This Old Dump: Renovate Without Decking Your Mate

by Laura Jensen Walker

Laura Jensen Walker knows the trials and triumphs of do-it-yourself remodeling--how it stirs up, dismantles, and remolds relationships, She's stretched her marriage while stripping wallpaper, dripping paint, and ripping out eye-sore fixtures. She's also collected friends who've sloshed around in gushing water, lived without bathrooms, paid for disastrous floors, and stalked unreliable contractors. They all survived, and with her trademark humor and honesty Laura shares their funny, encouraging stories. Walker encourages eager and beleaguered renovators not to lose heart while tackling the challenges of turning a fixer upper into a cozy home. Couples can survive a house rehab without wrecking their relationships.

156 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2004

About the author

Laura Jensen Walker is the author of several books, including the Lefty nominated historical fiction, DEATH OF A FLYING NIGHTINGALE, called "riveting and affecting" by NYT bestselling author Susan Elia MacNeal.

Laura's second historical, THE POSTMISTRESS OF PUDDLINGTON, also set in WWII England, has been called "a must read for fans of THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY," and releases in August 2026.

THE PILGRIMAGE OF PRIMROSE HONEYCHURCH, Laura's women's fiction debut about a solitary curmudgeonly senior who prefers books to people and sets off on a literary pilgrimage to "the Town of Books" in Wales, releases in October 2026. "A heartfelt exploration of courage, reinvention, and the quiet bravery it takes to choose a different life." -Emily Colin, NYT bestselling author of THE MEMORY THIEF.

Laura is also the author of several fun mysteries, including the Agatha-nominated MURDER MOST SWEET, and 2006's THE ALPHABET SLEUTHS. (Think The Golden Girls meets The Thursday Murder Club.)