Reviving Old Houses -- Over 500 Low-cost Tips and Techniques: Introduction

Old houses have very special charms -- and very special problems.

In our online guide, Reviving Old Houses, our staff, lovers of old homes and experienced home renovator, share over 500 rock-solid and practical ideas on repairing and caring for those hidden treasures — old houses. To us, the guiding principles of renovation are: sensitivity to design and low cost. With those principles in mind, we enthusiastically and clearly share tips on:

Evaluating a house before purchase
Prioritizing projects once the house is yours
Collecting and organizing supplies and equipment
Repairing roofs and renewing masonry
Installing insulation and wallboard and hanging wallpaper
Glazing and repairing windows and reviving shutters
Redoing old doors and hardware

Building new staircases
Carrying out attic additions and porch revival
Using basements for additional living space
Sanding and refinishing floors
Painting both interiors and exteriors
Building walkways around the property

Our authors’ creative advice for do-it-yourselfers is unfailingly easy to follow, and each author’s own enthusiasm for the task, inspirational.

How this Guide -- Reviving Old Houses: Over 500 Low-cost Tips and Techniques -- is Organized:

Introduction
1. Reviving Your Old House
2. First Steps
- Finding the Right House

Checking the House Out
Mulling it Over

3. Organizing For Work
- Planning Ahead
- Tools
- Collecting Old-House Treasures
4. Weatherization and Exterior Revival
5. Creative Ways with Interiors
6. Landscaping for the Old House
Glossary

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