If It's Broke, Fix It! (Paperback)

~ (Author), Judy Ramsey (Author), Bob Vila (Foreword) "What's wrong with it?..." (more)
Key Phrases: test the electrical cord, oven selector switch, unplug the dishwasher, Fix Everything, Fix-It Resources, Fix-It Club (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A complete single-volume reference on how to fix just about everything in and around the house. With more than 400 pages and 300 illustrations, this comprehensive book covers the most common quick fixes to just about everything imaginable-and does so with easy-to-follow instructions. From cell phones to zippers to plumbing to chainsaws and everything in between, if there's a quick-fix to be made, it's covered in this book. Also includes expert advice on:

€ What's worth fixing and what's not
€ Where to find the best materials and what tools to use
€ Fixing everyday consumer products
€ Fixing plumbing, carpeting, and tile floors
€ Fix-its for living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, garages, laundry rooms, and outdoor items
€ The best books and magazines for cross reference
€ Retailers, experts, warranties, charities, service centers, and repair shops

About the Author

Dan and Judy Ramsey are founders of the Fix-It Club, an online resource for people who enjoy-or hate-fixing household things. Dan is a licensed building contractor and the author of numerous other popular books on home repair and home businesses. He also is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Building Your Own Home and The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Car Care and Repair Illustrated. Judy is an author, editor, and teacher.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592571034
• ISBN-13: 978-1592571031
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #502,692 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loads of tips and photos, January 6, 2004

By	"rachellekayl" (San Fernando, CA) - See all my reviews

Many of the fix-it-yourself books seem to miss the mark with lengthy detail for a simple job or few hands-on photos. The Ramsey's latest book is right on target. It includes a brief description of how specific household things are supposed to work, tell you what typically goes wrong, then offers numbered and illustrated instructions for fixing more than 160 household things. It also includes tips on how to fix everything else around the house using basic tools, materials, and some common sense. Even if you're going to go out and buy a new one anyway it's a fun read!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bob Vila told me, January 6, 2004

By	Walter Curtis (Marshalltown, IA) - See all my reviews

If you want to see what's inside, BobVila.com has about 50 of the Fix-It Guides from this book including some of the photos and repairs. I got there through FixItClub.com.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A broad overview, September 5, 2004

By	Betsy (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews

As an avid do-it-herselfer, I was intrigued by the title of this book. In an age of sealed assemblies, planned obsolescence, and cheaply built consumer goods, repairing things rather than replacing them has indeed become rarer (and often impossible or prohibitively expensive). The philosophy of this book, then, is admirable: to provide people the help they need to try their own repairs.

Unfortunately, this book offers too few details on too many topics. It offers two to three pages of general remarks on each of hundreds of items. Masonry, motors, dolls, and drywall require drastically different repair techniques, while bicycles and sewing machines typically fill entire books for a reason. In three pages, I might learn to oil a chain or clean out a tangled bobbin case, but then, I would have tried that first, anyway. While this book might help to troubleshoot certain basic problems, I think that a beginner might benefit from more step-by-step detail, and an experienced fixer-of-things would find that most of the information could be easily discerned with careful examination and a bit of common sense.

If this book inspires folks to try fixing things, great! It might make a good general reference to get started. However, I'd prefer a book that focused a little more closely on a topic I needed.