Bevis Claxton 
Country Cottage Conservation 
A Guide to Maintenance and Repair

Country Cottage Conservation is essential reading for everyone who loves rural cottages. From simple DIY redecoration to employing architects and builders to tackle significant repairs, this book is full of helpful information. The author explains how cottage owners are able to protect and enhance their investment, and discusses various repair and redecoration options and their consequences. The charm and long life of a traditional cottage comes from over a thousand years of building tradition that was almost forgotten in the twentieth century. Modern materials and techniques are often expensively inappropriate, as they can conflict with the buildings’ inbuilt defence mechanisms or make cottages look too modern, yet it is still possible to repair a cottage economically with traditional methods and natural materials that work in harmony with the original construction. The author also considers what may be done to redress the balance where inappropriate work has previously been carried out, so as to restore some of the original performance to the cottage and help preserve its charm, and value, for the future. Essential reading for everyone who loves country cotttages and invaluable for those who want to maintain and repair their property in a sympathetic and sustainable way, it is also superbly illustrated with 239 colour photographs.