How Your House Works: A Visual Guide to Understanding and Maintaining Your Home (RSMeans)

This book, "How Your House Works", is excellent for first-time homeowners and anyone who didn't grow up learning plumbing, electrical, etc. There is a full-color illustration on every page of the book, along with text that explains how each thing in your house works. While it doesn't go into detail on how to fix every single thing that might go wrong with each part of your house, it does tell you "what to look for" before calling a plumber or electrician for service. I like that it explains the name of every part of something like a toilet, so when I talk to the plumber, I can describe the problem more accurately by using the correct terms rather than just say "the thingy that goes up and down", which makes it harder for the plumber to understand the problem and give me a quote for service. There is even a chapter on outdoor equipment that explains lawnmowers, chain saw, etc. My one suggestion/request is for the author to include more information about pool equipment, beyond the page on pool pump and solar heating. I would love an entire chapter about how an inground pool/spa works, and all of the different pumps and valves that go along with it. (Or maybe write a second book just about that topic!)

The illustrations in this book, and the associated text, are fantastic. If you know 'know nothing' about how your house works and want to start learning, this is the book I recommend. Sophisticated enough that you get important nuances - like how plumbing is constructed to avoid siphoning water out the traps - but simple enough that you can grasp what is happening easily. There are also tips for simple repairs or things to check before calling a repair person. I know a fair bit about home repair, but I found myself often learning useful things as I read it. On related note, if you have a child who is interested in home repair or construction or just how things work, this book makes it much easier to explain how/why things work in the home. Toilets, sinks, wells, light switches, etc. Although it is written for adults, most of the content is understandable by a child with an adult assisting in the explanation. I bought the book to read with my son, and he has greatly enjoyed it.

I got this for my daughter who just bought her own home. It explains things in the simplest of terms with lots of diagrams and images. This way, if she decided to fix things herself, she knows how they work. Or, if she hires someone, she has some basic background info that will help her to determine the honesty of some companies. Just a little knowledge can save you thousands. I definitely recommend this book.

I bought this book for myself and a friend. We are both widows, with late husband's that could fix anything, so we are just now learning. Helpful information

The book is informative and helpful in understanding the home environment. It is a DIYers book of delight.

Great simple illustrations of virtually how everything works in a house or supporting a house. would be nice to have more depth, but that would be an enormous books. Highly recommend especially for the price! Even if you're just a curious person and have no intention of home improvements etc, it's a good book to understand how things work.

As a property adjuster, this comes in very helpful in learning what goes on behind each household system. Whether it’s plumbing or drywall or electric, this tells you how a house is put together and it’s great for the layman or professional alike.

This seems like an essential book to keep around. I love how straight forward it is and that it had diagrams that are super easy to understand. It’s filled with basic information that any homeowner should know.

How Your House Works, Third Edition is an all-inclusive guide to taking care of your home. It covers everything from the plumbing, wiring, heating, cooling, appliances, windows and doors, foundation and frame to outdoor equipment and the solar home. It's the perfect book for the new home owner. The book explains how everything works and what you need to do to keep it working. It is filled with labelled drawings that are incredibly helpful to understanding what's going on in your home, locating problems, fixing them or communicating them to a professional. With a detailed table of contents and an index as well, you can quickly locate sections of interest. This easy to read, beautifully laid out book should be on every home owners bookshelf!

Un libro interesante sobre varios conceptos básicos que todos deberíamos conocer en profundidad sobre nuestras casas, principalmente los usuarios finales, para entender como funcionan varias instalaciones o electrodomésticos. Con un esquema muy sencillo y repetido en todo el libro, cada tema está dividido en unas especies de fichas, donde tenemos una ilustración grande a modo de diagrama con explicaciones de sus partes y de su funcionamiento básico. Está dividido en 10 capítulos: fontanería, electricidad, calefacción, aire acondicionado, ventilación, electrodomésticos, ventanas y puertas, envolventes, equipamiento exterior y finalmente sistemas solares. Aunque la división de los temas, el enfoque y sobre todo la selección de elementos no sea la más adecuada, ya que faltan algunas muy importantes y otras están obsoletas, es una obra perfecta para tener una visión integral sobre los servicios que nos aporta una vivienda. Hay que tener en cuenta que es un libro escrito en inglés y orientado al mercado americano, así que gran parte de los elementos no existen en nuestro país, ni siquiera en otro país europeo, por ejemplo, el capítulo eléctrico puede tener cosas incompatibles con nuestra legislación, aunque aporta una explicación clara sobre el cableado. En resumen, un libro técnico pero orientado al gran público, un tipo de manual que yo siempre hecho en falta en España, donde no tenemos nada similar que pueda aportar un poco de homogeneidad y una visión general… Teniendo este matiz en perspectiva, creo que puede ser una obra interesante para amantes del bricolaje, para comunidades de vecinos y también para estudiantes de secundaria que tengan curiosidad por las instalaciones, las reparaciones y también la arquitectura en general…

Overall this book is very useful, but one has to be aware that the details are about the USA houses only. So the measurements and other law requirements are quoted for the USA market only. Still, I've learnt a lot about my plumbing and heating from this book, since a lot of it still applies to the houses in Ireland (so I assume to UK as well). The drawings are really amazing and I appreciate the effort and depth of information. Of course this book is not for any professional, but a standard home owner should get some value from it anyway.

Very clear instructions on how your house works and the different aspects. Great diagrams that help with understanding. Has a section for easy fixes, and then when to see a professional. Bought this book as I just purchased my first house!

Great book if you want to get general knowledge without a heavy reading, nice illustrations if you like visuals with simple explanations. Many topics are covered, it's a fun read and useful.