About the Author

For over 32 years, Henri de Marne has been answering questions from homeowners in his column First Aid for the Ailing House, syndicated throughout the US and Canada by United Features Syndicate. This book assembles questions and answers about nearly every aspect of maintaining a house, updated to reflect the latest materials and techniques.

Reviews

"A house does not heal itself. Which is perhaps why I'm so fond of About the House with Henri de Marne. It's a question-and-answer book you can browse randomly, flitting from topic to topic until you come across a problem you have in your own home and then find an immediate solution to it."--Kathy Price-Robinson "The Los Angeles Times"

"An excellent resource of tips, tricks, and techniques for keeping one's home in top condition."-- "Midwest Book Review"

"Complete with photographs, diagrams, and drawings, Mr. de Marne leaves no stone unturned and eliminates those pesky multiple trips to the hardware store. . . . A perfect addition to every home, About the House should be a standard fixture next to your medical, cooking, and other reference books. A great gift for existing homeowners or new ones, and I'm not ignoring renters. If you live in a building you should have this book.-- "Reviewer's Bookwatch"

"Henri de Marne has compiled over 32 years of savvy construction expertise in this very practical book on just about everything that can happen--or go wrong--with a house. A real treasure-trove of common sense advice."-- "Journal of Light Construction Update"

"Henri de Marne puts years of experience as a home inspector to good use in his new book About the House. The entire book is made up of Q&As, explaining and solving homeowners' frustrations--from hot-water pipes that bang and filling scratches in laminate countertops to deterring woodpeckers and mildew.-- "Tucson Home Magazine"

"Henri de Marne, known for his newspaper column 'First Aid for the Ailing House, ' answers more than 1,000 frequently asked questions from homeowners in About the House with Henri de Marne: How to Maintain, Repair, Upgrade and Enjoy Your Home" -- "Publishers Weekly"

"I read a lot of books on real estate, and most are only marginally useful. Many are by experienced writers who don't truly understand the topic but get published anyway. Others are by knowledgeable authors, but their lack of writing skills makes their books hard to use or difficult to read. "This week I'm happy to report on the new book, About the House with Henri de Marne: How to Maintain, Repair, Upgrade and Enjoy Your Home. De Marne's book would make a good gift, especially for a first-time home buyer. It's a manual that covers any array of household tasks and gives a great overview of the physical elements of a house."-- "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"

"This book may become my top reference for household repair and maintenance. About the House is immediately accessible with clear headings. . . . . The scope of the book runs the gamut from Astroturf (how to remove it from a veranda with boiling water) to zinc roofing strips (to prevent growth of mold and algae)."-- "Acreage Life"