CWG Library Item No. 133
 
As master carpenter on This Old House, public television's most popular weekly series, Norm Abram shows America how to renovate old houses into something different and better. As host of The New Yankee Workshop, he teaches home woodworkers how to make classic furniture with power tools. Clad in his trademark plaid shirt, and with his quiet expertise and reassuring voice, Norm Abram has become America's favorite carpenter and craftsman. In Norm Abram's New House, Norm gives us something entirely new: the story of how he and his wife, Laura, spent four years building their own home in rural Massachusetts. At first, Norm and Laura planned to buy an existing house. But after months of searching, and after Norm vetoed (because it was poorly built) the one house Laura loved, he made a promise to his wife: He would build them the home of their dreams, better than anything they could find on the market. "Give me a list of everything you want in a house," he said, "and I'll make sure you get it." On a cold winter day, they found the perfect piece of land, a secluded four-acre plot outside a quiet country village. Norm Abram's New House is the story of how Norm and Laura built their family home from the ground up. In it, Norm details the process of construction at every stage, from preparing the site to choosing the fixtures to creating a special habitat for their pet parrots. We watch as the house is designed, the foundation is excavated, the cement is poured, the frame is raised, the roof is shingled, and the interior work nears completion. Throughout, Norm explains his building decisions, describes the work he did himself, and shares both personal insights and marvelous anecdotes about his family and the skilled tradesmen who worked alongside him. There are moments of joy, disappointment, delay, and magic. Moving-in day is truly a triumph - the fulfillment of a dream. Illustrated with photographs and drawings, and written in the author's down-to-earth voice, Norm Abram's New House is a unique combination of great storytelling and home-building wisdom - a book for anyone who's ever fantasized about building the perfect home. In addition to hosting his PBS television series, Norm Abram is the author of four best-selling woodworking books: The New Yankee Workshop, Classics from the New Yankee Workshop, Mostly Shaker from the New Yankee Workshop, and The New Yankee Workshop Outdoor Projects.

© Collins Woodworkers Guild