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by: George Nash
Topics include: sisson fitting, automatic water feed, sagging girder, flashing cement, existing fascia, staging planks, rotted sills, cellar posts, terne metal, new fascia, new sheathing, sheathing boards, cap shingles, subfloor boards, steel roofing, wood gutter, rafter pair, existing shingles, replacement shingle, drip edge, new sill, jack posts, solid nailing, flue tiles, vent strip
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Book Description:
First Sentence: I remember quite well that leaden April morning, the front end of our ancient van clanking in protest as we climbed the steep washboard road through the forest, where stale snow still clung to the dark places, climbed to where the woods shrank back from the dull, matted fields to reveal the ridges rolling away to the mountains at the end of the valley, like some moldering purple blanket that had lain out by the garden all winter.
From Library Journal This is a reincarnation of Nash's out-of-print classic, Old House: A Rebuilder's Manual ( LJ 1/15/80), substantially rewritten and reorganized. The focus is the major defects of old houses: the heaved foundation walls, defunct mechanical systems, rotted structural timbers, damaged roofs, and broken staircases. Nash is both an artful writer and a knowledgeable renovation specialist. He writes with poetic grace about the unique character and hidden beauty of old houses, yet he's remarkably clearheaded and resourceful when dealing with their often maddening irregularities. There isn't a better sourcebook on the larger structural challenges of renovation. Most libraries should have this as a companion volume to Michael Litchfield's Renovation: A Complete Guide ( LJ 8/90. rev. ed.). - Bill Demo, Tompkins Cortland Community Coll., Dryden, N.Y. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"Comprehensive and well illustrated with dozens of photographs. It's a gem." - San Jose Mercury News
Reviews:
Somewhere to start: From the moment you open the cover, you are reassured of your decision to buy this book. It offers an overview of many options of renovations. From Basement Casement walls, to roof-top peeks, this book supplies you with the information to base your projects on. Before YOU start a renovation project, or are just in need of ideas to creating additional living space in YOUR old house, get this book. You will not regret it.
Best All-Around Renovation Book: 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.
Wonderful Reading for the Old House Renovator: 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.
A must have resource if you're even thinking about the topic: Don't touch your old house until you read this book. Its an eye opener about what to do and what not to do to renovate an old house and keep it from looking like you did. Didn't notice how many remodels in my neighborhood had been "remuddled" until reading what Nash has to say about keeping architechtural integrity. I live in a historical district, and this book has helped me maintain my 1860s house and given me insight as to how it was built, and how to fix it. Get this book FIRST!
informative resource: As an old house enthusiast, I've read a lot of books in the genre... Nash has an engaging writing style, and is clear and concise in his advice. This book is a great resource, without being boring or intimidating. Relevant examples are shown. This book will give you a manageable overview of the process - a good choice for beginner to intermediate home renovators. Having renovated 3 houses, I am always looking out for good books on the topic. Sadly, many of them are very superficial. This book is the exception. The information and attitude that Mr. Nash puts forth in this book is deep and highly informative. A must read for old house nuts.