Victorian and Edwardian Houses: a Guide to Care and Maintenance

This informative book is invaluable for all those who own, or are interested in, houses that were built between about 1840 and 1914. It aims to help readers to become responsible custodians of such properties and focuses on how to retain and preserve the fabric of the existing house in a sustainable way, thus allowing more of the past to be preserved. The author provides practical advice on how to care for such houses in the least wasteful way, advice that may save the owner money and time, and also enhance the value of the property by retaining its period appeal. This book provides a guided tour of all the elements of the house and garden from the roof and chimneys, walls, ceilings, doors and windows, down to coalholes, gates, railings, paths and boot scrapers. It explains the contemporary thinking concerning the care and maintenance of houses of this period, and highlights some of the essential differences between modern and traditional building practices. This knowledge will help owners to understand and avoid misfortunes such as prematurely decaying joinery, damp walls and rotting timber, since Victorian and Edwardian houses can rely on entirely different methods of controlling damp and movement to those used in modern constructions. AUTHOR: Janet Collings is a conservation architect and author who studied practical conservation under the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings' travelling scholarship scheme. She works to ensure a useful future for all old buildings, from nationally-important Grade I-listed buildings through to forgotten semi-derelict cottages. Janet co-founded the www.oldhouse.info website to help promote the understanding of traditional building and her knowledge of old houses comes from living in, and personally repairing, Victorian and Edwardian homes. Resident - Essex 400 photos