When given the chance, I love sitting back and reading a good book. It doesn’t matter if nonfiction or fiction, just a good book that entertains and educates. Here’s my running list of favorite books about old houses. These books inspire an appreciation for the charm of old houses as well teach new skills on how to successfully own and rehabilitate one.
This post contains affiliate links, including but not limited to, Amazon Associates. As such, I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure located here.
DIY vs Non-DIY Books
My hope is that old house enthusiasts will enjoy the diversity of this hodge-podge list of books about old houses.
Most book lists focus on “How-to” guides geared towards DIY-home improvement and repair projects. And these technical references are important investments for any homeowner.
But this list also includes books that don’t involve a picking up hammer. Instead, this list include books that envelope you in a good story about the beauty and history of old homes, or narratives of other homeowners whose sweat (and lots of tears) transformed a dilapidated old house into a welcoming home.
Dive into this list of books about old houses for yourself or as a gift idea for another old house enthusiast, Enjoy!
1. A Field Guide to American Houses
This thick (800+ page) guide to American house styles is a treasure-trove of information. It’s commonly referred to as “the bible of house designs” by both professional preservationists and old house enthusiasts.
There are several additions, with the latest covering over 400 years of residential architecture, from pre-colonial period to McMansions. It’s jammed packed with over 1,600 photos and illustrations that aids in understanding domestic architecture.
What I especially like about this book is that it’s written so that newbie old house enthusiasts (like myself) can follow BUT goes into such detail of residential architecture that even more knowledgeable readers will learn something new.
Admittedly at first, the thickness of the book intimidated me. It felt a bit overwhelming. But I slowly worked through the book, taking the book apart chapter by chapter over a few month period.
Now find myself referring to it frequently, either to help identify an intriguing house I’ve discovered on a walk, or to dive into a chapter and get a deeper understanding of a certain style or time period.
2. The Houses that Sears Built
We all know that Amazon sells almost everything under the sun – books, toys, housewares, tech, clothes, furniture, even food – all with convenient shipping.
Now, imagine if Amazon could sell you a house. Yup, a entire house. In a kit that you put together yourself. There’s only about 30,0000 pieces – lumber, nails, windows, doors, flooring, roofing, paint and varnish – to assemble your home. Oh, and a 70 page instruction booklet to put it all together on your own.
Sounds crazy, right?
But over 100 years ago, catalog companies like Sears and Montgomery Ward sold and shipped over 100,000 kit homes (including my favorite American Foursquare) throughout the United States. All before before the internet and FedEx.
The author – Rosemary Thornton – has dedicated years to researching and discovering Sears catalog homes throughout the country. This book dives into the what, why, how, when and who of these catalog “kit” homes.
As further discussed in this podcast episode of 99% Invisible, the rise and fall of kit homes is a fascinating amazing piece of US and Canadian history.
3. Detroit Hustle: A Memoir of Love, Life & Home
This book is a true DIY renovation love story – the trails and tribulations of owning (and restoring) an old house.
Amy and Karl move to Detroit and buy an abandoned house for next to nothing ($35,000). There is no plumbing, no heat, and no electricity. And anything that could go wrong, goes wrong in this 1914 Georgian Revival house.
But that doesn’t stop them from finding and appreciating the charm in this old house. And along the way, forging a path to find other kindred spirits intent on re-building a strong and vibrant community in Detroit, a city that has fallen far from grace.
One of my favorite passages from the book is towards the end, when the majority of the renovations are completed and they have moved into the house named “Matilda”.
“The door is a testament to everything that has happened over the past two years. We took something decrepit and unloved and filled it with life thanks to the help of our partners and friends….. I’m sometimes moved to tears by how handsome our front door is. There is still work to be done on Matilda – we’re still missing the corbel right above the entrance and we need gutters – but the door to our house, to our home and hearts, stands strong and inviting.”
This book speaks to the intense level of hard work, faith, trust and financial disasters of restoration. But also demonstrates the pay-off in making a house a home. This story will resonate with all who love old neglected houses and yearn to get them brought back to their full potential.
4. Restoring Your Historic House
This 700+ page How-to book is quickly becoming the “old house bible” for many homeowners. Scott Hanson spent 4 years writing this comprehensive guide (includes 2,000+ photos and drawings!) to passing along his knowledge from working 40+ years in the historic preservation field.
This book rolls up its sleeves and gives practical, exhaustive advice on how to answer the question: “Can an old house be comfortable, convenient, and energy-efficient while retaining its historic features?”
(Spoiler alert: the answer is yes ?)
This book’s mission is to guide homeowners through a thoughtful, best-practices approach for updating historic homes for the modern lifestyle without compromising or removing the historic charm and character. And doing it on a budget.
If you want to learn more from Scott, check out this interview from Episode #82 one of my fav old house podcasts, True Tales from Old Houses.
5. At Home: A Short History of Private Life
Bill Bryson touched my heart about 20 years ago when I first read “In a Sunburned Country” about his mis-adventures in Australia. I had recently spent 3 weeks backpacking through the country. Not being the most rustic traveler, I related to his story of finding himself in less-than-advantageous situations while traveling.
In this book, Bill dives deep into the history and evolution of the ordinary things that make a house a home, hitting on the scientific discoveries and the quirky personalities of the people behind them. I haven’t looked at my house the same way since I finished this book.
Bill gives a room-by-room tour through his own old house, a Victorian-era parsonage in England. He uses each room to explore the history of how our houses came to be – from windows to mattresses, from hallways to telephones.
One of my favorite passages is right near the beginning of the book:
“Houses are really quite odd things. They have almost no universally defining qualities: they can be of practically any shape, incorporate virtually any material, be of almost any size. Yet wherever we go in the world we recognize domesticity the moment we see it.”
In full disclosure, I struggled a bit through this book. It took a few times of picking it up, then putting it aside, then coming back a few weeks later until I found a groove. But once I reached Chapter 4, it was hooked.
6. House Lessons: Renovating a Life
Like Detriot Hustle, this is a story about bringing a grand old house back to its former glory. Erica Bauermeister, a New York Times best-selling author, falls in love an dilapidated, trash-filled house in Port Townsend, Washington. After buying, her family slowly rehabilitates this neglected and breathes new life into it.
This book is more than just a challenges and joys of rehabilitating an old American Foursquare house.
It’s also a story about how these restoration projects impact family dynamics and marriage. Both the house and the author are transformed during the renovation process.
Ultimately, this old house has its own lessons to teach the author – lessons about life and the value of settling down roots where you are loved and supported.
7. Keeping Time
Originally I was put off by this book since it’s a primer for college-level historic preservationists. I envisioned a large college lecture hall with a tweed-wearing, boring and dusty professor who assigned an even more boring, dusty text.
I was completely wrong!
Keeping Time is clear, well-written, and entertains as it educates.
It’s the perfect start to old house newbies to learn about historic preservation movement in the US (which is apparently quite different than other countries).
It’s especially useful for those who live in a house that is listed on a national or local historic registry. This book gives perspective on how the preservation movement started and where it’s headed.
The first half of book overlines historic preservation before and after World War II in both the public and private sectors and the creation and evolution of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The second half segments into different aspects of preservation – house museums, outdoor museums, historic districts, landscape preservation, and many others.
To aid in reading, there is a useful glossary of preservation terms (such as rehab vs restore vs renovate) to help newbies like me to better understand the topic.
There are a few editions of this book mulling around – I bought the 3rd edition because it as a bit cheaper than the current 4th edition, and I don’t think I missed out on anything significant.
8. Peeking through the Keyhole
I came across this book while “quickly perusing” the stacks at the library. And I mean quickly. I has just finished toddler reading time, and they were hungry and cranky. But mommy needed a new book.
The title grabbed my attention. “Peeking Through the Keyhole”.
Sounded a bit scandalous. Perhaps it unlocked some secrets? I was intrigued…..
The book was not what I expected.
The book discusses the many ways that housing has changed over the past 50 years as a result of changes in the economy, family structure/ lifestyle and technology.
The book does focus on post-WWII homes and the rise of suburbia BUT to provide insight on how modern housing evolved, this book dives into old houses.
For example, one chapter focuses on the evolution of the function and organization of the kitchen in the US. During the colonial period, the kitchen was the largest (and sometimes only) room. However, in the 1800s, homeownership was usually reserved for only the wealthy. So, kitchens were reduced to compartmentalized rooms banished with its cooks and housekeepers to the back of the house.
Fast-forward to the 19th and 20th centuries, where homeownership was no longer restricted to the rich and homeowners returned to actively using their kitchens. The importance of a kitchen serving as the epicenter of family returned and it’s importance came full-circle.
Huh. Maybe I’m a total nerd, but that is kind of interesting.
To give you a flavor of this book, I’ll share one of my favorite passages:
“The style of assembly and the composition of our homes have changed, to the extent that we rarely walk into a new house and admire the wood detail of the door frame, for instance, or the intricate carpentry that went into the kitchen cabinets. We may marvel at the spacious foyer or the number of washrooms or the size of the whirlpool bath, but we have little to say about the minute work that went into the construction.”
In my humble average homeowner opinion, I’d say that’s a win for old houses.
9. Home: A Short History of an Idea
Witold Rybczynski, a now-retired professor of architecture at McGill University, dives into the concept of “comfort” and the evolution of a house into a “home”. And while admittedly it’s a bit dry and academic, I found it fascinating and highly recommend.
This book reminds me a bit of Bill Bryson’s At Home, but instead of tackling the evolution of houses room by room, Rybczynski approaches the concept of “home” and “comfort” via a timeline.
He takes us on a story starting in the Middles Ages when there was no concept of privacy. Households consisted of up to 25 people, and all these folks lived in one or at most two rooms. Houses were considered shelters, not homes. And with the development of the “burgeois” or merchant class, these shelters were simultaneously places for conducting business as well as sleeping and eating.
But then (luckily) the idea of comfort and domesticity as we currently know it sprouted in the 17th century Netherlands.
The author dives into the many factors – its architecture, government, etc. – that made The Netherlands unique that they found value in separating work from home. (sounds familiar?)
Below is one of my favorite paragraphs that touches on the Netherland’s common ritual of taking off shoes between the work and living spaces (which apparently was not done elsewhere in Europe).
“When visitors were required to take off their shoes or put on slippers it was not immediately on entering the house – the lower foot was still considered to be a part of the public street – but on going upstairs. That was where the public realm stopped and home began. This boundary was a new idea……a desire to define the home as a separate, special place.”
From the 17th century, the book continues to discuss how this concept of “comfort” led to interior design innovations (i.e. the evolution of chairs), technological advancements such as lighting and central heating, and efficiency in kitchen. It’s quite fascinating.
I especially enjoyed the section on the clashing of architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright (who were more interested in aesthetics) with “domestic engineers” such as Catherine Beecher and Christine Frederick (who were more interested in practical configuration to reduce time cooking and cleaning).
10. Loving Frank
If you are interested in a less academic book, but more of a beach read, you might want to dive into this one.
Loving Frank is a historically imagined novel of the love story (affair, scandal, whatever you want to call it…) between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney. The author, Nancy Horan, blends fact with fiction into a story.
In 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, Mamah and Frank fell in love, left their families, and fled to Europe, shocking Chicago society. Eventually, they would return to the US to the house the Frank designed and built for them.
This book doesn’t dive deep into Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. It focuses more on Mamah and how she struggled with choosing between love and responsibility, and navigated being an outcast to traditional society.
But I still learned a lot about the man, his inspiration and motivation. He was definitely a unique, complex man.
11. Discovering the History of Your Old House
Love this one. This is the book that inspired me to research my old house. It’s a step-by-step guide covering all the resources out there to discover the unique history behind your old house.
You might think the idea of a “guide”means boring. You would be wrong. The author (with decades of experience researching old houses) adds photos, anadotes and stories to this book that inspire homeowners of old houses to roll up their sleeves and uncover their home’s distinctive past.
This book dives into the details of multiple ways to find information on your old house, including:
- Finding and contacting former owners of your house
- Discovering the architect who designed your house
- Finding the original plans for your house
- Locating building permits for your house
- Finding the original price of your house
- Finding deeds for your house and land
- Finding old photos of your house and neighborhood
- Using old maps to learn about your neighborhood
- Discovering your house on a postcard
12. The Big House
Put this book on your list of summer beach reads. This book is a memoir where the main character is a shingle-style “cottage” built in the early 1900s by the author’s great-grandfather on Cape Cod.
This big old house is 4-stories cottage with 11 bedrooms, and a jumble of gables, bays, and sloped roofs.
For almost 90+ years, 5 generations of this family spent the quintessential Cape Cod summers of swimming, fishing and boating. And this book weaves the joys and trials of each generation of the family, with the aging of the house.
This is a great book if you long for the nostalgia of Cape Cod or love creaky, antique-filled old summer homes filled with nooks and crannies to explore and enjoy.
13. The Making of Home
I came across these next two books while researching the reasons behind old houses having such tiny closets (which I find very frustrating!) This book details the evolution of homes from what they looked like in the 1500s through the early 1900s. Note that the focus is on homes located in northern Europe and America. Is answers the question – what turned a house into the concept of home?
The book uncovers a fascinating history of very ordinary household items. The origins of things we take for granted, and honestly, don’t give much thought to, like cutlery, chairs and curtains. She also gets into the how, what, when and why’s of how our home’s utilities and rooms got to be what they look like today.
Apparently the author, Judith Flanders, has many books, is an international bestselling author and one of the foremost social historians of the Victorian era. From an average homeowner perspective, she does writes a bit academic (which is probably her audience) BUT I still found the sections I read easy to get into and understand.
14. If Walls Could Talk
If you liked the last book, you’ll enjoy this one too. While it’s also about the evolution of homes, you will learn completely different things. The author (who is the Chief Curator at the Tower of London, Hampton Court, and Kensington Palace – so she knows what’s she’s doing!) can even make the history of toiler paper interesting. Who knew??
The book is divided into 4 main sections – a history of the bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. And there are some parts in this “juicy, smelly, and truly intimate history” that might make you, uh, blush (I did!).
I think this book is best described as “concentrating on what people actually did in bed, in the bath, at the table, and at the stove. From sauce-stirring to breast-feeding, teeth-cleaning to masturbation, getting dressed to getting married, this book will make you see your home with new eyes.”
And whoever thought being at homebody was boring???
15. All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House
If you liked other home renovation memoirs on this list (aka House Lessons and Detroit Hustle), then this is a definite must-read on your list.
Author David Giffels finds the perfect house for his growing family in Akron, OH. Unfortunately it’s a beautiful, decaying Guilded Era mansion (built by a former rubber robber baron) that is occupied by a little old lady who is in over her head. As David’s father comments about the house – “nothing holding this place up but memory”. And so begins David’s adventure.
All the Way Home follows Giffels’s funny and sometimes frustrating journey as he tries to mercifully evict both four- and two-legged squatters, roofs caving in, and finding $14,000 in Depression-era cash hidden in a bathroom wall. This book touches every dream and nightmare of an old house fixer-upper.
16. Old House Journal
Ok, ok, this isn’t exactly a book. It’s a magazine. But it’s an amazing resource filled with technical knowledge, inspiration and quite frankly, old house eye-candy, for old house enthusiasts.
This magazine has been around for decades. And it’s unwavering mission is to help homeowners passionate about rehabilitating, updating, and decorating their old houses with an focus on preserving that old house charm.
They cover large-scale renovation projects to small repairs and and finer details, too, from finishes to furnishings. They touch on every style of domestic architecture from early Colonial homes, Victorians, Arts & Crafts bungalows, to mid-century ranches.
17. Restoring a House in the City
I haven’t had the chance to read this one yet, but it’s on my list. This book features 21 real-life renovation stories – “from stately town houses to brownstone fixer-uppers―to give the true experience of creating an urban oasis on any street.” This book dives into a diverse group of people – fashion mogul, Williams-Sonoma executive, a museum curator – that share a common interest – to “bring back” and carefully restore (and artfully embellish) their houses.
There’s the usual stories that old house homeowners rehabilitating their home can relate to. Hunting for rare chandeliers, salvaging floorboards for new tabletops, or removing walls to let more light in. And the challenge of balancing saving the original character (window seats, fireplaces), while folding in modern amenities like a home gym and media room. The photos look amazing – it’s quite an illustrated tour full of inspiration and ideas for those with a larger budget (and eye candy for the average homeowner like me)
From furniture and color to rooftops and terraces, Restoring a House in the City offers a treasury of inspiration and ideas, as well as a lavish illustrated tour of some of the best done renovations in the business.
18. If I Had an Old House on the East Coast
I haven’t had a chance to read this one yet, so I can’t give you a personal reference. But when the author Wanda Baxter reached out to me asking to be listed, I read the reviews that were overwhelming positive, so I decided to add to this list. This book looks like a good one to curl up with a hot tea on a rainy Sunday.
Here’s her synopsis….
This book shares a dream, in words and images, of falling in love with an old house and breathing new life into it. From exploring an old house’s foundation to peeling back the layers of its history, this lyrical book is a love letter to a vanishing way of life.
Fully illustrated with masterful and whimsical watercolors by artist Kat Frick Miller, this book also includes “practical tips for the old-home-owner, from how to clear your home of ghosts to instructions for making rosehip jelly and maple syrup.”
19. Suburban Steel
I was inspired to read this book after learning about Lustron Homes while listening to an episdode of my favorite podcast – True Tales from Old Houses. It’s a fascinating tale about a unique type of house made for only 2 years in history. Here’s a quick synopsis.
At the end of World War II, millions of soldiers were coming back from to the US with dreams of settling down and raising a family. But there was the problem – a huge housing shortage so bad that the federal government created an emergency plan to address.
Enter Carl Strandlund, who proposed mass-production of homes not using traditional lumber, but with steel. Using assembly-line production like automobiles, he planned to produce 100 houses per day, that would be placed on specially designed tractor-trailers for delivery throughout the country. Not only would these houses be quick to make, they also would be the epitome of modern living with hassle-free maintenance and space-saving design.
However, it turned into a hot mess. Production was nowhere near 100 houses per day, steel was more difficult and more expensive than anticipated, they underestimated the ultimate selling price by about half, and homeowners, who were intrigued by “maintenance-free” features, didn’t want a house that they couldn’t remodel in the future.
Childrens’ Books
Old houses aren’t just for adults. Here’s a list for the young and young at heart.
20. The Old House
Sometimes children want to learn more about old houses too. Especially children who live in the chaos of a fixer-upper. Books may help make sense of those mixed-feelings of excitement of rehabilitating their new home, but unsure of how they might fit into the process.
This book opens with the “Once Upon a Time” and closes with a “happily-ever-after” Disney-inspired theme, but instead of a princess, an old abandoned house is the central character.
This house, neglected for decades, is losing hope that a family will come and make it whole again. Its friends, including the birds that find shelter in its eaves and the wildflowers that have taken over the yard, try to comfort and rally the house. But nothing works.
One day a family visits and seems interested in the house, but the old houses isn’t confident that they will buy it. When the old house thinks all is lost and is doomed for demolition, the family moves in and gives it the loves it needs to once again become a grand old house.
21. Time for Bed, Old House
Another book for the little ones that deals with a different aspect of old houses – their creaks and groans. Anyone who has lived in an old house has experienced the quirky sounds and knows exactly what I mean.
This book is about a little boy Isaac having a sleepover at this grandpop’s old house. And understandably being Isaac’s first night sleeping in this house, he’s a bit nervous. To help alleviate his fears before turning in for the night, his grandfather walks the grandson through the house so that they can put the house to bed.
They turn out lights. Pull down shades. And his grandfathers explains to him the creaks and groans that he will probably hear from the old house are expected.
A super cute book, especially for the pre-K crowd.
22. A is for Architrave, B is for..
This is the cutest book! While technically an A to Z alphabet book, this book appeals to the young AND old. And if you are a newbie to architecture like myself, you will learn SO many new terms. For example, E is for Escutcheon, K is for Keystone.
Before you know it, you will be walking around your neighborhood identifying all these architectural elements. All illustrations in this rainbow-colored architecture dictionary are details from real buildings in Albany, New York.
The author, Cara Macri, is an artist and historic preservationist located in upstate NY.
And admittedly, I do have a soft spot for this book since the front cover illustration is of my favorite type of residential architecture, the American Foursquare.
23. Our Old House
Set in an Old Victorian house, a little girl learns about her old house and it’s past occupants. And she starts to realize that she is part of a long line of stewards who make this old house a home.
She and her mother find signatures of past occupants behind a fireplace mantel. She finds an old cracked glass marble while helping her parents dig their new walkway, and colored glass beads in a secret spot beneath a loose front-step.
One day she even gets to meet an older lady who used to live in the house. And the little girl finds out that this older lady used to own the cracked marble! It’s a book that connects the generations of families living in old houses.
Admittedly, I connected with other children books about old houses listed in this post than this one. But if you have children and live in an old Victorian home, this one might be for you.
Upcoming Book Reviews
Have you read any of these books about old houses? What did you think of them? What was your favorite part or passage? Let me know in comments section below. Also – any recommendations???
Lastly, if you are looking for a reading list for DIY and maintenance, Old House Guy has a comprehensive lists.
Related Posts
Want to be the first to know about new posts? Be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter of even Etsy! Or better yet… Subscribe below!
My monthly (admittedly sometimes more, sometimes less….) emails are like receiving a unexpected letter from an old friend WITHOUT needing to put on your slippers and walk out to your mailbox…. See? I got ya, my friend!)
[Note: My posts are proudly connected to these amazing link parties full of DIY ideas and inspiration!]