Built-history conservation starts with you
Bob Ransford
Sun
A couple of years ago, I wrote about a program that teaches skills to those interested in restoring and conserving the dwindling collection of old buildings that represent our region’s collective built heritage.
With a number of graduates of Heritage Vancouver’s Old School Program armed with some valuable knowledge and hands-on skills in conservation, there is some real hope that we’ll see more heirloom buildings carefully restored and treasured forever.
Old School is now well established, offering a number of specific courses and a comprehensive program with core courses and a list of electives that allows students to earn a certificate in building conservation.
Saving an old building, whether a house or a commercial structure, can be a daunting task. Few of us have the knowledge to rigorously research a building’s history to uncover the details of its original construction.
Without that basic knowledge, planning a complicated restoration is almost impossible. The struggle with unfamiliar period architecture can even stump a real keener. Which design details are authentic and which were later add-ons? How do you properly budget to focus on restoring the parts of a house or a building that matter?
Then there are the hands-on skills that involve the detailed work of vanishing crafts. Often you won’t find a skilled tradesperson capable of tackling such detailed work. Completing the restoration means tackling a few do-it-yourself projects. But where do you learn the skills? Old School teaches them.
The restoration of a heritage house often starts with the plumbing and electrical systems. Your home is still wired with what looks like an ancient knob and tube electrical system. Where do you start? Old School will provide you with the knowledge to choose the right options in replacing or upgrading the system.
In fact, in addition to providing homeowners and building owners with hands-on skills and detailed knowledge, Old School also teaches contractors, renovators, tradespeople, real estate agents, planners, architects, appraisers, designers and engineers, building managers and inspectors, and heritage commission members.
The Old School curriculum includes courses such as: Researching the History of a Building: Sustainable Heritage Landscapes; Planning & Managing a Renovation or a Rehabilitation Project; and Masonry & Foundations in Old Buildings.
Shelly Smee has taken a number of Old School courses. She is a real estate agent who has sold many older homes.
“I have always been interested in the Craftsman style of home, with Frank Lloyd Wright being one of my favourite architects.
“The preservation of the built environment as an important part of our cultural inventory really resonates with me,” Smee says.
Old School has provided Smee with the opportunity to meet people who are restoring homes and exchange information about sourcing materials and trades who are versed in the rehabilitation — knowledge she is able to pass on to her clients interested in buying older homes.
“Older homes have their own vocabulary and are constructed with methods and materials that are simply not available today.
“The programs I have taken have proved to be invaluable for being able to navigate the city archives, city hall records and the vast collections of the Vancouver Public Library.”
Whether you work with existing buildings or would like to learn about heritage conservation, this program offers certification, credits and valuable content specific to older buildings. Learn more at vancouverheritagefoundation.org/oldschool.html.
Bob Ransford is a public affairs consultant with CounterPoint Communications Inc. He is a former real estate developer who specializes in urban land use issues.
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