A House Restored - The Tragedies and Triumphs of Saving a New England Colonial

Old houses share their secrets only if they survive. Trading the corporate ladder for a stepladder, Lee McColgan commits to preserving the ramshackle Loring House, built in 1702, using period materials and methods and on a holiday deadline. But his enchantment withers as he discovers the massive repairs it needs. A small kitchen fix reveals that the structure's rotten frame could collapse at any moment. In a bathroom, mould appears and spreads. He fights deteriorating bricks, frozen pipes, shattered windows, a punctured foundation and even an airborne chimney cap while learning from a diverse cast of preservationists, including a master mason named Irons, a stone whisperer and the Window Witch. But can he meet his deadline before family and friends arrive, or will it all come crashing down? McColgan's journey expertly examines our relationship to history through the homes we inhabit, beautifully articulating the philosophy of preserving the past to find purpose for the future.

About the author

Lee McColgan has worked on Boston's Old North Church, Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, and other buildings. His work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Boston Globe, and Wall Street Journal. He lives with his wife in the Loring House in Pembroke, Massachusetts.

Summary

A lyrical meditation of a woodworker steadfastly repairing an historic home

Product details

• Authors: Lee McColgan
• Assisted by: Underhill Roy (Foreword)
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.05.2024
• EAN: 9781682688366
• ISBN: 978-1-68268-836-6
• Dimensions: 147 mm x 218 mm x 20 mm
• Weight: 311 g
• Illustrations: 10 photographs
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Biography: general, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General, ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / Residential, CRAFTS & HOBBIES / Woodwork, ARCHITECTURE / History / General, HOUSE & HOME / Do-It-Yourself / Carpentry, HOUSE & HOME / Remodeling & Renovation, Residential buildings, domestic buildings, History of Architecture, History of the Americas, Architecture: residential and domestic buildings, Home renovation and extension, Northeastern & North Atlantic States, US Northeast: New England, Home renovation & extension, DIY: carpentry & woodworking, DIY: carpentry and woodworking