Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair

by Marianne Suhr (Author), Marianne Suhr (Author), Roger Hunt (Author)

New
Hardcover
2008
$21.97

Here, for the first time, is a completely authoritative guide on how to look after your old house - whether it's a timber framed medieval cottage, an eighteenth century urban terrace or an example of Victorian or Edwardian speculative development. Taking it's lead from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (who have approved and authorised this volume), the book's approach is one of respect, restraint and repair rather than 'restoration' which can so easily and permanently destroy the rich historical legacy of any old building. Providing richly and deeply informed practical guidance on everything from breathability and damp to structural movement, roofs, windows and doors, this is the essential reading for anyone with an old house in need of any kind of repair or maintenance.

Synopsis

Here, for the first time, is a completely authoritative guide on how to look after your old house - whether it's a timber framed medieval cottage, an eighteenth century urban terrace or an example of Victorian or Edwardian speculative development. Taking it's lead from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (who have approved and authorised this volume), the book's approach is one of respect, restraint and repair rather than 'restoration' which can so easily and permanently destroy the rich historical legacy of any old building. Providing richly and deeply informed practical guidance on everything from breathability and damp to structural movement, roofs, windows and doors, this is the essential reading for anyone with an old house in need of any kind of repair or maintenance.

$21.97

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 208
Edition: illustrated edition
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Publishers
Published: 23 Oct 2008
ISBN 10: 0711227721
ISBN 13: 9780711227729
Book Overview: * Authorised and approved by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings * A completely authoritative guide on how to look after your old house - whether Tudor, Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian * Full of practical advice on all kinds of maintenance work * Marianne Suhr is a regular on BBC TV's Restoration

Media Reviews

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

Author Bio

MARIANNE SUHR is a Chartered Building Surveyor specialising in the repair of historic buildings. After a scholarship with the SPAB, she worked for seven years in architectural practice, then full-time on hands-on repair projects including three very different old houses. For the SPAB she has run over 40 homeowners' courses and numerous `limedays'. She is co-author (with Roger Hunt) of Old House Handbook, and has written and lectured extensively. A co-presenter of three series of BBC2's Restoration, she recently set up the Old House Consultancy, advising on repairs and alterations in the Oxfordshire locality.

ROGER HUNT, co-author (with Marianne Suhr) of Old House Handbook, is an award-winning writer and blogger with a particular interest in sustainable and vernacular architecture and the materials and techniques used in construction. He is the author of Rural Britain: Then and Now, a celebration of the British countryside, Villages of England and Hidden Depths, an archaeological exploration of Surrey's past.
He lectures on building-related issues, is a judge of annual awards for new housing and serves on the editorial board of the SPAB magazine. His latest renovation project is a 1900 house on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA.