cover image ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Change Your Home! Enhance Your Life! With Tools, Tips and Inspiration from Barbara K!

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Change Your Home! Enhance Your Life! With Tools, Tips and Inspiration from Barbara K!

Barbara Kavovit, . . Rodale, $24.95 (252pp) ISBN 978-1-59486-133-8

Barbara K, an entrepreneur whose company sells home repair and improvement products specifically for women, speaks to readers with an enthusiastic and encouraging tone, as she shows them how to expand their feelings of self-worth by spiffing up their home's walls, floors, windows, lighting, plumbing and yard. Rather than wait for someone else to fix the clogged drain or install the ceiling pot rack, you can do it yourself, the upbeat author insists, pointing out that this approach includes reaping the extra reward of the feeling of achievement that comes from a job well done. The guide covers basic repair and home decorations, from plastering a hole to painting with stencils; from fixing a leaking faucet to replacing a shower head. Each chapter includes step-by-step instructions, with pithy sidebars and "defining moments," where Kavovit explains terms like "corner bead" and "hollow-core doors." The projects are well organized: a list detailing what readers need for each project, including tools and materials, is followed by numbered instructions that take them through the project, clearly stating and repeating important safety information. Kavovit's guide to home repair replaces intimidation with lighthearted empowerment. Photos, illus. Agent, Mel Berger. (May)