Repair and Maintenance of Houses

""Thoroughly researched..great depthall aspects of the structure and services covered for old and modern houseseincludes many useful structural diagramspractical advice offeredreadable stylewell indexedsimple to find informationa veritable cyclopedia... a splendid book.. a 'must' for any office"" These are just some of the comments made in journal representing surveyors, architects and valuers and those engaged in building, maintenance work and property management when reviewing the first edition of The Repair and Maintenance of Houses. Subsequent commendations came from the Department of the Environment, English Heritage and the Georgian Society of Edinburgh by way of inclusion in their recommended reading lists and the book has become a standard work adopted by colleges and universities. For the second edition the authors have also had the benefit of considerable feedback from professional collegues and their geographically wide ranging readership. All this has encouraged them to retain virtually intact the principles put forward previously, but updating the detail where necessary to take account of changes in technique and workmanship exemplified in British Standards, Codes of Practice and in the law through the current Building Regulations for England, Wales and Scotland, the Building Act 1984, the Planning Acts and those Acts passed in 1996 dealing with party walls, building contracts and grants. The enormous interest now evident in the structures and history of old buildings, only beginning to become pronounced in 1973 when the first edition was published , and the increasing influence of English Heritage, Historic Scotland and organisation such as the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings has established, one and for all, that traditional practice in the repair of buildings is best. Nevertheless, new techniques, once proved as being valid are included. Full coveage is give to dealing with enduring defects which have become more prominent since the first edition was published, such as wall tie failure, and combating new problems, such as the effect of radon. Environmental concerns have not been overlooked and consequently, the sections on wet and dry rot eradication and the treatment of wood boring insects have largely been re-written. The expectations of occupiers change over the years and the author's perception of these, based on their experience, have led them to re-cast the sections on electrical installations, cold and hot water supply and central heating.Melville, Ian A. is the author of 'Repair and Maintenance of Houses ', published 2006 under ISBN 9780728202870 and ISBN 0728202875.