He systematically addresses clapboard problems, foundation issues, insect infestations, structural decay, and chimneys, roofs, walls, and windows. He takes the same methodical approach to the interior inspection. Nash divides renovation work into the structural and the cosmetic. He urges homeowners to prioritize between what needs to be done now, soon, and later. 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.