Roots of Home: Our Journey to a New Old House

Both an architectural feast and field guide for creating new old houses, Roots of Home traces the development of today's traditional homes from the earliest colonial styles in a visually stunning journey. Russell Versaci takes you back to the beginning, when our ancestors built homes that reflected their Old World pasts tempered with the New World realities. As they settled new territories, they carried the homes of their forefathers with them like a touchstone. They sowed farms and towns with houses similar to the ones they left behind, but suited to the new climates and materials surrounding them. Each old-house style showcased, though always decidedly American--New England Colonial, Pennsylvania Dutch, French Creole, Spanish Mission--represents the cumulative history of generations adapting to new places. With Russell Versaci as your guide, you will see how yesterday's houses evolved into the classic homes we love today and you will learn how to create a new old house that evokes ageless character.