Self-educating- where to begin?
Hi everyone- For those of you who have gone thru the process of renovating a brownstone I’m wondering if you have any good educational resources to recommend. My husband and I are in the market for a brownstone and it seems likely that whatever we buy will need some form of renovation, either at the…
Hi everyone-
For those of you who have gone thru the process of renovating a brownstone I’m wondering if you have any good educational resources to recommend. My husband and I are in the market for a brownstone and it seems likely that whatever we buy will need some form of renovation, either at the time of purchase, or throughout the life of owning it. I’d love to start educating myself now on the basics – from cosmetic restoration of wood details and facades, down to the abc’s of boiler installation and upkeep. While we are unlikely to do this work without the help of a professional, it would still be great to be educated when making our decisions.
It seems there is a wealth of information online – from home renovation magazines, to blogs and forums like this one. I’ve been lurking here for a while and have found loads of helpful information, but would also love to know if anyone has recommendations for some really good comprehensive resources – print or online. Thanks!
You also may want to look into the Yestermorrow design/build school in vermont. they have quite a few courses on home design and renovation with an emphasis on hands-on learning. it is a small investment in time and money, but the experience and information gained is invaluable.
I highly recommend the NHS home maintenance course with Mark. It really is fantastic – in fact, I am going tonight.
http://www.nhsnyc.org/content/contact/..%5Ccalendar%5Chmaint_ef.html
Also, get Taunton’s fine homebuilding magazine. It is pretty hardcore. You can get online subscription as well / instead. It allows you to access all their ‘how to’ articles. They do things properly.
Completely agree with slopefarm that coordination is crucial. You must have a GC who can organize the subs — otherwise you’ll end up paying the price.
Others are correct about hands-on experience but books can help. I also like the George Nash book mentioned by the first poster. Another good book is Bob Vila’s Complete Guide to Remodeling Your Home — now out of print but used copies are available online for very little. It’s not a how-to-book but it’s great at walking you through the process and pointing out many of the pitfalls of renovating. I’m no fan of Bob Vila btw but I did find this book very useful.
Creating a New Old House by Russell Versaci isn’t about renovating but it’s a nice resource (with many pretty pictures) if you need to put back period features that’ve been removed.
Often mentioned on this site is Charles Lockwood’s Bricks and Brownstones. Pricey and focused on the history of NY rowhouses and brownstones not on practical details, but offers fascinating context.
Two more resources: i) Check out the recent This Old House Prospect Heights project. Not sure if the programs are available on demand but I daresay they will re-air forever on PBS. The TOH website has descriptions of each episode + (very useful this) the suppliers and tradespeople used. ii) Consider getting a short-term subscription to the Fine Homebuilding website where all their articles (current and old) are available. While FH doesn’t focus specifically on old houses, their articles are very good. I recently found a great piece that explained everything I needed to know about recirculating pumps for instant hot water.
Good luck!
One more thought — I found that, for the most part, where things went wrong it was for lack of forethought, oversight or coordination. The issue was never about the right way to install plumbing or put up a wall or preserve a fireplace. Rather, it was about coordination — making sure you are thinking about light switches when you are deciding on doorswings, or the demands of central AC while you are configuring closets, choosing moldings and bidding out electrical work, or the impact of removing walls on adjacent walls with original details, etc. Every old brownstone job is different and needs to be organized in a slightly different way and seemingly unrelated issues are often tied together in suprising ways. Make sure you have someone on the job — architect, GC, designer etc. — who can keep the big picture in mind with the details who is regularly at the site and who can tee up the issues and decisions in a well-coordinated and timely way for you. And do not be afraid to “need to think” about a decision and check in here with the archives or a forum post.
Thanks a mil everyone, these are all great suggestions. I never would have thought of youtube too.
I think books are over-rated as a learning tool for home repair, and you’re talking to a book collector. Hands-on with a contractor who will let you help, or a handy friend, is much better. Don’t underplay youtube, there are all kinds of home improvement vids there, and I think videos are better than books as a educational tool.
When we restored our brownstone I tried to read a variety of sources, but found they didn’t address brownstones specifically, and therefore were irrelevant to me. Brownstones have their own set of troubles. Search the archives on this site, read referals (always get more than one) and trust your gut. If you don’t have to do major work right away- don’t, and do the renovations over time.
If you have to do a gut renovation asap (like we did), find a GC you like and trust. You’ll get educated along the way. While we were going through the renovation I said that had I known how much time and money this was going to cost, I wouldn’t have done it. Now, I’m happy we did. The one thing I regret not doing is noise insulation between us and the adjacent house, this might be something you want to research.
Good luck.
When we restored our brownstone I tried to read a variety of sources, but found they didn’t address brownstones specifically, and therefore were irrelevant to me. Brownstones have their own set of troubles. Search the archives on this site, read referals (always get more than one) and trust your gut. If you don’t have to do major work right away- don’t, and do the renovations over time.
If you have to do a gut renovation asap (like we did), find a GC you like and trust. You’ll get educated along the way. While we were going through the renovation I said that had I known how much time and money this was going to cost, I wouldn’t have done it. Now, I’m happy we did. The one thing I regret not doing is noise insulation between us and the adjacent house, this might be something you want to research.
Good luck.
The Old House Journal Compendium is great for restoration of NY brownstones. It’s compiled by Clem Labine (sp?). You might be able to find a used copy on alibris.com or amazon.