Description
Copy is signed by the Author, Scott T. Hanson.
Personalized version available (See separate listing).
New. 720 pages, hardcover. More than 2000 color photos and drawings.
This book does not repeat basic information that is readily available in many standard DIY books about carpentry, wiring, and plumbing. Rather, it shows how to adapt those DIY skills to the specialized needs of a historic house.
Although there are other books about renovating old houses, this is the first that prioritizes the identification and preservation of the historic, character-defining features of a house as a starting point in the process. That is the purpose of this book: to describe and illustrate a best-practices approach for updating historic homes for modern life in ways that do not attempt to turn an old house into a new one. The book also suggests many ways to save money in the process, without settling for cheap or inappropriate solutions. There is no more comprehensive book available on the topic.
Scott Hanson is a historic-building preservation professional and has 40 years’ experience rehabilitating historic houses. He has illustrated this authoritative book with hundreds of step-by-step photos, illustrations, charts, and decision-making guides. Interspersed throughout are photo essays of 13 restored historic houses representing a range of periods and architectural styles: Italianate, Victorian, Queen Anne, Federal, Colonial, Colonial Revival, Greek Revival, Ranch, Adobe, Craftsman, Shingle, and Rustic. With interior and exterior photography by David Clough, these multi-page features show what can be achieved when a historic home is renovated with a desire to preserve or restore as much historic character as possible.
Before and After B&W and Color Photography Throughout.
See Additional Details for more information
Betsy Thorp –
Thoroughly entertaining and informative book. Very well written,a pleasure to read and learn from.
A must have for anyone involved in, or even thinking about, restoring a historic building.
This will be a book I go to repeatedly, for solid information as well as inspiration.
Well done!
Janet Andersen-Heller –
“Restoring Your Historic House” is an outstanding book. Anyone would find the homes and restoration process endlessly fascinating. Not only a great read, but a resource for the field.
Shari Eckert (verified owner) –
This book is a wonderful wealth of information!
Bill Davis (verified owner) –
Eileen Edgcomb (verified owner) –
It’s great! Quite comprehensive!
Greg S. (verified owner) –
I learned of this book from a shout-out in the New York Times a few weeks ago. I am but 150 pages into the “700 page tome” – their words, not mine. I am already impressed with the depth, breadth, and quality of information within. The author blends history and architecture with technical advice and expert opinion for restoration. The book is filled with careful photographs which clarify and define the text. My only question is how this book is for sale at $50. It’s a book that can be read cover-to-cover and used as a reference manual thereafter. The quality is on par with a college textbook. It would be a value at twice the price.
Lynne Hreha (verified owner) –
It’s an amazing resource for vintage home owners. My son loves his copy as well as I do. Mine an 1896 home and his an1840s home
Kendra (verified owner) –
I bought this for my husband for Christmas so he can work on our new old home with confidence. Looking forward to reading it soon.
Samantha B. (verified owner) –
So much great information in this book. It will be a valuable resource when I begin work on my 1891 Victorian house.
Bob Emmerich (verified owner) –
Great book! Lots of good info. Still getting through it. A must have for old house owners.
Enrico Amato (verified owner) –
A lovely book with wonderful advice. Wish there was more “how to” than advice, but excellent pictures and accurate historical description and information. The suggested resource index for companies that specialize in historic structures is a great help.
I highly recommend this book and applaud the research and time invested in creating it.
Also, kudos to Kevin and Laine Berry for their support and recommendation of this book. I purchased it based on their suggestion.
All in all it’s excellent.
Continued success!!
yourhistorichouse (store manager) –
Thank you!
Melinda Kelley (verified owner) –
Bought this for my son and daughter in law who just purchased a 100+ year old house. A house that was featured on a facebook feed that looked like their house was where I got linked to the book.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Fabulous resource! Very thorough and and an enjoyable read.
yourhistorichouse (store manager) –
Thank you!
Kieran M. (verified owner) –
Bought as gift for a family member who lives in a home built in 1920. Removes much of the mystery around an old home and provides helpful, practical knowledge useful when dealing with service teams, plumbers, electricians and others. Great resource book.
yourhistorichouse (store manager) –
Thank you!
James Kuhn (verified owner) –
yourhistorichouse (store manager) –
Thank you!
Dan A. (verified owner) –
This book is my Bible for my 1852 restoration / rehabilitation project. It gives a tremendous amount of information across all aspects of old homes and provides a lifetime of resources to dive deeper into every topic. I’d be lost without this thing! It’s a must have!
Gary Stephenson (verified owner) –
Very applicable in my role as a member of the historic district commission.
Julia A. (verified owner) –
I’m fascinated with the restoration of old often abandoned homes. I love doing hands on home improvement projects. I appreciate restoring historic homes and buildings takes a lot of research and preparation to preserve its authenticity. I totally enjoy “Restoring Your Historic House “ it is well researched and the photography is excellent.
Robin (verified owner) –
Couldn’t be happier!
Heather Lavoie (verified owner) –
Love this book – it’s my “go to” for detailed information and real examples! Well worth it! Thank you!
Austin Kirkland (verified owner) –
Very detailed on architecture of houses
Eileen Jessop (verified owner) –
This is a wonderful reference manual, full of photos and great information! We’ve had the book for about four days now and are already applying the tips and tricks to some siding repair on our Second Empire house (I didn’t know what Second Empire was a week ago!).
This book has already helped us appreciate the rich heritage of our property and start plans to showcase it, in just a few days.
I can’t wait to really get into this book!
Denise L. (verified owner) –
Scott Hanson’s book is fantastic. His knowledge and passion come through on every page. Having a resource that we can trust to have accurate information is worth much more than we paid for this beautiful book.
Thank you Scott for all of the effort it took to bring this book to us.
yourhistorichouse (store manager) –
Thank you, Denise!
Kathleen James (verified owner) –
I Just leafed thru it, it is a Christmas present for my daughter who has a 120 year old house.