Buying and maintaining a home is the greatest item of expenditure in most people's lives. But disturbingly few of us know how to look after our property properly - how to decide what needs doing when, how to find a decent builder, or how to judge whether the work is done to the right standard. This book, based on Jeff Howell's column On the Level in the Sunday Telegraph, provides the answers.

Packed with insider tips and knowledge, covering everything from boilers and builders to condensation,central heating, dry rot, damp-proofing, plumbing and woodworm, and using Telegraph readers' stories as case studies, it will be a godsend to the many who can't or don't want to do their own maintenance, but who want to know how to maintain their homes properly by employing the right professionals at the right time.