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

This is a great book. Fascinating look behind the scenes of your house. Great for when I'm explaining things to the kids. Helps them understand why some of their habits are bad for the house.

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!)

Good book if you still have a “library” in your home. I do, so it is helpful to me. Thank you.

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 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.

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.

Great easy to follow graphics. More of a picture book than a text book. Only issue is not available for all kindles.

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.