Every other home repair book tells you how to fix things. This one tells you what to fix first and what to leave alone.
Bringing Old Houses Back to Life - A Homeowner's Guide
- Starts where every other book ends — what to repair first, and in what order
- Foundations, framing, roof, plaster, wiring, plumbing, heating — the whole house
- Written for houses built before 1960, not generic new construction
- 416 pages by a working renovation contractor, not a magazine editor
30-Days Money Back Guarantee
Free Shipping Included
Sarah M.
Fantastic, comprehensive book on old house restoration as well as maintenance. This one book contains more useful real-world information than a whole shelf's worth of those Home Depot, Black & Decker, etc. DIY books. And it's all delivered with intelligence, character and an occaisional dose of humor. This is a must have for anyone restoring or renovating and old house, living in and maintaining an old house and would be especially helpful to anyone who is about to 'go shopping' for an old house!
Best book ever written on repair and renovation of old houses. Simple, sensible solutions for common old house problems like wet basements, crooked floors, etc. too bad it’s out of print but glad it’s still available used.
I am very glad I bought this book! I've been renovating an 1861 farmhouse for 4 years. I am a 66 year old woman and I've been climbing ladders 3 stories, I painted my whole house myself. If I can do it, so can you! Saving thousands upon thousands of $!
I recently purchased a Queen Anne home, built in 1885. Of all the books I have on restoration, this one is by far the best.
Just when you think you know everything you need to know about redoing an old house. Along comes Renovating Old Houses. Great book. Taught me new tricks that I just thought I knew. Well worth the money
This is an excellent book on renovating older houses. The author explains very well the problems that older homes may have and how to restore them to their original glory.
Discover what to fix first
416 pages built around one idea most home-repair books skip — before a single repair, learn to tell what's structural, what's cosmetic, and what can wait. The sequencing method that comes from a career spent reading old houses, not writing about them.
Discover every system in the house in order
Foundations, framing, roofing, windows and siding, plaster and floors, wiring, plumbing, heating, and chimneys — twelve chapters covering the whole house as one connected system, not twelve disconnected weekend projects.
Discover the second opinion with no invoice attached
When a contractor says the original sash windows have to go, this is the book that tells you whether he's right — and how to tell a structural problem from a cosmetic one before you spend a cent.
Discover you don't need to be a contractor
One reader took on a three-story 1861 farmhouse at 66 and painted the whole thing herself. This book is written for homeowners doing the work themselves — it assumes you want to understand why, not just follow steps.
Your old house has stood for a hundred years. Don't guess with it now.
Renovating Old Houses was written for homeowners who are done settling for "just replace it and see." Twelve chapters. One method: evaluate first, then decide what's structural and what's cosmetic — before a single repair. The result is a budget that goes twice as far, because you fixed the right thing first.
Frequently Asked Questions
My house was built in 1910 / 1885 / 1940 - Is this the right book?
+
Yes. It's written specifically for houses built before about 1960, and the older the better. Post-frame timber framing, balloon framing, plaster and lath, original sash windows, knob-and-tube wiring, steam and hot-water heating — the things generic DIY books skip because most houses don't have them any more.
I'm not a builder. Is this too technical for me?
+
No. It assumes you're a homeowner, not a tradesman. Plenty of readers are doing the work themselves for the first time — one reviewer took on an 1861 farmhouse at 66 and painted the whole thing herself. What it does assume is that you want to understandwhy, not just follow steps.
Will it help me talk to my contractor, or is it only for DIY?
+
Both, and the first is arguably worth more. Knowing what's structural, what's cosmetic and what order the work should run in is what lets you read a quote properly and push back on the parts that don't add up.
I've already got a shelf of home repair books. What does this add?
+
Those are task manuals — they tell you how to do a job you've already decided to do. This one is about deciding. It's also specific to old houses rather than generic to every house, which is the difference between advice that applies to your building and advice that doesn't.
Can I find this cheaper elsewhere?
+
You can find used copies. We ship new, from the US, tracked, with free shipping and a 30-day full refund. If you're buying one for someone else too, the two-book price brings it down to $45 each. And if price is the deciding factor, buy the used one — we'd rather you have the book than not.
How long does delivery take?
+
Every order is tracked and you'll get the number by email as soon as it ships.