Not surprisingly, the section that follows covers hiring a contractor. Advice given in each chapter is practical and to the point. Nash's language is easily accessible to the layman and, while not as authoritative as John Leeke's Restoration Reports, Nash offers techniques and strategies that may be followed by the layman and contractor alike. Nash's chapter on roofing and gutters is particularly outstanding, offering detailed steps to the homeowner on how to make major and minor repairs. The repair of windows, a recent preoccupation on the Old House Listserv, is treated extensively.
Diagrams illustrate the anatomy of double-hung windows and explain how to repair rotted sills.
Comments on the installation of doors anticipate the often idiosyncratic nature of doors on old homes. Finish details such as painting are methodically addressed and explained. Nash's chapters on systems are perhaps not as current as they could be. He addresses new energy-saving strategies as they may be applied to old houses, but his discussions are limited and not as comprehensive as other areas of the book. Nevertheless, his sections on electrical, plumbing, and heating systems are valuable for the novice.