Good Reading and Literature

The Water Heater Workbook – Larry and Suzanne Weingarten

A detailed expose’ on how one of the most mysterious and expensive pieces of equipment in every American home works. Despite being purposely designed to be short-lived and disposable, the ordinary water heater can be made to last much longer than the makers hoped. I enjoy helping to foil greedy, wasteful plans. Move to a demand water heater soon!

Why Buildings Fall Down – Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori

This is an interesting look at some serious engineering failures.

A Homeowner’s Guide to Paint and Painting – J.T. Adams

Paints and other coatings are important to the protection and beautification of finished materials. Understanding how they work and interact with both the underlying material and the environment makes a huge difference in durability and longevity of our home.

This is an old-school, in-depth discussion of basic best practices for painters as of the mid 1970’s. Since this book was written, serious industry changes have occurred. Especially in regard to formulation of paints in a move toward water-based materials with lowered VOC’s. Even so, after reading this book you will gain a new appreciation of the complexity and science of the craft and learn the importance of “preparation”, the definition of “vehicle,” and that “pigment” is not just a skin color.

Greene & Greene, Architecture as a Fine Art and Greene & Greene, Furniture and Related Designs – Randell L. Makinson

These are two books on the famed Greene and Greene brothers who took Arts and Crafts design and construction to the highest levels.  These guys were living, breathing examples of J. Bronowski’s theory on the ascent of man. Beautiful photographs and detail drawings of their work.

Make It Last – Earl Proulx

I despise the wastefulness of the disposable world we have created. This is one reason I try so hard to get folks to take better care of their home. This folksy how-to book takes us back to a time when values were very different and provides explanations on how to make good stuff last a long time.

The Adobe Book – John F. O’Connor

This relatively short book is a succinct discussion on the art of Adobe homebuilding.  Adobe is one of the world’s oldest building materials and produces a solid, well-insulated, easy-to-maintain home that can last for hundreds of years.  One of my first homes was a beautiful adobe rancher in Redwood City, CA. It was truly a comfortable joy to live in.

This book has many illustrations to help you learn about the material used to build the California missions and most of the oldest buildings in the southwest regions of America. There is also a chapter providing a lively discussion on the benefits of flat vs pitched roofing. A position you do not hear often.

The Workshop – Jim Kingshot

At one time I entertained a fantasy of having and using my very own woodworking shop. When I moved to Oregon in 1999 the property had an outbuilding that seemed perfectly suited for the purpose.  With the help of this informative book, I set out to assemble my dream shop and a bit less than a year later it was complete. It was a marvelous shop! It had good lighting, plenty of room and a central dust control, storage for many hand tools and, according to Mr. Kingshot, all the power tools a first rate, functional shop could need.  Unfortunately, the only thing my work shop did not have was me.  Sadly, I never had the time to use it, but I did have a blast building it and this book was indispensable in the process. It is filled with great details and photos of many glorious tools.

Building Construction Before Mechanization – John Fitchen

My bucket list includes a trip to Peru to marvel at the stone construction work on display at Sacsayhuama’n, Cuzco and Machu Pichu. Talk about building to last! These and other ancient stone masons from all over the world really knew what they were doing. To get a sense of how they might have done these things, I highly recommend picking up and reading a copy of this book by John Fitchen a registered architect, and Professor of Fine Arts, Emeritus, at Colgate University. Or book a trip to Peru to ogle at the stone walls.

A Practical Course in Roof Framing – Van Gaasbeek 1944

A totally old school text for the carpenters and builders of the world that still hand frame their roof structures instead of relying on prefabricated trusses. If you have any preconception about the skills and abilities of carpenters, read this complex book and you will know that any one of them could have easily become a doctor or a physicist. Mr. Gaasbeek was the department head of Woodworking at the School of Science and Technology, Pratt Institute, NY.

To-do, Doing, Done – G. Lynne Snead and Joyce Wycoff 1997

The techniques for project management in this book are so helpful and important that I bought 10 copies when it first came out and gave them to all my managers to read.  Even if you have computer apps available to you, I highly recommend this book if you are performing multiple projects at once or managing many people to do so.

The E Myth – Michael Gerber

I mostly owe the philosophy and tools of E Myth for the survival of Home Preservation through the early difficult years. The E Myth explodes the romantic dream many people have of owning their own business. It exposes you to the reality of what it takes to go from a good idea to a great business. If the E Myth doesn’t scare you away from owning your own business, then you may have what it takes to actually make it succeed. This book tells it like it is and lets you in on what you need to do.  Then you have to do it.

Anything by Bill Bryson

Mr. Bryson’s books always make me think, then smile. He has a style and sense of humor that I enjoy and interesting subject matter that appeals to me too. I listen to some of his recorded writings over and over, especially on planes with headphones. I’ve been caught more than once laughing out loud at some hilarious passage. He seems also to have an appreciation for the values of quality and durability. In one writing he remarks about the ancient Uffington White Horse hill carving. It is etched onto a hillside in England and it would not be there unless people took the time to maintain it. Apparently local folks, with no formal organization or assistance, have been doing so for 3,000 years. I find that kind of thing uplifting and marvelous.

Selling the Dream – Guy Kawasaki

This book came out in 1992.  I did not get around to reading it until after I started HPS in 1993. Guy’s evangelistic approach to selling new ideas was a great inspiration to me. Especially during the early years when I was getting a lot of yawns from the market. I’ve read this copy of his book a couple of times, and it is pretty dog-ear’d and marked up on the inside now. Specifically, I stole his idea of providing a free property evaluation to our potential clients. Guy eventually became a client in 1997 and has been with HPS now for over twenty years. His work and good energy, continue to be an inspiration to me. I wish I could convince him to make some more repairs around his home though. It’s frustrating sometimes but I always have to remember that my clients are the boss.

Outwitting Squirrels – Bill Adler, Jr.

Homeowners who possess a love for bird feeding finally have an ally in the battle against evil squirrels! Bill Adler Jr. is on our side! This may be the most important document ever written about the longest, on-going, guerrilla war ever fought by mankind. For serious bird enthusiasts, Outwitting Squirrels was meant to be a strategic and decisive weapon. A blow against these furry marauders… but somehow, spies of their evil empire must have got hold of a copy! The fight goes on! Adler provides hilarious observations and clever solutions to the unrelenting assault on our bird feeders by these tenacious and not-so-cute furry rodents. My wife and I have no love for squirrels after witnessing, in horror, their killing and devouring of young birds on our porch that were just learning to fly. I’ll have more on the trouble with this squirrel scourge later. Meantime, death and pox to all squirrels and their ilk!! Save the birds!

Three Men in a Boat – Jerome K. Jerome

Written in 1889 this book is hilarious. Seriously, it is one of the funniest things I have ever read. What’s crazy is the book was originally intended as a serious guide for folks looking to travel around England. The humor does not seem dated at all and I cannot keep from laughing out loud at the wit of the writer. Totally fun to read after a hard week at the grindstone. The book is a “totally truthful” recollection of a trip by rowboat up the Thames river by three friends and a dog.

Citizens of London – Lynne Olson

An interesting and eye-opening historic account. Centered on the personal interactions between President Roosevelt, US Ambassador to the UK John Winant, Lend/Lease director William Harriman and UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Set just prior to the US entry, and during the course of WWII.