The Old-House Journal Guide to Restoration

A manual for caring for old houses features nearly seven hundred photographs and drawings and offers step-by-step instructions that cover every detail of repair and restoration.

Since the 1970s, ambitious do-it-yourselfers have relied on Old-House Journal for authoritative information on the restoration of Colonials, Victorians, and Craftsmen Style Bungalows. The magazine was one of the few sources offering expert advice on repair issues unique to houses built before the 1930s. Now this much-needed advice has been compiled in an all-in-one guide for homeowners ready to put paintbrushes, hammers, putty knives, drills, sanders, and saws to good use. This resource includes a discussion of house periods and styles along with exhaustive instruction on interior and exterior restoration projects--supplemented with diagrams, photos, step-by-step illustrations, sidebars, and even mini-dictionaries of terms. With this guide, not only do readers learn how to fix leaky stem faucets but also what all the inner parts of a stem faucet are.

What's special about The Old-House Journal Guide to Restoration is that it answers questions specific to houses that have withstood the test of time and weather. How does one fireproof a balloon-construction home? How does one replace a rotting window frame without compromising appearance? Similarly, there's much practiced advice on repairing masonry, updating plumbing and electrical systems, straightening bowed floors and walls, and improving energy efficiency. The book's overall tone is "can-do." If something's broken or decayed, the Old-House Journal folks believe it can be fixed or restored--and they're not afraid to tell how in great detail. This is not just a lesson in stripping and refinishing wood floors, but rather extensive schooling in boosting an old house owner's confidence. --Karen Karleski