Lyn Herrick grew up around girls groomed to chair symphony guilds and host elegant dinner parties, and to either succeed on their own or marry guys you read about in business, political and society news.

She's a product of Philadelphia's tony Main Line, the exclusive Shipley School and Smith College, whose notable alumnae range from former first ladies Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush to culinary legend Julia Child and feminist writer Gloria Steinem.

Herrick was a free-spirited sociology major who liked sports and the outdoors and had a talent for fixing everything from leaky toilets to broken appliances. While others climbed social and corporate ladders, she found her career as a plumber, carpenter, mechanic and ski patroller, and as an author whose book encourages other women to discover their inner handyman.

That book, "The Woman's Hands-On Home Repair Guide" has made her a mentor for a growing number of women who'd rather fiddle with pipes than call the plumber every time the kitchen sink stops up.

Herrick, who lives in the N.C. mountains near Banner Elk, will come to Charlotte Tuesday to meet some of those do-it-yourselfers and sign copies of the book.

The book signing will raise money for Habitat for Humanity's "Charlotte's Women Build," project, which runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 2. Details in design, the Myers Park boutique hosting the signing, will donate $1 a copy to the project, during which all-female volunteer crews -- including boutique employees -- will build three Habitat houses.

Volunteers can find tips in Herrick's book, a no-nonsense manual that covers stuff like fixing a broken dishwasher, upgrading electrical wires and installing new floors. The book has enjoyed a word-of-mouth following since its 1995 publication. And just last month its publisher, Storey Books, signed off on a deal with home improvement giant Lowe's, which will soon carry the book, said Dan Reynolds, Storey's chief operating officer.

"It's easy to read and easy to understand and she shows you exactly what to do. She touches on the things women are always dealing with," said Details in design owner Lynne McAdams, a fan of the book. "I'm lucky, my husband can do just about anything, but there are times when I just don't want to be on his schedule."

Fixing things comes naturally to Herrick.

As a kid, she followed her dad around the house, watching and later helping with his many home-improvement projects. Her dad, sales executive Graham Dripps, also crafted beautiful furniture and "never shooed me away or suggested that I go find a friend to play with."

Her mom, Carolyn, encouraged her to pursue her interests, and gave her Christmas and birthday presents she asked for -- like wrenches and screwdrivers, instead of dresses or other girly stuff. (As a compromise, Herrick endured a stint as a debutante, and joined the Junior League.)

Now 56, a mother and grandmother herself, Herrick and her 82-year-old dad still hammer away together.

Over the summer, the two, with help from Herrick's 25-year-old son Benjamin, built a 578-square foot apartment over a garage at the family's old summer retreat in Martha's Vineyard. They'll use it in winters, when the main house doesn't have heat or water, and as extra space when their extended family of 18 gathers for summer vacations.

Herrick can't imagine paying someone else to do such jobs. During 35 years of marriage, she and her husband, Rick, a writer and former college professor, never had to hire anyone for home repairs, they said.

When they built their post-and-beam house in Valle Crucis 18 years ago, they picked a contractor who let her do a lot of the work. The couple and their three kids camped out in a tent during construction, which lost a bit of its adventurous appeal when school started and the house still wasn't finished.

"My oldest daughter never lets me forget about that," she said.

Rick Herrick defers to his wife for anything related to plumbing, electricity, carpentry or car repairs.

He cleans the house -- a job she hates -- and helped her write the book. When it comes to fixing things though, "I'm next to useless," he admits. "But there's no incentive for me not to be."

Her skills have saved them a lot of money and aggravation over the years.

"It's sometimes almost impossible to get anyone to do jobs. I kept looking at people who did them and thinking they didn't seem any smarter than I was.

"I think you either enjoy and understand it, or you don't. I've got a lot of friends who are totally useless. They don't lift a screw until I get back into town--they will have a broken faucet for five months."

She only works for family and friends. She also barters services, including one time when she agreed to fix a nurse friend's plumbing in return for a hair perm. That turned a little messy when they went to wash off the hair solution -- and remembered she'd shut all the water off.

By the time they rinsed her head with club soda, "She looked like Little Orphan Annie," her husband said.

Besides repair jobs, Herrick works winters as a professional ski patroller in Leadville, Colo. Before that, she was ski patrol director at Hawksnest in Banner Elk and in 1989, won a National Ski Patroller of the Year award.

She has no plans to write another book, though some have tried to talk her into expanding her advice to include car repairs. Herrick said she learned that trade years ago in New Orleans, when she was the only woman in an auto mechanics course with a bunch of guys.

Such experiences give her something to talk about at school reunions. She remembers one gathering when her old classmates started pulling out their family pictures.

Herrick scrambled through her purse, and all she could find was a snapshot of a 1929 Model A Roadster she'd restored herself.

No one seemed surprised.

Do-it Yourself

Lyn Herrick's rules for starting do-it-yourself projects:

• Always turn off the power or water before working on anything related to either.

• Mark where hoses or wires belong before you dismantle them.

• Try to take faulty parts with you when you go to the supply store.

• Check the problem yourself before you call the repairperson. If it's beyond your ability, you should be as informed as possible when you talk to the expert.

• Change your clothes if you're dressed nicely -- a rule she often forgets.

Want To Go?

Lyn Herrick will sign books from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Details in design, 2850 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte. "The Woman's Hands-On Home Repair Guide" (Storey Books, 1995) costs $17.95. For more information about the book signing, call the store at (704) 375-3133. For more information about the all-female Habitat project, or to volunteer, visit the Web site at www.habitatcharlotte.org or call Meg Robertson at (704) 376-2054, ext. 32.