This Old House (1-year)

Publisher: The Time Inc. Magazine Company

Issues: 10

Amazon.com Sales Rank: 142

Average Customer Rating:

List price: ~~$45.00~~

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Description

Product Description:
THIS OLD HOUSE focuses on appreciation of craftsmanship and fine design, with the idea that the best value is derived from informed planning and the usage of premium materials and workmanship. Detailed information and photography provide an understanding of the equipment, materials and techniques needed to renovate a home, as well as how to communicate more effectively with architects, contractors, craftsmen, and designers.




Reviews

Misinformation and dangerously shallow information -	This Old House Review


Have been getting increasingly irritated with the magazine. I finally got fed up and canceled and asked for a refund after finding many errors in the current issue. I'm no home expert but I saw much misinformation and a lot of dangerously shallow information. Some of many examples: * It tells you to drill big holes in a tree branch to hang a swing. To cover the magazine legally, there is vague advice in tiny type about using a sturdy branch. Drilling holes will weaken the branch. And may well eventually kill the branch. * Supposedly Norm Abram's toolkit has one of those expensive, useless many-bits-in-the-handle screwdrivers, instead of a set of simple inexpensive screwdrivers that actually work. * They recommend WD-40 as a lubricant. It is well known that WD-40 is a terrible lubricant, due to the solids in it that make it an excellent rust-preventative. * They say to use a metal scraper blade to clean a glass cooktop. If you can't trust them on the topics you understand, you sure can't trust them on the topics you want to learn about. Many of the articles are pushing products, probably from companies that advertise on the TV show. (I don't watch the TV show, so I'm not sure.) At any rate, the products and tools they recommend are almost always very fancy and expensive. Despite the endless references to "Master Carpenter Norm Abram" and so forth, the TV stars are barely involved at all in the magazine. How would they have time anyhow? A lot of effort is put into slick, clever, coy writing and beautiful photos. (If you look at the fine print, the photos are all "produced" and "styled.") Then I got it. I looked at the info up front and realized that the editorial office is in New York City. The writers and editors are professional magazine writers who live in New York apartments, writing about things they don't have personal experience with! They must have a problem with people canceling. The phone number to cancel was in the tiniest possible type. Get "Fine Homebuilding" or the "Journal of Light Construction."

Eye candy -	This Old House Review


I agree that Fine Homebuilding is the much better investment. You'll gain much more knowledge from watching TOH than reading this magazine. It's chock full of ads and lightweight articles and annoyingly short on reviews and product information. Half the people get this to be part of the TOH following, but to real do it yourselfers and knowledge hounds, the Taunton stuff is much better. TOH is a beautifully produced magazine but not much more than that.

This old House Subscription -	This Old House Review


We have had this magazine before and really like it. We renewed at Amazon because of the more reasonable price. The renewal has not started so unable to rate at the efficiency of the company to set up the renewal to continue the original subscription.

Making Your Living Space More Livable -	This Old House Review


This Old House is a magazine dedicated to home improvement. Based on the popular PBS television program, this magazine aims to help its readers find new and better ways to improve the home and perform routine maintenance. Magazines and the internet are my primary sources when home repair reaches the critical point. This Old House is one of several magazines I like to read and it is the one I turn to most frequently when I need to find out about home maintenance. The majority of other home- related publications deal strictly with enhancements, remodeling, and general improvement. This Old House offers these types of articles, along with articles on general home repair, landscaping techniques, utility cost savings, and more. My favorite departments in This Old House are "Around the House", "Toolbox", and "Salvage". The last department, Salvage, sounds boring at first but it often gets very creative. This department selects a common household item- usually one that is probably slated to get tossed in the trash- and points out a creative way to re- use the item. Some of the ideas they come up with are surprising, making this one of the first sections I turn to when I get a new issue in the mail. Some parts of This Old House are not appealing at all, either because the suggestions are far too costly for someone like me; because they involve skills that I do not possess; or a combination of the two. The Luxury department is one such area. Another is the Design sections. These areas are intended for the more advanced home improver who has advanced skills at home design. There are some very expensive suggestions, too, and these parts of the magazine provide more fantasy reading than anything. However, there are still enough less expensive ideas to keep the magazine useful and practical. Overall, This Old House is a good magazine that offers some home improvement ideas, some repair suggestions, and some ways to enhance your home's value. The general repair advice is pretty handy and while I don't have much use for other parts of the magazine, I can agree that these are helpful to the right type of person. It makes This Old House a good publication for those who seek advice for home repair and home enhancement.

Makes a great gift...even for yourself -	This Old House Review


I ordered this magazine for my husband, but ever since the first issue arrived I've been hooked. (My sister picked up one of our copies while visiting and was instantly hooked too. So, I ordered her a subscription for Christmas.) I've been a fan of the show for some time, but have found the magazine much more useful as far as everyday application of knowledge gained. It's given me (oh, and my husband) lots of practical but brilliant ideas. I'm planning on putting in a butler's pantry in the kitchen this spring. I have to confess one of my favorite things about the magazine is the letter from the editor that sets-up the issue. He's just a witty, salt-of-the-earth kinda guy and I always laugh at his stories. The only downside to the magazine is that some of the houses in the feature articles have had 100's of thousands of dollars spent on their remodels. My husband and I are D.I.Y.ers, not people who could hire a contractor to add another 1000 sq. feet to our house. Even still, I do glean good ideas from those spreads of palatial remodels. One more thing, their website is incredibly helpful and easy to navigate, so check that out too!

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This Old House (1-year)

							October 14, 2008


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