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Built to Last
by Gavin Hawthorne
How to buy once and fix it twice — 70 checks for judging, keeping, and repairing the things you own. No brand names, no calling a pro.
What's inside
Seventy checks, and every one is a thing you do
Five parts, fifteen chapters, and 70 numbered checks — most of them done with your hands, in a shop, before you have spent anything.
70 numbered checks
Every check numbered 1 to 70 and listed at the back with its page, so the number on the cover is one you can count yourself.
The hand tests
Eight checks that need no tools at all and take about two minutes together — done standing at the counter while somebody watches.
Read the material
Cast, forged, or stamped. Solid timber, veneer, or board. Full hide or bonded. Each one told apart by eye, at the cut edge.
Buying once
Decide the duty first, then cost per use — plus where one step up stops paying, and how to tell honest wear from real damage secondhand.
Keeping and repairing
Rust, edge, and bearing. Moisture, finish, and joint. The seized screw, the stripped thread, the sagging hinge — in the order that does least harm.
The twenty-minute season
Eight items, four times a year, and one line written in a notebook. The whole of maintenance is arranging to look.
What you'll learn
Open it anywhere and you'll find a check you can do this afternoon, on something already in the house.
- Why weight tells you almost nothing — and what where the weight sits tells you instead
- The first question of the whole book: does it open at all
- How to tell wear from damage, and which one should change the price
- Getting a seized screw out without destroying the head — gentlest to harshest, in order
- The commonest sagging-door fault, and the one longer screw that fixes it
- When to repair, when to refurbish, and the cases where the answer is always let it go
The author
Meet Gavin Hawthorne
Gavin was taught by a grandfather who never bought the same thing twice. Amos judged a tool at the counter by hand, kept what he owned in service for decades, and repaired what broke rather than replacing it — and explained none of it, because none of it needed explaining. This book is that habit written down: seventy checks, the reason each one works, and an honest first chapter about which part of "they don't make them like they used to" is actually true.
“Buy once. Then fix it twice.”
Questions? Send us a note below — a real person replies.
Common questions
Questions, answered
How is the book delivered?
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What devices can I read it on?
Any device that opens a PDF: phone, tablet, laptop, e-reader — or simply print it at home and read it on paper. There's no app to install.
Is this good for beginners?
Yes. Everything is laid out in plain language with charts you can follow step by step — no prior experience needed.
Is my payment safe?
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Do you offer a refund?
If the guide isn't for you, reply to your receipt within 30 days and we'll refund your purchase. See our Terms & Conditions for details.
Stop replacing what could be repaired
Get Built to Last — all 70 checks, the material tables, and the kit list — for a one-time price of just $12.
Try it for 30 days. If it's not for you, reply to your receipt email and we'll refund every penny.
Or take all three
All three books: the garden, the kitchen, and the workshop. $19 for the set instead of $36 bought one at a time.
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