As the City of Toronto ages, the number of buildings featuring historic architecture continues to increase. Historic buildings can pose an issue for building restoration projects where adapting special restoration techniques is required.
Here we explore how modern restoration practices are replaced by historic restoration techniques to protect the integrity of Toronto’s historically significant buildings.
What are Common Challenges of Historic Restorations?
Toronto’s Heritage Property Search tool provides a list of the buildings protected under Ontario Regulation 9/06 guidelines. The restoration of these buildings is mandated by additional rules that can complicate the building permit process.
The city reviews these applications with a fine toothed comb looking for issues with the proposed changes. The main concern from an historic perspective is that the façade of the building and the integrity of those era-related architectural details are protected. As a result, even slight changes to the exterior are unacceptable.
Both the permit process and additional guidelines also tend to impact project timelines and costs.
Specifics That Impact Historic Restorations
Here are a few examples of historical projects that require different restoration techniques:
Railings
Balcony railings are a distinct architectural feature on a building’s exterior. Where typical railing restoration projects tend to ask for a more modern aesthetic, the city requires historic restorations to install identical designs that match the original balcony railings.
This process increases costs in two ways. First, the railings must be custom designed if sourcing doesn’t locate identical matches. Second, sourcing also takes time, which leads to delays and adds to the administrative costs of the project.
Brick
Replacement of heritage building masonry walls is extremely difficult. The bricks must be matched to the existing bricks which are often no longer in production. Historic bricks were sourced from Toronto’s local brick companies and have a distinct look and colour.
Again, custom brick is required for the restoration which has a huge impact on both materials and timelines. In some cases, it can also impact the installation process as special mortar is also required to match the texture, colour, and composition of the wall.
Tuckpointing
Tuck pointing is the process of repairing the mortar joints for masonry walls. As mentioned, the colour of the mortar joints must match the colour of the original wall. This requires a very methodical tinting process to create a seamless look.
To perfect the match, experts perform colour tests that require real mockups. The mortar is mixed with tints, applied to brick, and then allowed to dry to determine if the colour is a match. This can take several attempts to get it right and requires meticulous records to ensure the exact mix can be duplicated in larger quantities to complete the job.
Preserving Historic Buildings
Owning an historic property comes with additional responsibilities that impact your project costs. Although it takes some process and material adaptations to maintain the building’s integrity, the extra time and money helps preserve the heritage for future generations to enjoy.
At WellDone Inc., a building restoration company specializing in building improvements for commercial and multi-unit residential buildings throughout the GTA, we have the expertise to assess and complete older building restoration projects. If you want more information about our building restoration services, contact our team.