How Hard Can It Be?: ToolGirl's Favourite Repairs and Projects

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Humour and practical step-by-step directions are packaged together in an
effort to help women understand that they aren’t helpless when it
comes to much of home maintenance.

Need to replace the furnace filter, change a washer in a dripping tap,
hang a shelf, patch a hole in drywall? Or perhaps the challenge is a
door that won’t close, squeaky hinges, a damp basement, fixing a
wobbly chair, or replacing a toilet seat. Okay, here are the tools and
materials you need for the project, and the directions for doing it, all
embellished with confidence-building chatter (e.g., “You can pay big
money for a self-esteem seminar or you can buy yourself a cordless
drill. I recommend the drill”).

The book stresses quality in tools and materials, safety, and options.
The approach is you-can-do-it with just a pause or two to laugh at the
situation. The range of tasks includes repairs and maintenance (cleaning
grout, caulking, replacing a window screen), and basic carpentry
projects (chest, shoe storage, garden screen). The photo illustrations
are more decorative than explanatory.

Overall, the book is successful in its objective of generating the
self-confidence needed for women to attempt tasks traditionally left to
men.