From removing graffiti in Manhattan to rebuilding a hops barn in Oregon, the National Park Service-a part of the Department of the Interior-has faced just about every problem an old structure can encounter. Here for the first time is a collection of their hardwon know-how and official guidelines, written by the top experts in their respective fields of preservation.
Forty-two fully illustrated chapters include:
-- cleaning and waterproof coating for historic masonry
-- repointing mortar joints
-- maintaining historic adobe buildings
-- the dangers of abrasive cleaning
-- repairing historic wooden windows
-- rehabilitating historic storefronts
-- repairing wooden shingles
-- preserving barns
-- repairing stucco
-- using substitute materials on historic building exteriors
-- mothballing historic buildings
-- understanding architectural cast iron
There's even a chapter on repairing vintage signs. Each subject is treated with the utmost care and discusses the safest and most historically accurate repairs. Perhaps just as important as the valuable advice on how to undertake various projects, the guides also give invaluable advice on what not to do-based on years of preservation experience-that can save a homeowner thousands of dollars, hours, and perhaps a priceless piece of architecture. For the student or the professional restorer, THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE is the official government text on saving old buildings.
Forty-two fully illustrated chapters include:
-- cleaning and waterproof coating for historic masonry
-- repointing mortar joints
-- maintaining historic adobe buildings
-- the dangers of abrasive cleaning
-- repairing historic wooden windows
-- rehabilitating historic storefronts
-- repairing wooden shingles
-- preserving barns
-- repairing stucco
-- using substitute materials on historic building exteriors
-- mothballing historic buildings
-- understanding architectural cast iron
There's even a chapter on repairing vintage signs. Each subject is treated with the utmost care and discusses the safest and most historically accurate repairs. Perhaps just as important as the valuable advice on how to undertake various projects, the guides also give invaluable advice on what not to do-based on years of preservation experience-that can save a homeowner thousands of dollars, hours, and perhaps a priceless piece of architecture. For the student or the professional restorer, THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE is the official government text on saving old buildings.
Price: $24.95
As both a practising architect and a researcher, Berge introduces us authoritatively to issues such as using raw materials from renewable sources, and the possibilities of designing and manufacturing reusable building materials. The alternatives to modern building materials are outlined and discussed from an ecological perspective.
This new edition of Barry’s Introduction to Construction of Buildings adds considerable new material but remains based on the original concept of explaining construction technology through key functional/performance requirements for the main elements common to all buildings. Of particular note in this new edition are a fully integrated approach to environmental issues and construction sustainability.
Essential data on construction materials for practising 
This new edition of Understanding Housing Defects has been extensively revised and includes new and revised graphics, many more photographs, and an extended text. The book is a natural companion to The Construction of Houses (first published in 1990 and now in its 3rd revision). Understanding Housing Defects provides a concise, coherent and comprehensive introduction to the causes, investigation and diagnosis of housing defects.