Wednesday 23 January 2013

What I'm Reading

Happy 2013! I cannot believe that it's nearly the end of January. I haven't written a post in well over a month... We are planning the gradual restoration of the Little Blue House. I met with a contractor in late fall regarding the home's foundation. (I described the issues with the foundation in a previous post - see Our Home's Feet.)

We plan to do as much of the groundwork as we can, prior to the contractor starting work on the foundation in July. He is going to bring the house back to a level position and, in addition, he will add insulation to the floor. Currently, the floor (like the walls) is not insulated.

I have been reading two books, which are proving to be really informative. We have some time to research and school ourselves up on Victorian houses, prior to starting the groundwork in the late spring. We will have to wait until the ground thaws before we can really do anything. It's currently frozen solid...

Here is the first book, by Kit Wedd. It is a nice, large size with some good photos and drawings. I am finding it to be a great primer on Victorian houses.


The second book is by Alan Johnson, and it contains more specific information on how to restore houses (ie. foundations, roofs, floors, staircase, porches, etc.). I wish to become more informed on these subjects, not being a handy person myself... At least I will know what the contractor is talking about, and perhaps we can make better informed decisions this way...


In any case, it's enjoyable reading, and as it's too cold to work on the house, it seems to be a practical way to prepare ourselves. I think our plan has always been to start with the foundation of the LBH. Then we can move upwards from there, right? If she's not standing up straight, how can we restore her to her once beautiful self?

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