The Old House Journal Guide To Restoration

Tells how to evaluate a property, buy an old house, and plan a restoration, and covers masonry, plumbing, electrical systems, windows, doors, drywall, floors, and woodwork.

Articles cover paint matching, porch roof repair, circular tower construction, antique bathtubs and showers, columns, clapboard repair, murals, stair rebuilding, mansard roofs, beam repair, shingles, and woodwork refinishing

Offers advice on identifying, evaluating, and restoring an old house, and describes how to repair different parts of a house, including roofs, windows, floors, staircases, and fireplaces.

Although there are other books about renovating old houses, this is the first that prioritizes the identification and preservation of the historic, character-defining features of a house as a starting point in the process. That is the purpose of this book: to describe and illustrate a best-practices approach for updating historic homes for modern life in ways that do not attempt to turn an old house into a new one. The book also suggests many ways to save money in the process, without settling for cheap or inappropriate solutions. Scott Hanson is a historic-building preservation professional and has 40 years' experience rehabilitating historic houses. He has illustrated this authoritative book with hundreds of step-by-step photos, illustrations, charts, and decision-making guides. Interspersed throughout are photo essays of 13 restored historic houses representing a range of periods and architectural styles: Italianate, Victorian, Queen Anne, Federal, Colonial, Colonial Revival, Greek Revival, Ranch, Adobe, Craftsman, Shingle, and Rustic. With interior and exterior photography by David Clough, these multi-page features show what can be achieved when a historic home is renovated with a desire to preserve or restore as much historic character as possible.

Easy-to-understand introduction to good design and rehabilitation explains everything from selecting an architect and choosing appropriate materials to restoring interiors from ceiling to floor. 300 illustrations.

This fully revised and updated book is the authoritative guide on how to look after your old house – whether it is a timber-framed medieval cottage, an eighteenth-century town house or a Victorian or Edwardian terrace. Written in association with The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the authors’ approach is one of respect, restraint and repair rather than ‘restoration’, which can so easily and permanently destroy the special qualities of an old building. From the foundations to the roof, from the need for modern services to traditional paintwork and finishes, from windows and doors to breathability and damp in walls and floors, this handbook provides informed practical guidance. It is essential reading on maintenance and repair for all those with an old house.