From Library Journal Philbin， coauthor of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores ( LJ 3/1/89)， seeks to help consumers from being ripped off by home improvement contractors. In the first section he deals with contractors; he explains， among other things， how to plan a project， get multiple bids， find the right contractor， and supervise that contractor. In the second part he discusses kinds of contracting jobs， such as electrical and plumbing， and the areas of the home， such as kitchens， where most work is performed. He includes a sample contract and glossary in the appendixes. There is a lot of interesting material， but Philbin tries to cover too much ground; it is difficult to become educated about ceramic tile or showers in three to six pages. While consumers will find more information from do-it-yourself magazine articles or by talking to the people in the lumberyards and hardware stores， this book may still serve as a handy resource in public libraries.- Patty Miller， New Hampshire Technical Coll. Lib.， LaconiaCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information， Inc. Review "A handy resource" --Library Journal"A virtual directory of common improvement and maintenance jobs...very thoroughgoing." --Booklist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews