Sheetrock & Shellac: A Thinking Person's Guide to the Art and Science of Home Improvement

David Owen, author of The Walls Around Us, recounts his projects -- from catching the home improvement bug while watching workmen replacing a leaky roof to his first tentative foray into DIY. As his skill grows, so does his confidence: replacing a broken light switch turns into wiring an entire room, making bookcases is followed by building an office. Soon he takes the big leap from renovation to building a new house -- a weekend cabin a mere six miles from his home -- from the ground up. The experience launches Owen's enthralling and hilarious discourse on everything from kitchen countertop materials to the complete history of concrete and a near disastrous mishap involving a tree, a roof, and a chainsaw.

David Owen plays in a weekly foursome, takes mulligans off the first tee, practices intermittently at best, wore a copper wristband because Steve Ballesteros said so, and struggles for consistency even though his swing is consistent -- just mediocre. He is a staff writer for The New Yorker, a contributing editor to Golf Digest, and a frequent contributor to The Atlantic Monthly. His other books include The First National Bank of Dad, The Chosen One, The Making of the Masters, and My Usual Game. He lives in Washington, Connecticut.