The Complete Idiot's Guide to Designing Your Own Home


Book Description

Creating a new home-or rebuilding a purchased one-requires architectural expertise, not only for aesthetic design purposes but also to account for structural safety, feasibility of plan, compliance with local laws and codes, and above all, to make a new house feel like home-the home you've always wanted. However, architects can be very costly- but only if you use them. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Designing Your Own Hometeaches readers to do all or most of an architect's work themselves, step-by-step, with inspirational ideas; clear, concise information; practice exercises; and professional secrets-all explained in a warm, inviting, friendly voice. It explains everything readers need to know to design the home they've always wanted while making it practical, affordable, and secure.




Building Your Own Home


Book Description

A clear, concise, up-to-date guide on all aspects of deciding, designing, hiring, financing, building, and enjoying a home that's really your own. -- Covers all aspects of the home building process, from deciding what kind of house to build, to designing it, planning it, hiring the people to build it, and financing it. -- Less intimidating than many do-it-yourself books which are 600+ pages and either assume some knowledge of the home building process or are geared towards those who plan to do some of the actual constructing themselves. -- Written by an experienced consumer rather than a contractor, banker, realtor, or other biased author. The Complete Idiot's Guide "RM" to Building Your Own Home is a clear, concise, up-to-date guide on every aspect of the home building process. It answers every question readers have about building a custom residence-and a few questions they may not have considered. With clear instructions and illustrations, this book takes readers through every step of the home-building process from figuring a budget to finding labor and materials to all aspects of home construction. Whether they plan to build it all themselves, build some and hire some done, or hire it all done to their specifications, The Complete Idiot's Guide "RM" to Building Your Own Home will do the job.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell


Book Description

This step-by-step guide offers the tactics used by home stagers--from de-cluttering and cleaning up to arranging and remodeling--that will often yield a quicker sale and higher selling price.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Graphic Design


Book Description

If you can dream it, you can design it Whether your goal is to design your own marketing materials, launch a visually compelling blog, or just have some fun creating your own CD covers, The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Graphic Design is your one-stop reference. Presented in an intuitive, accessible format, here are the fundamental elements of design and design principles, as well as instruction on how to apply those elements and principles to a variety of projects. • Covers art supplies, software, concept development, reproduction needs, and much more • Sample projects include business cards, print and web ads, and graphic T-shirts • Follows the success of other titles aimed at the aspiring artist, including the Complete Idiot’s Guide® titles on digital photography, drawing, and manga




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Security


Book Description

Covers creating a home security plan, assessing local public safety agencies, planning a budget, alarm systems, home survellience, and protecting a car.




Tiny House Designing, Building, & Living


Book Description

Do you have what it takes to live tiny? Do you dream of simplifying your life, freeing up your financial resources, and ditching all of the clutter that's weighing you down? Learn the nuts and bolts of what it really takes to achieve this dream of designing, building, and living in a tiny house of 400 square feet or less! Tiny house professionals Gabriella and Andrew Morrison have been involved in the trade for over 20 years, helping others to construct their own tiny homes, and they have poured all of their expertise and firsthand experience into this guide. Tiny House Designing, Building, and Living is the one-stop manual into this innovative concept of minimalist living. Dozens of helpful images and a full-color insert displaying different types of tiny houses help you visualize your dream. • Advice on how to embrace the tiny house lifestyle! • How to design and build a house that's an ideal fit for your needs. • The nuances of foundation types, financing and insurance, and legal standards • Building techniques, must-have utilities, off-the-grid living, and home placement. • Inspiration for functional décor and storage. • Three tiny house floor plans, with detailed illustrations!




The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Building Your Own Home


Book Description

Start with a strong foundation. With even more instructions and illustrations, this revised and updated edition offers clear and concise guidance on every step of home building, from figuring a budget to finding labor and materials to all aspects of construction. This book answers every question readers have about building their own residence—and a few questions they may not have considered. • Contains a visual dictionary of new construction terms and home components • Fully illustrated with step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions • Sample bid forms, general contractor agreements, and legal advice on building codes and permits • Includes information on working with architects and drawing up your own plans




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Decorating Your Home


Book Description

Ever look around the walls of your home and think, Blah! Do you have Martha-Stewart envy? Do you buy decorating magazines by the dozen and just end up throwing up hands at the impossibility of the task of re-doing your home? Fret no more. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Decorating Your Home, Second Edition gives clear, easy-to-understand instruction to turn the most humble abode into a work of art. This brand new, updated second edition has even more photos than before to help you get a picture-perfect vision of your decorating dreams. An all-new chapter on decorating resources on the Web, as well as how to use such hot tickets as e-Bay to get that perfect item for your home at a perfectly low price.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Selling Your Own Home


Book Description

Do it yourself . . . and keep the commission! Now anyone who wants to sell their home on their own can learn how. Whether readers are willing to pay a small commission for online help or a flat fee for an MLS listing, or they want to handle every step on their own, this guide will walk them through the process, providing tips on everything from signs and open houses to appraisals and inspections. 9781440696664




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Intelligent Design


Book Description

An objective overview of the biggest controversy in American education. Intelligent Design is one of the hottest issues facing parents and educators to day, but it can be hard to separate the facts from the heated rhetoric. This expert and objective guide gets to the bottom of the questions: What is Intelligent Design? Should it replace or complement traditional science? What's all the fuss about? * Explains the terms, the controversy, and the involvement of the American courts * Indispensable guide for concerned educators and parents * Written by an expert in the field