Step-by-Step How-To Guides.
For the Homeowner Who Wants to Know.
Short, focused guides to the jobs most homeowners face — written from forty years of doing this work in my own houses, not from a contractor's sales playbook.
Hammond Re-Engineered DIY Guides
No. 1 · ~55 pages
Replace a Toilet
A Step-by-Step Guide
Replace a toilet without calling a plumber. A step-by-step plan from shutoff to wax ring to final tank bolt — with the sequence mistakes that cause leaks weeks later.
No. 2 · ~75 pages
Diagnose a Wet Basement
Five Causes in Order of Cost
A wet basement is almost never the thing homeowners first assume. This book walks the five real causes in order of cost — so you fix the $4 problem before you spend $14,000 on an interior drain tile.
No. 3 · ~45 pages
Fix a Running Toilet
Flapper, Fill Valve, Chain — In That Order
Stop the phantom flush, the midnight hiss, and the $200 water bill. A running toilet is one of three parts, and each takes 15 minutes and under $20 to fix. This book walks the order.
No. 4 · ~50 pages
Replace a Bathroom Faucet
Without Destroying the Vanity
Replace a bathroom faucet in one afternoon without cracking the vanity, smearing plumber's putty on the countertop, or having a leak behind the drywall in six months. The sequence that works.
No. 5 · ~65 pages
Diagnose a Ceiling Leak
It's Never Where It Drips
A water stain on the ceiling is almost never above where it shows. This book walks the four possible sources and the tracing technique that finds the actual leak before you cut the wrong drywall.
No. 6 · ~55 pages
Replace a Kitchen Faucet
Around the Disposal, Filter, and Sprayer
Replace a kitchen faucet in a single afternoon — around the disposal, the filter, and the sprayer. The sequence that keeps you from being stuck under the sink at 9 PM on a Sunday.
Bigger Project? There's a Full Book.
DIY guides cover one job at a time. For a room-scale remodel, see the full-length books on kitchens, bathrooms, and basements.