How Hard Can It Be?: Toolgirl¿S Favorite Repairs And Projects (Paperback)

~ Mag Ruffman (Author), Steven Smith (Foreword) "Some people would call the repairs in this chapter "minor," but that's a scary word..." (more)
Key Phrases: Outdoor Maintenance, Loctite Power Grab, Lee Valley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"You can pay big money for a self-esteem seminar, or you can buy yourself a cordless drill. I recommend the drill." With sass and savvy, Mag Ruffman enables readers to confront their fear of DIY projects and accomplish those nagging home repairs and improvements. Accompanied by lots of tips and photos, Ruffman covers a wide range of maintenance, repair, renovation, and upgrading projects. Full of quirky humor – who doesn’t enjoy using tools like a butt gauge or stud finder? — and unconventional solutions (five-gallon buckets become makeshift stilts for a ceiling project), the book offers a common sense approach to common household woes. With refreshing candor, Ruffman shares her own mistakes, showing what can go wrong and that it’s okay when it does. Her encouraging tone empowers readers to "unleash the do-it-yourself giant within" and tackle seemingly intimidating projects that would otherwise result in expensive repair bills.

Product Details

• Paperback: 201 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words (September 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582701350
• ISBN-13: 978-1582701356
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #691,390 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What your mother didn't teach you, (but should have)!, July 4, 2006

By	Stephen Levin (Mclean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read 'How Hard Can It Be', and then bought 7 copies as gifts for my grown daughters.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the blooming DIYer, February 12, 2008

By	Keith Mealy (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An indispensable guide to home maintenance, repair and project for the easily intimidated.

Mag tackles each project with a "you can do it" attitude and a somewhat warped sense of humor. Sort of like what Home Depot would be like if you could find anyone to help you, they were knowledgeable, and not brain dead. A really warped sense of humor, I might say. I found myself "guffawing" out loud. My wife kept asking me what's so funny about a home repair manual. I get Mag's humor a lot because it's like mine. But my wife would not; she doesn't even let me watch Red Green unless she's already asleep (did that make sense? she's asleep, how's she going to stop me?)

But enough about the humor. A lot of projects written up in a few pages will give you the information you need to fix that squeaky door, or whatever.