Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair

Really practical and understandable advice on the care and repair of old buildings. One of the best books I've bought on the subject!

The previous reviewers say it all. I purchased this book after reading some of these reviews and am thankful I did. All other books speak of renovation - a terrifyingly expensive venture - which says everything must be ripped out and replaced and recommend materials which actually do more damage than good. This book preaches keep as much as you can of the old and repair and maintain.Having bought a really old house in France and then being advised ( by our French builders) the roof leaked in at least 6 places, there had been woodworm and Capricorn in the beams and the wall in one bedroom would always be damp if the rain comes in a certain direction - "but none of this is a problem" I was almost suicidal. Reading this book confirmed and reasured me , yes you do have problems, but what do you expect, it is an old house... Now here is how to resolve them. The information is spot on and the materials and methods recommended are accurate and interesting. In fact our French builders have said every British person buying an old property in France should be given a copy on the ferry coming over!We have saved tens of thousands of euros because of this book. Without it we would not have believed our builders advice that we repair the leaky bits of the roof and do not replace it (2,000 euros instead of 35,000), made our own tinted limewash to produce wonderful wall finishes ( you cannot imagine how far 25kg of lime @ 19 euros goes), made beeswax polish to restore beams and woodwork ( 12euros a kilo) instead of gallons of expensive paint and stain. The book has helped us create a beautiful and unique home without breaking the bank.

nice book to have but expensive and didn't tell me anything I didn't know already/info easily available on internet. If you like referring to books I guess you might like this one on your shelf

I greatly enjoyed this book, not least for the wonderful pictures. Details of wood and stone work, views inside and out of humble homes and grand buildings, men and women at work with hammers, chisels, paintbrushes, and plastering tools. From the comfort of an armchair, I can swoop from the nitty-gritty of one job, the horrific challenges of another, or to some charming, beautiful old building preserved by careful repair and maintenance. I get to peek into and around attics, doorways, windowframes, walls, fireplaces, chimney stacks, slated roofs, tiled roofs. I've worked on all of them in my time, although rarely if ever to the very high standards I see here. The text is good too - sensible, informative, helpful - enough info for many tasks provided you have a bit of confidence and some practical ability. All in all, I was very pleased to have bought it, and I expect I will dip into again for practical guidance, and maybe again sometime for the simple pleasure of seeing good work being done on precious buildings.

I would class this Book as essential reading for any owner of an old or Listed Building. It is full of practical advice on how to fix or where to get advice on how best to maintain an old structure. Modern building methods are gererally not suitable for old buildings and is some cases can ever exasperate the problems that you are trying to fix. The Book covers a wide range of subjects including ; What to look out for when Purchasing an Old Building, the Long Term Management of Roofs,Walls and Damp , How to Prioritise and What can practically be viewed as DIY Projects. The Book even provides guidance on the thorny subject of working with your local Conservation Officer. Excellent value.

If you own an older building, you are undoubtedly challenged with issues of energy efficiency and sustainability. This book is aimed at helping with energy efficiency and sustainability issues. The sub title is "A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy Efficneicy and Sustainability." You will find a lot of useful help in this book -- but it does not fully live up to its sub title. There are several books that are far better practical guides to refitting for energy efficiency and sustailability.The best books on the energy efficiency subject, by far, are "insulate and Weatherize" by Bruce Harley and "The Energy Smart House" from the Editors of Fine Housebuilding. These highly recommended books are far more practical in the "how to actually do it" sense and they include far broader coverage of modern specialist materials. The book which is the subject of this review takes a far more narrow approach, limiting coverage to mostly traditional "eco" products, many of which do not perform nearly as well as modern products which will do a far better job and last a lot longer. For example, the book under review recommends products such as sheeps wool insulation -- nice for eco sorts of reasons if this is important to you, but not nearly as effective and cost efficient as more modern products, more readily available and probably of far greater longevity.One of the things I like about the two recommended books is that the authors have obviously done the work themselves and thus write from a depth of experience that is superior and more helpful. They tell you exactly what to do, and there are loads of detailed photographs. The book under review is more of a broad overview, not a practial handbook.If you are dealing with a "listed" building, you will want this book for sure -- as there are restritions as to what you can and cannot do not discussed in the other books. But, you should also have the other books and do some in-depth thinking about what is really going to work best in your situation. For example, the book under review is written from the point of view that older buildings need to "breathe" -- an important principal that requires consideration with many older buildings. Alternatives are not considered. The author does not do enough "thinking outside the box." Specifically, there are methods for eliminating the traditional-sense "need to breathe" and thus substantially further improve energy efficiency.

If you are doing up an old house, I'd recommend getting this book. Even if you are contracting others to do it for you, it will give you invaluable knowledge, so you can understand what is going on and what is needed.

Simple and practical

This is a very useful practical guide for anyone considering restoring an old house. I highly recommend it. Good resource.

Informative, full of important details and practical advice. If you have an old house, especially predating 1800, it s an absolute must.

A wonderful book very informative.