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Review
Provides richly and deeply informed practical guidance to preserve the rich legacy of any old building. (Scottish Sunday Mail )
A sumptuous, yet immensely practical book which should inspire legions of people foolish enough to dream of buying an old, rundown house during a property slump. (Oxford Times )
A starting point, rather than the complete answer. It shows what is possible, when to seek help, and how to carry out minor repairs of your own… It will provide the inspiration to make the rundown house they have just bought into the home they always wanted. (Ham & High )
Anyone who works on old buildings or who lives in one must buy and then use this book. It is immensely practical, properly and helpfully illustrated and is a fitting up-to-date summary of SPAB scholarship and current thinking. This brilliant volume is the manual we've been waiting for. (Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs )
This book is exactly what it says on the cover - a Practical Guide to Care and Repair of Old Houses, and it is a good, well-written beautifully illustrated book based in deep experience and passion for the subject. To produce something so complete and accessible is rare. I can only say to the authors: well done indeed. (Building Limes Forum Newsletter )
"Location, location, location" used to be the rally cry when it came to property but this year we want people to think "maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!" (Loughborough Echo )
A sumptuous, yet immensely practical book which should inspire legions of people foolish enough to dream of buying an old, rundown house during a property slump. (Oxford Times )
A starting point, rather than the complete answer. It shows what is possible, when to seek help, and how to carry out minor repairs of your own… It will provide the inspiration to make the rundown house they have just bought into the home they always wanted. (Ham & High )
Anyone who works on old buildings or who lives in one must buy and then use this book. It is immensely practical, properly and helpfully illustrated and is a fitting up-to-date summary of SPAB scholarship and current thinking. This brilliant volume is the manual we've been waiting for. (Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs )
This book is exactly what it says on the cover - a Practical Guide to Care and Repair of Old Houses, and it is a good, well-written beautifully illustrated book based in deep experience and passion for the subject. To produce something so complete and accessible is rare. I can only say to the authors: well done indeed. (Building Limes Forum Newsletter )
"Location, location, location" used to be the rally cry when it came to property but this year we want people to think "maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!" (Loughborough Echo )
Review
Provides richly and deeply informed practical guidance to preserve the rich legacy of any old building. Scottish Sunday Mail A sumptuous, yet immensely practical book which should inspire legions of people foolish enough to dream of buying an old, rundown house during a property slump. Oxford Times A starting point, rather than the complete answer. It shows what is possible, when to seek help, and how to carry out minor repairs of your own! It will provide the inspiration to make the rundown house they have just bought into the home they always wanted. Ham & High Anyone who works on old buildings or who lives in one must buy and then use this book. It is immensely practical, properly and helpfully illustrated and is a fitting up-to-date summary of SPAB scholarship and current thinking. This brilliant volume is the manual we've been waiting for. Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs This book is exactly what it says on the cover - a Practical Guide to Care and Repair of Old Houses, and it is a good, well-written beautifully illustrated book based in deep experience and passion for the subject. To produce something so complete and accessible is rare. I can only say to the authors: well done indeed. Building Limes Forum Newsletter "Location, location, location" used to be the rally cry when it came to property but this year we want people to think "maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!" Loughborough Echo
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a fab book. It shows you how to maintain an old house and cope with any problems without damaging the patina that builds up over the ages, or being ripped off by one of the many building firms that sell unnecessary treatment products or services that can not only damage old houses, but cost thousands. That's not always because we're being exploited, but because most people don't understand the way old houses are made. Once you get a grasp of that (and this book is an excellent introduction) it's not too difficult, you're in a better position to understand what you really need. When I bought my old house it had a damp cellar. I got a chap in who said he could install a drain system & make the cellar dry for £10,000. A conservation surveyor suggested ways to fix it - for £2,000. 3 years after the cheaper option it's fine. Another builder said I should put a layer of gypsum plaster over my old bumpy lime plaster to make it even - for £1,000. The conservation surveyor said keep with the bumpy lime, it adds to the character of an old building. The same with glass, old is better and easier on the eye because it is slightly irregular. The estate agent said so many old houses are ruined on the inside as people make them look like new builds.
People pay more for all original features and this book shows how to work with an old house and enhance it's originality. It's also beautiful to look at and easy to read, and I have no building experience,I'm just an owner who has never read a book on building before. It's an excellent book and totally recommended. Real eye candy for old house enthusiasts plus sensible advice too!
People pay more for all original features and this book shows how to work with an old house and enhance it's originality. It's also beautiful to look at and easy to read, and I have no building experience,I'm just an owner who has never read a book on building before. It's an excellent book and totally recommended. Real eye candy for old house enthusiasts plus sensible advice too!
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Old House Handbook
A practical guide to Care and Repair
Roger Hunt and Marianne Suhr
When first I looked at this book I wondered. Is it really "a practical guide" or is it for the coffee table? The photographs are brilliant, ancient houses in various stages of wonder and decrepitude - so, good for the coffee table. Then I started to read.
Back in 1977 our house showed many signs of decrepitude. Old leaded lights replaced by modern casements, hardboard tacked over failing plaster, a nailed together replacement staircase, not to mention what we found on the back room floor. We searched for books. Some were very good - I know more about scarf joints than most. But nothing told us the essential problems of old houses. Building Societies demanded injected damp proof courses, and underpinning. This book suggests that these rarely help, and sometimes exacerbate, the problems.
It starts by being very practical to potential purchasers. Are you sure you're up to this? Then it talks about how to get the work done? Choosing builders who know about conservation, how to deal with listing agencies. Then in chapter 3 it goes into top gear. How to deal with that damp? How to make a building breathe? Thereafter there are details of the different uses of lime in preserving and repairing walls and floors (hydraulic, non-hydraulic, hydrated, lime putty, and lime mortars). Then, what to do about structural movement - less than you might think. Underpin only as a last resort. Just about everything is covered - roofs, timber frames, doors, floors, walls, windows, plaster renders, paints and finishes, guttering, drainpipes and drains. If only we'd had it in 1977!
Throughout, the message is, do the minimum to the structure of the house - repair don't restore. The book is sponsored by SPAB (the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) and this has been its theme since William Morris founded it in 1877.
It is also very good at warning about dark interests, timber treatment and damp proofing companies working on commission, builders quoting cheaply for the minimum and then charging heavily for the extras. Every bit of advice it gives gets better and better. It is brilliant in its detail, and the photographs and diagrams add counterpoint to the words. It is definitely a "practical guide", and if you have a period home you should have it by your side and consult it frequently.
One final liberating thought - the daub applied to wattle doesn't require cow dung to be added - but plaster over soot stains does!
Derek Wagon
A practical guide to Care and Repair
Roger Hunt and Marianne Suhr
When first I looked at this book I wondered. Is it really "a practical guide" or is it for the coffee table? The photographs are brilliant, ancient houses in various stages of wonder and decrepitude - so, good for the coffee table. Then I started to read.
Back in 1977 our house showed many signs of decrepitude. Old leaded lights replaced by modern casements, hardboard tacked over failing plaster, a nailed together replacement staircase, not to mention what we found on the back room floor. We searched for books. Some were very good - I know more about scarf joints than most. But nothing told us the essential problems of old houses. Building Societies demanded injected damp proof courses, and underpinning. This book suggests that these rarely help, and sometimes exacerbate, the problems.
It starts by being very practical to potential purchasers. Are you sure you're up to this? Then it talks about how to get the work done? Choosing builders who know about conservation, how to deal with listing agencies. Then in chapter 3 it goes into top gear. How to deal with that damp? How to make a building breathe? Thereafter there are details of the different uses of lime in preserving and repairing walls and floors (hydraulic, non-hydraulic, hydrated, lime putty, and lime mortars). Then, what to do about structural movement - less than you might think. Underpin only as a last resort. Just about everything is covered - roofs, timber frames, doors, floors, walls, windows, plaster renders, paints and finishes, guttering, drainpipes and drains. If only we'd had it in 1977!
Throughout, the message is, do the minimum to the structure of the house - repair don't restore. The book is sponsored by SPAB (the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) and this has been its theme since William Morris founded it in 1877.
It is also very good at warning about dark interests, timber treatment and damp proofing companies working on commission, builders quoting cheaply for the minimum and then charging heavily for the extras. Every bit of advice it gives gets better and better. It is brilliant in its detail, and the photographs and diagrams add counterpoint to the words. It is definitely a "practical guide", and if you have a period home you should have it by your side and consult it frequently.
One final liberating thought - the daub applied to wattle doesn't require cow dung to be added - but plaster over soot stains does!
Derek Wagon
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
most helpful
Hoping to buy an old house in the near future this book is a good help to know what to expect.
Published 3 months ago by andrea
Old House Handbook
I purchased this book for my son's fiancée to add to her Christmas present. She was absolutely delighted and enthusiastic about it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by GCLima
Introductory
Good introduction to some of the main issues and challenges to doing up old houses in England. Not an detailed text-book approach
Published 4 months ago by D. Smith
Review of Old House Handbook
This is a really useful book for anyone who is considering renovating an old building. The text and accompanying photos and schematic plans are very comprehensive, even if you do... Read more
Published 7 months ago by JK
The Old House Handbook
Having just moved into a listed cottage for the first time, we really didn't know where to start. This book was invaluable. Read more
Published 12 months ago by J - Suffolk
Essential Reference Book
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... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Chris
Excellent Book
Very pleased with this excellent book, lots of items covered, lots of detail and really easy to follow. Can't wait to get started now!
Published 14 months ago by Faith
A good all rounder!
This is a reasonably well put together book, covering most of the main areas that you would expect of such a text. Read more
Published 19 months ago by LunaSaphire
great starting point
This book is great for ideas when starting a renervation project, but it is not a step by step guide.
Published 23 months ago by Ms. C. L. Young
Visual treat for the armchair repairer of old houses
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... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2010 by Occasional Thinker
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