Great renovations - Mary Gilliatt

The renovation and revival of old houses is a thriving industry. With careful planning you can combine the charm of the old with the best of the new. "Great Renovations" not only shows international older houses but centres on easily translatable ideas and interiors. The book fir st discusses the challenges and potential of older houses, it defines house styles up until the 1930's and explains what to look for and what to avoid, encouraging research into what was originally intended so that features can easily be repaired or replicated. The book discusses the reverential approach where a house is re-created to its original design as well as the sensitive approach to renovation. Here the spirit and integrity of the original is respected but new ideas, techniques, materials and new uses of space can be introduced. Chapters cover different types of housing and 2 case studies of successfully renovated homes for inspiration. An appendix gives practical information on period details, restoring floors, lighting, appropriate colour schemes as well as new or substitute materials.