A. Gardener says:

caveat emptor The organization is excellent; the presentation of a series of sample projects makes the information very accessible to the novice, while providing some flexibility in how you can use the book. If one of the projects is exactly what you want to do, just read that section and plunge right in. If you don’t know what you want to do, or want to do something a little different from what is described, read the entire book and get a good understanding of both basic principles and the variations that are possible. I had nothing bad to say about this book immediately after reading it (several times), but imagine my surprise when, while researching concrete pavers online, I ran across a familiar photograph – from this book – at a paver manufacturer’s website. Reading the acknowledgements and copyright info for the book confirmed it – a number of the supplemental photographs are marketing materials provided by manufacturers. No wonder that this book seems to imply that pre-cast concrete pavers are the greatest thing since sliced bread! It seems obvious in retrospect that the book is biased by this manufacturer input. For this reason, if you are hoping to save a lot of money with DIY, this may not be the book for you. It doesn’t cover the cheapest patio/walkway options (gravel and concrete), and the emphasis is more on saving money on labor so that you can spend extravagantly on materials. If you already know that gravel and concrete aren’t quite right for you, then this might be just the book you need.

T. Lewis says:

So simple a caveman could do it I’m big on DIY and home improvement books. I usually buy the huge ones that touch on everything and do very little with them. This is a small book in comparison to my others, but it’s packed with simple DIY in a short time projects. It doesn’t overwhelm you and it makes the projects seem like something even those who aren’t skilled can pull off. I like this book a lot.