We loved the subtitle of this book, Respectful Rehabilitation, and this convinced us to give the book a try. There are more than enough wreckovating books out there, and for those that are interested in maintaining the charm of older homes, a book like this is a rare find indeed. If you are living in an older home that has seen better days, or considering purchasing a fixer upper, this is truly a vital book that belongs on your bookshelf.
While this book does not go in depth on many actual projects, it does offer key advice that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. The book starts off with the reasoning behind restoring an old home to its former glory and offers some great consideration points when it comes to making a decision on whether a renovation is actually worth it. There are no pie-in-the-sky ideals here, and the author is not afraid to discuss whether or not it is feasible to restore an old home. Not every property can be helped, and you can save a lot of money by figuring this out early on in the process.
The next two chapters deal with learning more about older homes and how to start the process of actually fixing them up. You’ll also learn about safeguarding older properties and some considerations that need to be taken into account before you even begin. By simply reading this book before starting a renovation, a homeowner could easily save thousands of dollars, even if they only read the first three chapters.
The section on cost is by far the best and can be used to get a better idea of how much you are going to need to spend to fix your older home. Contractors and DIY angles are discussed as well as what to expect when your budget gets out of control, as it often can with an older home. Remember, once you start one project on an old house, there are tons of chances you’ll be dealing with five more as a result.
The actual renovating process is broken down into the exterior and interior of the home. Some great advice can be found in these two chapters, especially if you are trying to maintain the character of your older home and restore it properly. We can’t always rely on old photographs, and these chapters will help with some of the bigger decisions on what to do during your renovations.
The last chapters go over learning more about older homes and how to find resources that will help with your renovation project. If you are committed to respectful renovation, these resources are incredibly helpful, especially if you are in the dark on your home’s previous history.
We loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone that is trying to fix up an old home. You’ll be able to save money and get the benefit of some great advice along the way.
Originally posted 2008-09-18 18:27:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Review: Welcome Home: A Home Improvement and Decorating Organizer by Christina Poggi and Nick Beilenson Welcome Home: A Home Improvement and Decorating Organizer is released as a three ring binder, with each of its many pages ready to store information about your home. Included are pages for placing contact information for your realtor, repair people, utilities, and other important contact information. It will also help...... -
What Does Your Home’s Curb Appeal Say? Whether you are selling your home, or you just want it to look its best, curb appeal is something that must be focused on. You can add quite a bit of value to your home with just a few simple fixes, but before you start, it is important to think...... - Ortho’s Home Repair Problem Solver By Robert J. Beckstrom, Jeff Beneke, Matt Phair, Naomi Wise Ever sat up half the night worried about what the heck was making that noise? Need quick help in figuring out what is wrong with your home? This book from Ortho isn’t the newest one on the market, but that doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, if you......
- Gutted! By Lawrence LaRose If you’re thinking about buying an old house to restore, stop right now and buy this book. It is the absolute epitome of what you should not do, and it may even make you change your mind. Anyone interested in home improvement horror stories will love this book, and there......
- Review of the Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair Black and Decker are known for the terrific DIY guides and this title is no exception. As the name suggests, you’re getting step by step photo instructions that make it easy for anyone to fix up their own home without having to be a professional handy person. You’ll get......
Related Websites -
The Clothes That Got Me Laid: A Newish Blog While working on a piece on Feminism and Hooking Up, I stumbled across a blog called The Clothes That Got Me Laid. I love it - it is a highly irreverent and fun series of stories about what people wear when they hook up. Girls work so hard to look...... - Short Game Bible By Dave Pelz Your short game is the key to a good score in golf. No matter how well you can drive, if you can’t chip or wedge your ball onto the right spot on the green, you’ll never be able to improve your score. Many golfers make the mistake of focusing on......
- Lazy Man isn't Working and it's Okay - a Reflection by Energi Gal [This is a guest post from my wife. I've add a couple of editor's notes here and there.] When Lazy Man first broke the news that his employer had decided to separate ways with him, I instantaneously began the 5 stages of grief: Shock â Denial (What! You don't have......
- Weekend Links - Getting Kicked and Hit Around Edition It was a rough week emotionally for the Lazy Man. I felt that I got hit and kicked around a little bit. So on Friday night, the wife and I went out and did some hitting and kicking. Specifically we went out to Maverick, a restaurant owned by Scott Youkilis......
- Find Out Useful Tips About Attracting Men There's a simple formula for triggering the powerful emotion inside a man that goes DEEPER than the everyday kind of Physical Attraction he can feel for a woman. A man can think you're beautiful and can be attracted to you PHYSICALLY. He can think you're intelligent and talented and be......
Categories:
Book Review, Handy Man
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment