Author: Michael (Mike) Litchfield with Chip Harley
Renovation, 5th Edition — Completely Revised and Updated
“Easy to follow and encyclopedic in its breadth.” — The Washington Post
Know what's behind the wall before you open it
Mike Litchfield founded Fine Homebuilding magazine and spent 45 years on job sites collecting the methods of hundreds of remodeling contractors, architects and tradespeople across North America. Co-author Chip Harley has 34 years as a general contractor and hundreds of finished renovations behind him. What they know is in this book — written plainly, with a dry wit, for the first-time homeowner and the pro brushing up on an unfamiliar trade alike.
What's inside
- Over 1,000 photographs, chosen from more than 45,000 shot in the field, plus 250 clear technical illustrations
- Heavily revised chapters on planning (with two new featured house renovations), doors, windows and skylights, electrical wiring, structural carpentry, and masonry and foundations
- Updated for today's codes and needs — including EV charger installation
- Ten major subject areas: planning, building materials, doors and windows, structural carpentry, finish carpentry, electrical, plumbing, kitchens and baths, finish surfaces and flooring, and energy conservation
- Built for how you actually renovate now — spending wisely, making small spaces work harder, cutting energy use, building things that last
30 Day hassle free returns
30-Day Money Back Guarantee That's how confident we are in your results. But if you're not thrilled, send it back and we'll refund your purchase.
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Learning made easy
A. Hensley
I like doing as much work on my own home as possible, and this book has become an awesome reference. I usually watch YouTube videos before starting a project, but this helps me understand why things are being done a certain way and whether they actually make sense. I had the 4th edition, and the 5th edition is greatly improved. It’s especially useful for spotting videos that are cutting corners. Definitely worth having
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Real experiences from real customers who love our products
Much Better Than Searching Online
“I’ve spent years doing remodeling and repairs and have developed my own ways of doing many things, but I still find myself reaching for this book whenever I’m planning a project. It’s incredibly useful as a quick reference and much more convenient than searching through endless online results and advertisements. I’d recommend it to beginners as well as experienced tradespeople.”
Even a Carpenter Can Learn From This
“I’m a carpenter by trade, and I could immediately tell the difference between this and books written purely from a building-science perspective. This feels like real-world knowledge from people who actually build. Even with my experience, there is a lot of valuable information here. I’d recommend it to anyone serious about learning more about building and renovation.”
Best of the Renovation Books I Bought
“We’re remodeling our house, so I bought several books to learn as much as possible before getting started. This was easily the best of them. The information is up to date, the writing is easy to understand, and it covers a huge variety of renovation topics. If you’re planning to work on your own home, this is a great book to have nearby.”
Incredibly Thorough
“This is such a useful resource for home renovation. It covers everything from plumbing to structural supports, with plenty of practical tips and techniques along the way. The illustrations and photographs make the detailed explanations much easier to understand. We’ve actually ended up using it as a reference for the whole family. Very pleased with this purchase.”
Finally Understand What Contractors Are Doing
“I don’t do every job myself, but I want to understand what is being done to my house when I hire someone. This book has helped me understand the materials, systems and reasons things are built a certain way. The biggest benefit is that I can communicate much better with contractors and have enough knowledge to know when something doesn’t sound right.”
Architecture Made Accessible for Everyone
Approached the book as a non-architect and found it engaging. Appreciated how it connects architecture with American history and neighborhoods. Felt color photographs would have been a nice addition.
🔨 The wall is open. Now what?
Every renovation reaches the same moment. The drywall comes down, and behind it is something nobody warned you about — a pipe where a stud should be, wiring that predates the internet, a header carrying more than it should. That's the moment you find out whether you're renovating or just demolishing.
This is the book that answers the question before it costs you money. Not theory, not inspiration boards — the actual sequence, the actual clearances, the actual way a tradesperson would do it.
The reference that has been on job sites for 35 years
Mike Litchfield founded Fine Homebuilding magazine. For 45 years he walked onto other people's job sites with a camera and a notebook and asked hundreds of remodeling contractors, architects and tradespeople across North America how they actually do it — then wrote it down. Co-author Chip Harley brings 34 years as a general contractor and hundreds of finished renovations.
What's in these pages isn't one person's opinion. It's the collective habit of the trade, assembled over four decades.
Ten trades. One book.
Planning and permits · Building materials · Doors, windows and skylights · Structural carpentry · Finish carpentry · Electrical · Plumbing · Kitchens and baths · Finish surfaces and flooring · Energy conservation
Over 1,000 photographs, chosen from more than 45,000 shot in the field, plus 250 clear technical illustrations — because there are things a paragraph can't explain and a picture settles in two seconds.
Fully revised for the 5th edition: two new featured whole-house renovations, rewritten masonry and foundations chapters, updated wiring guidance including EV charger installation, and a planning section built around how people renovate now — spending carefully, making small spaces work harder, and cutting energy use.
Written for the first-timer. Deep enough for the pro.
Litchfield writes plainly, with a dry sense of humour and no jargon for its own sake. If you've never held a framing square, you can follow it. If you've framed for twenty years and are about to touch plumbing for the first time, there's a chapter waiting for you.
Most people buy it before a project. Most people keep it long after, because the next thing always breaks. It's the book that ends up permanently on the workbench, dusty and dog-eared, with a pencil stuck in it.
Add it to your shelf before you open the wall — not after.
