5 DIY home improvement books you need to buy right now

DIY home improvement books can be the perfect housewarming gift for a friend, or a present for your children when they move out of the family home. Or treat yourself to one, and unleash your inner DIY guru.

Before you dedicate on buying a DIY home improvement book, make sure you know how to pick the right one. The book you choose should have clear step-by-step instructions, the language should be simple to understand, and the more pictures it has - the better. After all, most of us are visual learner.

To save you some browsing around, we've picked five acclaimed DIY home improvement books to inspire you, and unleash your creativity.

100 Things Every Homeowner Must Know: How to Save Money, Solve Problems and Improve Your Home - Editors of the Family Handyman

The title certainly doesn't leave any doubts on how useful this book can be, especially for someone who's just moved out on their own. As you go through the chapters, you'll learn how to be a better homeowner, make the right decisions, and save up.

How Your House Works: A Visual Guide to Understanding and Maintaining Your Home - Charlie Wing

This wonderful book is a visual encyclopaedia full of diagrams and illustrations. It'll help you understand the mechanics of your own home, which will also be useful when trying to avoid breakdowns.

Upcycling: 20 Creative Projects Made from Reclaimed Materials - Max McMurdo

#Upcycling has become trendy amongst Millennials in the recent years. Is it because it helps the nature, or because this generation is facing greater financial difficulties than the ones before? We cannot be entirely sure but the trend is there. And if you want to jump on the wave, this book is all you need. It'll show you how to repurpose, reuse and refurbish your belongings, giving an entirely new, designer-looking upgrade to your home.

Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World - Mark Frauenfelder

You can't go wrong with this book by the editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine, which, arguably inspired the DIY movement. Automatic cat-feeders, or energy-saving iPhone charger - this book has it all, and all is curious unusual, and helpful.

The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: With 350 Project and over 2,000 Photos - Black & Decker

The authors say: "An ultimate, fully-loaded, ridiculously overpacked reference book for every home project you candream of; the compilation of our longstanding expertise; the home how-to book to crush all others."With its 560 pages, and weighting over a kilo it's not your everyday light read but can certainly come in handy for DIY enthusiasts of all ages. We guarantee, there will always be something new to learn.

And a bonus one:

All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House - David Giffels

A memoir set in Ohio, USA this book is a must-read for everyone planning to start on a home improvement project. With lots of humour it will guide you through the problems, and frustrations any DIY enthusiast can face, and teach you how much you can grow, while on the path to achieving your goals.

As much as you love DIY, if you're facing an emergency breakdown, or a big project, it is still best to seek the advice and help of qualified professionals.