Taunton books are written to be understood instead of blindly followed. With the theory under your belt, you’ll know what to do when you rip something apart and find that it’s different from the pictures in the book.

I highly recommend “Renovation, 3rd Edition,” by Michael W. Litchfield. It’s a compendium of all things renovation from foundations and structure to drywall and painting. It doesn’t shy away from the technical details that so many books avoid.

Also, if you live in Canada and want to know anything about electrical, get “Electrical Code Simplified” by P.S. Knight. It’s $12 (IIRC) at Home Depot and there are different editions for different provinces. It refers directly to the relevant sections of the electrical code and does a great job explaining it. All other electrical books are a waste of money since they tend to be generic, light on details, and much more expensive.

Hey, check with your local municipality or county government. Depending on the state in which you live, this information is often published and is sometimes free. In Rhode Island the “building code book” is available from town planning and zoning offices or the building inspector. They range from free to about $5.

I find these very useful as they cover the full gamut of applicable code–down to weird town ordinances about height, fences, exterior decore, etc. If you are only working on your own home, this may be the way to go.