The Hundred-Dollar Fix

How it works

1You pay

Through Gumroad's secure checkout: card, PayPal or Apple Pay. I never see your card number.

2The book opens

The download link comes up right away and lands in your email. Phone, tablet or computer.

3It stays yours

Keep it, print the cheat sheet and the shopping list, and open it again whenever something breaks.

Nothing ships, and you don't need an account or a password.

The honest math

What the big jobs cost, next to the small fixes the book walks you through first.

What the big jobs cost

A walk-in tub, installedabout $8,000 to $20,000 (Lesson 7)

A curbless shower remodelabout $8,000 to $15,000 (Lesson 59)

A zero-step entry, retrofittedabout $3,000 to $8,000 (Lesson 60)

A water leak found by a soft floorthe subfloor, the cabinets, the drywall (Lesson 5)

The small fixes, first

A bath transfer benchabout $45 to $70 (Lesson 7)

Three battery water leak alarmsabout $25 to $35 (Lesson 5)

A carbon monoxide alarmabout $20 to $35 (Lesson 33)

A stud finder, so grab bars holdabout $15 to $25 (Lesson 3)

What to do, in what orderthis book, $29.99

Figures are typical US price ranges from the book, and yours will differ. A small fix doesn't always replace the big job, and every lesson says plainly when it doesn't.

Look inside

Real pages from the real book. This is exactly what opens on your phone. The type is set big on purpose.

Lesson 1, the five-minute walkthrough — Page 7: the five-minute walkthrough, every hazard taped before anything gets touched.

Lesson 2, where grab bars actually go — Page 12: where grab bars actually go, measured to where a hand reaches.

Lesson 5, the $12 leak alarm — Page 27: the little leak alarm, and exactly where to put each one.

Lesson 12, line items hiding the catch — Page 61: reading a contractor's quote line by line.

Lesson 33, the CO alarm comes first — Page 164: the carbon monoxide alarm comes first, before any heater.

Lesson 59, upgrades worth it after 50 — Page 289: the upgrades worth it after 50, and the showroom ones that aren't.

← swipe to see more pages →

I want it, show me the price ↓

What's inside

Six parts, ten lessons each. Every lesson has what to buy and where, the steps with real numbers, why it works, the mistakes people make, and where it doesn't hold.

The safety walkthrough, grab bars, the stud test, stair rails, night lights · p. 7

The little leak alarm, and where every one of them goes · p. 27

The walk-in tub trap, and what to try before you spend thousands · p. 37

Reading the quote, three quotes, line items, deposits, change orders · p. 57

The dollar bill draft test, finding the drafts in a few minutes · p. 104

Where pipes actually freeze, and the drip trick that stops it · p. 133

Staying warm safely when the power goes, CO alarm first · p. 164

The one warm room plan, the least fuel and the least risk · p. 184

Power out, water still running, battery stations, the main shutoff · p. 205

Choices before you build or buy, house shape, floors, showers, doorways · p. 250

Build it now or move, the honest way to decide · p. 294

60 lessons, 333 pages, a drawing for every lesson, a one-page cheat sheet and a shopping list by store.

Get your copy

Instant PDF, on your phone the moment you pay. Nothing ships.

60 fixes for the home you intend to keep

The Hundred-Dollar Fix

60 lessons, 333 pages, big clear type
What to buy and where, what it costs, how long it takes
When it's not a job for you, and it's time to call a pro
How to read a contractor's quote, line by line
7 days to change your mind: email me for every cent back

$29.99one payment, no subscription

Buy NowInstant PDF download

🔒 Secure checkout by Gumroad · card, PayPal, Apple Pay

Frank Holloway

I grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, in a two-bedroom house my father never finished paying off. I started swinging a hammer at nineteen, married into a plumbing family, and my father-in-law Ed taught me to read a quote before I ever wrote one.

I ran a small remodeling crew for thirty years, mostly kitchens, bathrooms and basements for people staying put. I watched a twelve-dollar part save people from five-thousand-dollar jobs, and I watched people find out too late. This book is everything I'd tell you if I were standing in your kitchen.

Frank

Questions, answered honestly

Is a paper book coming in the mail?

No. It's a digital book, a PDF. Nothing ships. It opens on your phone the moment you pay, the link sits in your email, and you can print any page you like. The cheat sheet is made for the fridge.

I'm not good with computers.

You don't need to be. You press one button and the book opens. There's no account and no password. If it doesn't open, write to me and I'll walk you through it or refund you.

Is this a subscription? Will you charge me again?

No. One payment, one time. No membership and no monthly anything.

I'm not handy. Is this for me?

Yes. Most fixes need a tape measure and a screwdriver, and every lesson tells you plainly when a job is for a licensed pro instead. A good part of the book is about hiring well: getting three quotes, reading them, and not paying too much up front.

Is it safe to do these myself?

Every lesson has its safety steps written out, and the ones involving gas, wiring or heaters put those steps first. Where a job needs a permit or a licensed electrician or plumber, the book says so.

Thirty dollars for a book?

One of the small fixes inside can cost less than the book and head off a bill in the thousands. And if it doesn't earn its keep, you have seven days to tell me, and you get every cent back.

The catch is never on the invoice. It's what they left off it.

How it works

The honest math

What the big jobs cost

The small fixes, first

Look inside

What's inside

Get your copy

The Hundred-Dollar Fix

Frank Holloway

Questions, answered honestly

Is a paper book coming in the mail?

I'm not good with computers.

Is this a subscription? Will you charge me again?

I'm not handy. Is this for me?

Is it safe to do these myself?

Thirty dollars for a book?

Ready when you are

Fix it once. Fix it right.