A Thousand Dollar Cross On a beautiful site looking out over Sturgeon Lake, somewhat North of Peterborough, we were just finishing up the work of the Graham’s period log house. Though not overly large, it was a beauty, just the size for a cozy cottage. We had designed all the amenities cottagers would ever [...]
A Deerfield Forum There was so much to learn about antiques and early architectural building methods. The Old Deerfield Forums were a great way to study both aspects. Jean and I had visited Old Deerfield many times but it was their forums that we found particularly exciting. You had to book in early to [...]
Wrap it Up The stones in this house near Nobleton Ontario had to be the nicest I’d come across. They were fashioned ever-so-carefully into various sizes of wide rectangles. And they came in so many lovely colors. I thought quite a bit about coming up with a way to have them taken down and [...]
The House of Six Sallys The Thibideau stone house north of Cobourg was one of our more ambitious projects. This classic five-bay Georgian house was resurrected from Forfar, a small village in eastern Ontario. It took me years of search and then negotiation to finally purchase the building that, although built solidly of the [...]
The Dog Trot The first phone call had come from Texas. I was asked if I knew what a dogtrot was. I affirmed that I did. They needed one for the History of Texas Museum being built in Austin as we spoke. The dogtrot was to be a permanent installation. I wondered why they [...]
One of my craftsmen, who has developed a fair eye for spotting an ancient building, tipped me off to a house not too far from his own near Tweed Ontario. It sounded promising so we drove to its nearest driveway for a closer look. Clomping over an overgrown roadway and up a hill, there [...]
The Thibideau stone house north of Cobourg was one of our more ambitious projects. This classic five bay Georgian house was resurrected from Forfar, a small village in eastern Ontario. It took me years of search then negotiation to finally purchase the building that, although built solidly of the local sandstone, was not too far [...]
Southern Ontario is a treasure trove of early architecture for those inclined to history. And it is the abundance of its various histories represented in visual architectural form that adds to its interest and beauty. In my expeditions through the countryside and towns I always spare an eye for the homes of our past. [...]
“There’s a house I think you’d better look at west of town.” This from a realtor friend who knew the kind of place that might interest me. I’d been looking around Port Hope, Ontario for about seven years for something worth restoring. When I saw the house, such as it was, set well back [...]
A successful house, particularly one that has survived centuries of living will be invested with soul. How did it come to inhabit the house? Perhaps it was passed on by the original builder that sought shelter for his brood who put his heart into every stroke of the broadaxe. Perhaps the first tree that offered [...]