Homeowner Resources : Materials, Construction & Design
Why it matters
If you are thinking of restorations or renovations on your property, getting to know your house, and the historical materials, construction and design that make it distinct, is important.
Questions to help you start:
- What do you know about your house?
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- When was it built? What features are distinct to that to time are important to its heritage?
- What is your house style? What key features can you focus on preserving or restoring to keep its historic look?
- What materials were used to build your house? Are they accessible to you now? Are there available craftspeople who know how to work with them?
- What are its original paint colours? If they have been changed, what are historically accurate colours that you can use?
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- What is your conservation goal?
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- Do you want to simply restore the historic elements?
- Or do you want to completely renovate and only retain the key heritage elements?
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- What is your budget?
Heritage construction work can require specialized knowledge of construction and materials, and may cost more than a typical renovation.
Resources
» Vancouver Heritage Foundation Resources for Homeowners
» Glossary of House Styles, Types and Terminology (this is a general resource, not BC specific)
» Your Old House : Heritage BC Guides
FAQ
Where can I find information about materials to use while conserving my home?
Research your house to learn what are the historic materials – try to find primary sources : deeds, original photos, construction documents. Your local library and community archives are great places to start.
If your own research reveals little, learn about historic house styles. Once you learn your house’s style, you can learn about what similar homes in your area were built with. Read the Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s Vancouver House Style Guide for materials related to historic north west coast house styles. If you can’t find your house style there, try Antique Home Style, which provides an overview of broadly American historic homes.
How can I best participate in recognizing my home’s historic character through materials and design?
Using original materials can be expensive, and at times unfeasible. Evaluate what parts of your house are key to its historic character and heritage value. These are its Character Defining Elements. Try your best to keep those elements as close to the historic materials as possible, as they will be integral in preserving the heritage value of your home.
Where can I find inspiration and historic references to help with planning the work on my heritage home?
In 2010, the Vancouver Heritage Foundation launched a Vancouver House Styles Guide that will have relevancy for homes in the lower mainland and beyond. We recommend exploring it to see if your house aligns with any of their examples.
Otherwise, it is best to go to the source material for historic references. Look for primary sources – such as floor plans for historic homes, and historic photos that show the original exteriors. Many resources available online are American, but can offer general insights into types of homes. Use sites that provide bibliographies, or otherwise cite their sources.
For those interested in staying true to the historic look of their home : Be wary of blog posts that share beautiful historic homes, such as on realty sites or pinterest. They will not share the restoration process, and could be providing examples of homes that removed character defining features, changed the original colour palette, or more.
More Homeowner Resources
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