Customer Reviews

Room for Improvement: Change Your Home! Enhance Your Life! With Tools, Tips, and Inspiration from Barbara K!

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
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If anyone ever says a woman is not able to fix things up, and make improvements in their home, they have not been blessed in reading this outstanding book.
Author, Barbara K takes the guess work out of many projects that seem impossible for the average person to do. In this work, she takes you step by step, often with the help of pictures to show you how to do many improvements in your home.
Some examples are, wall coverings, lighting, floors and doors. She targets problem areas and gives solutions and she does all of this in an easy to understand manner.
I have to say by the time you are done reading through this book, you are energized and ready to transform your home. You just know you can do it. If you have been holding back, but wanting to make those changes, pick up this work. It just might be the encouragement you have been waiting for.
Shirley Johnson

This book is a good resource for all those DIY or closet "fix-it" women. Of course, men can use it too. I enjoy working with my hands and I don't hesitate to climb on a ladder, pull out a screw driver or take out the staple gun. I have to admit that I might not do any of these things well, BUT this book shows you how to do it right! What I really like about it is that it has a tool glossary with pictures! Yippee. I mean, I've heard of a bench vise and slip joint pliers, but now I have a picture AND description, not just a bunch of text.

The book is divided into sections, i.e. wall, floors, windows, plumbing, etc. Each project shows are to repair something and includes a brief description, a What You Need list and the steps on how to get it done. There are photos and diagrams throughout the book to guide you. There are also little call-out boxes that include additional tips. My favorite part of the book was how to remove gouges, dents and scratches in wood (pg 75-81). I also like the Improve It section and the section on outdoor projects. You'll learn how to rewire a lamp, replace a faucet, put in a dimmer and organizing clutter.

Definitely recommend.

I wanted to like this book, but I just could not. It was a speed read because it lacked depth. The author tried to cover too many topics without providing adequate explanation for any. For basic home repair, Home Depot has several books that provide much better explanation and clear pictures. For self-help, there are thousands of better choices. While I applaud Barbara K's efforts to create a lifestyle niche for herself, I think the field may already be too crowded. I'm sorry I spent the money. I donated the book already in the hopes that maybe someone else will find some value and that my Amazon dollars did not go to waste.

The book is pretty basic. It goes over what specific tools are and common household chores like unclogging your bathroom drains and changing a light fixture. A pretty good book for the inexperienced, but boring for others.