Victorian House Manual : Care and repair for this popular house type

Many of Britain's four million Victorian and Edwardian houses were shoddily built and often require 'essential repairs'. Problems like rising damp, timber decay, bowed roofs and subsidence are well known, but how can you tell if your house has major defects or is just typical for its age? Forget 'makeovers': this new edition of the Victorian House Manual, which has been extensively updated, shows where to look for danger signs, what's 'normal' and what isn't, and how to fix common defects. Equipped with this book, you can talk the same language as builders and property professionals. Written in a friendly and enjoyable style, and yet technically comprehensive. How your house was built - its age and history. What adds value? Packed with entertaining snippets - everything from anthrax in the walls and ingress of sewer rats to why cats are bad news for some roofs. Each chapter is devoted to a key part of the house: roofs, walls, windows, ceilings, etc, in the comprehensive style of a Building Survey, with full-colour photos and some step-by-step projects for repairs. Defects, causes and solutions: how to identify, solve and prevent all common defects found in Victorian houses, with some common scams exposed.