5 comments about Renovating Old Houses.

1. I am working on an old house restoration and from my reading this book has useful and sage advice. It is not a beginners guide and does not waste time explaining tools and materials other than to point you to more complete sources of information. A very useful book for the intermediate woodworker or builder taking on an old house project.



2. Fantastic, comprehensive book on old house restoration as well as maintenance. This one book contains more useful real-world information than a whole shelf's worth of those Home Depot, Black & Decker, etc. DIY books. And it's all delivered with intelligence, character and an occaisional dose of humor. This is a must have for anyone restoring or renovating and old house, living in and maintaining an old house and would be especially helpful to anyone who is about to 'go shopping' for an old house!



3. in Kansas City. He read one chapter and pronounced it a collossal time saver, a validation of techniques he has heard from "old timers" in the craft, valued the colloquial and earthy writing style.
   He especially appreciated the details on plasterwork, tile, window frames, rim joists and other esoterica.
   I have given him many many books, and this won the Best Book Gift Ever award. That is saying quite a lot.



4. If I had to recommend just one book on renovating old houses it would be this one. Like most similar Taunton Press books, the book is accurate, well written, and informative about techniques that a real person might want to use. It includes lots of information about how old houses are constructed, the kinds of things that tend to go wrong with them over time, and techniques for fixing them. It is realistic about budgets and time constraints. And, perhaps most important, it gives fair warning about the stresses and strains of living in a house one is fixing up.

   One might want to supplement this book with more specific books about the kind of house you are working on, and books which provide more information about how to match materials and aesthetics to the existing fabric of the particular sort of house you have, but this book is not to be missed.




5. I believe this is the greatest book to read first in any attempt to restore and older home. Most homes relate to the late 1800's, but is revealing even for homes built in the early 1900's. Much detail from foundation to roof on restoring any part of an old cherised home for the do - it -yourselfer.

No comments about Pigment Compendium Set: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments and Optical Microscopy of Historical Pigments.

No comments about Care And Keeping Of Antiques.

No comments about State Beds and Throne Canopies.

No comments about Manual for the Arrangement and Description of Archives (Archival Classics Series).

No comments about Care and Conservation of Natural History Collections (Conservation & Museology).

No comments about Anecdotes des beaux-arts: Tome 3. Sculpteurs et architecture.

No comments about Bilder aus dem Süden.

No comments about Kovels' Quick Tips: 799 Helpful Hints on How to Care for Your Collectibles.

1 comments about Old Time Telephones : Restoration & Repair.

1. If you're interested in old telephones, you need this book! Plenty of photos to help you identify old phones and their parts and much more importantly, wiring diagrams so you can make 'em work again. Also has a section on how to clean up old phones and make them look and work like new. This book is available in-stock elsewhere as a reprint edition, but is worth the wait if you want to order it here.