The Citizen, 2015-05-07, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015. PAGE 17.
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Heritage designation not as stifling as some think
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Huron East Heritage Committee Chair Charlie Hoy is getting his house, above, ready to be
designated as a heritage home and, if there’s one thing he’s learned from the experience and
from being on the committee, it’s that a designation is not as problematic as many people
think. Heritage designations are about maintaining the appearance of old homes and not
about handcuffing homeowners as to what they can or cannot do. (Denny Scott photo)
When it comes to heritage
designations, there’s a lot of myth
and misinformation in the world
according to Charlie Hoy, Chair of
the Huron East Heritage Committee.
“The goal of designation is to
preserve heritage character,” he said.
“We’re not here to handcuff people
from working on their properties.”
Hoy said that Local Architectural
Conservation Advisory Committees
(LACAC) which were more strict on
some things, may be partly to blame
for the misconceptions, stating that
heritage committees like the one he
is on are more interested in helping
people maintain their buildings.
“When you talk about designating
a house, it’s typically either the
entire exterior or parts of the
exterior,” Hoy said. “Indoor features
are rarer because they are harder to
monitor.”
Hoy said that a heritage exterior
isn’t as onerous as it may have been
portrayed.
“Changes can occur to a heritage
home, we just want people to
maintain the heritage appearance,”
he said. “Things can still be changed
as long as they look right.”
Hoy said that the appearance is
really all that’s important when it
comes to the heritage structure
because that’s what is being
preserved; how the building is
supposed to look, not exactly how it
was built.
He points to his own house and
roof as an example.
Hoy’s home isn’t yet designated,
as he is in the process of preparing
to apply for that, but he has started
to restore it as best he can to look
like it did when it was first built.
He explained that the roof, which
is supposed to have been a slate
roof, is actually a recycled plastic
product.
“It looks like slate and, unless
someone got a few feet away from
it, they wouldn’t know it’s not,” he
said. “Having examples of how
heritage buildings looked is what’s
important.”
Hoy said that the committee is
less a police force and more an
advisory board that is there to help
out.
“We can lead people in the right
direction and offer help,” he said.
“We can help people find authentic
paint colours and options and steer
them clear of mistakes that could
damage their properties.”
Hoy said that a prime example he
has run into more than once is
mortar work.
Mortar, in years gone by, had a
significantly different composition
than modern mortar. It was lime
from limestone. If someone were to
use modern mortar to fix their home,
it would react differently to
temperature variation.
“The committee advises a good
mixture so that homeowners don’t
end up with damaged bricks,” he
said. “Newer mortar can expand at a
different rate than older mortar and
it can pop off the face of bricks.”
He said that basement
modifications are also something
that heritage building owners have
to be aware of.
“Old buildings have basements
that were utilitarian, they weren’t
meant for living,” Hoy said. “If
someone insulates their basement
with the hopes of making it livable,
they can do significant damage.”
Hoy said that the mortar used in
old foundations was porous so water
would pass through it in the winter
and spring, but never freeze because
the warmth from the home would
dry it out.
“Without that heat getting to the
foundation, it will freeze and
crumble and, after several years it
could result in someone having to
demolish their home or jack it up to
replace the foundation,” he said.
Hoy also said that things like
windows, which are becoming
harder and harder to replicate with
fewer craftsmen making them, are
not something the group is going to
force someone to live with.
“If you need to replace the
windows on a heritage home, we’re
not going to stop you,” he said. “We
might suggest something similar
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 18