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Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)

Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros) – A Product Review

Renovating old houses can be a rewarding and challenging project for homeowners and professionals alike. However, it also requires a lot of planning, research, and skill to preserve the historical and architectural value of vintage homes while updating them to modern standards of comfort and efficiency. That’s why Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros) is a must-have guide for anyone who wants to tackle this type of renovation.

This book, written by George Nash, a veteran contractor and historian, covers everything you need to know about renovating old houses, from assessing the condition and potential of a property, to choosing the right materials and techniques, to dealing with common problems and pitfalls. The book is divided into four parts:

  • Part One: Planning and Preparation – This section helps you evaluate the feasibility and cost of your renovation project, as well as the historical and architectural significance of your house. It also offers advice on how to work with architects, contractors, and building officials, and how to obtain permits and approvals.
  • Part Two: Structural and Exterior Renovation – This section covers the major aspects of renovating the foundation, framing, roof, siding, windows, doors, and porches of your old house. It provides detailed instructions and illustrations on how to repair, restore, or replace these elements, while maintaining their original style and character.
  • Part Three: Interior Renovation – This section focuses on the interior features and finishes of your old house, such as floors, walls, ceilings, moldings, fireplaces, stairs, and built-ins. It shows you how to preserve, repair, or enhance these elements, as well as how to install modern amenities like plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, and insulation.
  • Part Four: Special Topics – This section covers some specific topics that are relevant to renovating old houses, such as lead paint, asbestos, termites, radon, and historic preservation. It also includes a glossary of terms, a bibliography of resources, and an index of topics.

The book is written in a clear and engaging style, with plenty of anecdotes, tips, and examples from the author’s own experience and from other experts in the field. The book is also richly illustrated with over 600 photos and drawings, showing you the before and after results of various renovation projects, as well as the tools and techniques used to achieve them. The book is suitable for both beginners and experienced renovators, as it offers a comprehensive and practical approach to renovating old houses.

Pros and Cons of Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)

Here are some of the pros and cons of this book, based on our analysis and customer reviews:

Pros

  • The book is very informative and comprehensive, covering all the aspects of renovating old houses, from planning and preparation, to structural and exterior renovation, to interior renovation, to special topics.
  • The book is very well-written and well-organized, with a logical and coherent structure, a clear and engaging tone, and a user-friendly format.
  • The book is very well-illustrated, with over 600 photos and drawings, showing you the details and results of various renovation projects, as well as the tools and techniques used to achieve them.
  • The book is very practical and realistic, offering advice and solutions that are based on the author’s own experience and expertise, as well as on the best practices and standards of the industry.
  • The book is very respectful and sensitive to the historical and architectural value of old houses, encouraging you to preserve and enhance their original style and character, while updating them to modern standards of comfort and efficiency.

Cons

  • The book is very dense and detailed, which can be overwhelming and intimidating for some readers, especially those who are new to renovating old houses.
  • The book is very US-centric, which can limit its applicability and relevance for readers from other countries and regions, especially those with different building codes and regulations, materials and methods, and styles and traditions.
  • The book is very expensive, which can deter some potential buyers, especially those who are on a tight budget or who are looking for a more concise and affordable guide.

Conclusion

Renovating old houses can be a rewarding and challenging project, but it also requires a lot of planning, research, and skill. That’s why Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros) is a must-have guide for anyone who wants to tackle this type of renovation. This book, written by George Nash, a veteran contractor and historian, covers everything you need to know about renovating old houses, from assessing the condition and potential of a property, to choosing the right materials and techniques, to dealing with common problems and pitfalls. The book is informative, comprehensive, well-written, well-organized, well-illustrated, practical, realistic, and respectful. However, the book is also dense, detailed, US-centric, and expensive, which can be drawbacks for some readers. Overall, we recommend this book to anyone who is interested in renovating old houses, whether they are homeowners or professionals, beginners or experienced, as it offers a valuable and reliable resource for this type of project.

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