A New Book for Old-House Fans

In my time on the Cambridge Historical Commission, as well as with This Old House, I’ve come to appreciate the different arguments about the right way to build additions on older homes. Some say the new work should be clearly distinguishable from the original, going so far as to put glass-and-steel wings on Georgian houses. Others argue for a more seamless approach. One eloquent proponent of the latter approach is architect and author Frank Shirley, who has a practice in Cambridge and happens to serve on the historical commission with me. His new book, New Rooms for Old Houses (The Taunton Press), is a passionate treatise on ways to add space to a beloved home without damaging the character that drew you to it in the first place. Case studies, diagrams, and 300 luscious photographs make the case well for ways to teach an old house new tricks.