Obvious, But Not So Obvious Vol. 2: How to Fix & Maintain Your Home

Home repair for beginners, from basic plumbing and electrical safety to drywall patches and seasonal upkeep.

A toilet that won't stop running. A bedroom outlet that suddenly goes dead. A door that sticks every summer. None of these is a disaster, but each one can make you feel helpless if nobody ever showed you what to do. Here's the good news: the same five or six things go wrong in almost every home. Drains clog, toilets run, breakers trip, walls get holes, doors stick and filters get dirty. Each one has a simple, well-known fix, and it's cheaper than you think. A new toilet flapper usually costs a few dollars and takes about ten minutes to swap.

Inside you'll learn:

• A small, affordable toolkit for almost every job
• Shutoff valves, clogs, plungers and running toilets
• Your breaker panel, GFCI outlets and swapping a light fixture safely
• Patching walls, fixing sticking doors, stopping drafts and painting a room
• A season-by-season maintenance checklist

Every chapter starts from zero, in plain words, with step-by-step instructions and safety notes. 46 simple drawings, flowcharts and checklists make each step easy to follow.

What you get: an instant PDF download in full colour, 12 chapters, in two sizes: A4 (72 pages, best for printing) and A5 (best for phones and tablets).

Obvious, But Not So Obvious is a series of life-skills guides for beginners and young adults. Also in the series: How to Cook & Master Your Kitchen; How to Care for Your Car; How to Manage Your Money & Paperwork; and How to Handle Your Tech & Stay Safe Online. Get all five in one book with the Master Edition: How to Master Everyday Life.