Workman in the Real World

Close to a year ago, my colleague Savannah asked me for some help with the home-repair directions in what was then a book-in-progress, now the bona fide book Be Thrifty. My qualifications are not, shall we say, extensive. I can tell a Slotted screwdriver from a Phillips, and I rarely require more than four attempts to strike any given nail. So my edit process involved a trip to Home Depot’s website; some practice hammering; and an inspection of the various doors, windows, and fixtures around the office—what we like to call method editing.

The bonus of method editing (aside from the fact that it gets the job done) is that you truly learn while you edit. The next time I visited my parents’ house, rather than just jiggle the handle on our chronically running toilet, I was actually inspired to take a look inside the tank, diagnose the problem, and replace a faulty shutoff valve. (You’re welcome.)

More recently, I had an opportunity to strut my stuff when my downstairs neighbor, Kate, came up to ask if I could help her install a new doorknob. Step One: Remove the old knob. With no screws in sight, Kate had wedged a Slotted screwdriver between the plate and the door in an attempt to pry the whole thing apart. Poor Kate. Had I not read Be Thrifty, I, too, might have tried to rip the knob in half. But I knew we needed to release the internal spring catch, easily accomplished by pressing any narrow, sturdy tool into the small hole on the stem of the interior knob. I removed and replaced Kate’s doorknob in all of about five minutes, and walked away feeling highly self-satisfied, and yes, a little bit manlier.

P.S. Props to colleague and master editor Ruth Sullivan, the original method editor.