shows you how to add storage to the garage but focuses on simple interior decorating ideas to easily change the look of your house - wallpaper or removing wallpaper.

Reader’s Digest Fix-It Yourself Manual, an older version of Black & Decker’s tome. $35. Here’s a book with information that works: I successfully repaired a CD player by simply following step-by-step instructions. Taking it to the shop would have cost me $75, so the book more than paid for itself.

Reader’s Digest also has a Do-It-Yourself Manual - again $35 - which is very much like the others. The original version was not very well illustrated; the revised versions are.

Ortho’s Home Improvement Encyclopedia, Ortho Books, $29.95, has a section on greenhouses, which I’ve never found in the others. If you don’t have the room for one, you can build a cold frame to extend the growing season. The book doesn’t tell you how to build one exactly, but the illustration is good enough that you can figure it out.

It also has a great section on identifying hazardous household materials and how to get rid of them.

Creative Homeowner’s Home Book, $40. I don’t know who pumps the books out faster, Taunton Press or Creative Homeowner, but I must get one from each every month of the year. The Home Book has long been my personal favorite, simply because what it covers seems to correspond with the kinds of household projects I undertake. The book includes a remodeling guide, including a section on how to settle disputes with your contractor.

Home Depot Home Improvement 1-2-3, $34.95. Can’t miss this one in the bookstore, because the cover is as orange as the sign on the home-center chain outlets. It is cleverly written - I almost laughed aloud when I came to the page that included “Getting to Know Your Window.” But seriously, the heading included a look from head to sill and everything in between. The book lists basic tools for the job (the ones needed for roof work will convince you that it is probably less expensive to hire a roofer) and provides you with information on the time involved in such projects, depending on the skill level of the person doing it. It also has a nice section on window air conditioner maintenance.

There is also a version of the Home Depot book for landscaping projects (it is also a 1-2-3).

Published: August 7, 2003

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Al Heavens writes about real estate and home repair and improvement. He is the author of What No One Ever Tells You About Renovating Your Home: Real-Life Advice For Hassle-free, Cost-Effective Remodeling.