‘Fixing a Countryside House Without Going Through Trials’... A Construction Guide for Dream Rural Living

Everything About Repairing Rural Houses for a Smooth Return to Farming and Village Life!

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Gom Inhyeong] “I wrote this book hoping that others would not go through the trial and error I experienced while repairing a farmhouse and building a lightweight wooden house.” (Author Hwang Jiho)

Many people dream of returning to farming and rural life.

The most difficult choice for a successful return to farming and rural living is selecting and building a house to live in.

Deciding on the area to live, securing a site, and constructing a house involves tedious and complicated processes.

It is common to regret or suffer losses from making decisions without careful consideration.

“Fixing a Country House Without Going Through Hardships” is a book for those who want to repair a country house or build a new lightweight wooden house.

It contains vivid experiences gained by the author through the process of repairing and building a house personally.

Readers can also learn tips on naturally blending with neighbors and nature, good and bad house sites, criteria for choosing a country house, and even details of construction costs as a bonus.

It is okay not to have professional architectural knowledge.

The book unfolds through the author’s participation in the building and repair process, expressing concerns and adding opinions about issues arising during construction.

Readers feel as if they are part of the workforce on site.

Sometimes, the hard labor is exhausting, and absurd situations cause frustration.

When a fire broke out while the kitchen was left unattended during construction, the author’s heart was in their throat.

Furthermore, the author made efforts to meet the conditions of a practical guidebook.

One can find traces of attempts to present objective and cold evaluations of the cause-and-effect relationships from the start to the end of construction throughout the book.

The first half of the book introduces 14 conditions for those looking for a country house or a new site.

These include geomantic (pungsu) conditions as well as realistic diagnostic factors.

Additionally, it introduces sites and houses to avoid from a practical perspective, which is important not only for existing country houses but also when preparing a site to build a new house.

The latter half details the construction process day by day from start to finish, accompanied by photos.

The author, acting as a worker, points out things to be careful about, questions, pros and cons of materials and processes, as well as mistakes and wrong choices, helping readers make better decisions.

Besides practical aspects, the wisdom and humanities knowledge of ancestors embedded in traditional Korean houses (Hanok) and folk houses naturally permeate the book.

It also guides readers through the types, methods, and principles of various structures such as eaves, roofs, and chimneys, examining how they function.

The appendix covers construction costs and the meaning behind the characters in the Seoidang Sangryangmun inscription.

The costs are recorded in detail by date, item, and process, including labor and material expenses.

This information will be very useful for readers planning to repair or build a house.

However, it should be kept in mind that costs can vary significantly depending on the scale, type, and purpose of the construction.

A publisher representative stated, “There is no need to read the book in order. It is fine to read only the parts you need,” and added, “Since the author vividly shares the knowledge gained through hard work, there is no better guidebook for readers dreaming of returning to farming and rural life.”

Hureum Publishing, Shin-gukpan / 560 pages

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.