Many of Britain's four million Victorian and Edwardian houses were shoddily built and often require 'essential repairs'. Problems like rising damp, timber decay, bowed roofs and subsidence are well-known, but how can you tell if your house has major defects or is just typical for its age? Forget 'makeovers': this easy-to-use manual shows where to look for danger signs, what's 'normal' and what isn't, and how to fix common defects. Equipped with this book, you can talk the same language as builders and property professionals. This is the first book to cover logically all defects common to Victorian houses.