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HERITAGE CANADA FOUNDATION: CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF HELPING CANADIANS KEEP HISTORIC PLACES ALIVE Repairing Wood Siding on Historic Buildings— Runciman House: A Case Study Keeping Wood Siding on Historic Buildings HERITAGE CANADA FOUNDATION:
CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF
HELPING CANADIANS KEEP
HISTORIC PLACES ALIVE
It was the tenacity of an active few that led to the creation of a national body committed to the preservation of Canada’s heritage. Widespread government support eventually followed, and in 1973 the Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) was launched. It was an important outcome of the “identityshaping” period of Canada’s Centennial celebrations, which had focused Canadians on the values of the past as never before. A National Trust with a Difference The Heritage Canada Foundation was created as a national trust with a federal endowment and Crown Trustee status. The foundation (the term “National Trust” had been trademarked by a financial institution) was mandated to: “...preserve and demonstrate and to encourage the preservation and demonstration of the nationally significant historic, architectural, natural and scenic heritage of Canada with a view to stimulating and promoting the interest of the people of Canada in that heritage.” The founding board of ten governors included leading Canadians like Hartland MacDougall and Pierre Berton.
What they found was that Canada already had a world-class system of parks and laws to protect the country’s natural landscapes, with agencies like Parks Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada leading the charge. Yet there was very little in place at the national level, as compared to other countries studied, to ensure the protection of the built environment.  Heritage Canada Commemorative Plaque Many buildings across Canada bear this plaque, indicating that HCF intervened to purchase, invest in or apply protective covenants to the property. The board also believed that in a country as large as Canada, the tide of widespread demolition and neglect could never be turned by simply acquiring a collection of historic sites. HCF’s Property Program In 1975, the Area Conservation program invested in Newfoundland’s capital city of St. John’s to stem the tide of destruction resulting from a bulldozer-era urban renewal project. “The Area Conservation program will result in streetscape preservation of a district which will help retain and enhance the character of the area, greatly increasing its tourist potential and its attractiveness for commercial enterprises,” wrote Shannie Duff, then HCF governor for Newfoundland. Even more important it will preserve for all the citizens of St. John’s an oasis of familiarity where they can go back and touch their roots.” Other Area Conservation projects benefited places like St. Andrews-By- The-Sea, New Brunswick, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Barclay Square in Vancouver, The Winnipeg Exchange District and Old Strathcona in Edmonton.
The Area Conservation pilot morphed into the very successful Main Street Canada program in 1979. Its purpose was to help revitalize the central core of small and mediumsized towns, and at the same time preserve their historic buildings. “Our task was to mobilize the growing reaction to the unthinking construction boom of the postwar years … we are watching the pendulum swing in favour of preservation,” stated Pierre Berton, chair of HCF at the time.
By 1991 Main Street Canada operated in every province and territory. Seventy communities had taken part and achieved remarkable success: thousands of jobs, new businesses, and more than $90 million in private investment. Main Street Canada spawned ongoing programs in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec— and even inspired the creation of a Main Street program in Australia. The national program
wound down in the early
1990s when the federal
government’s contribution
ended. HCF entered
into a partnership with
La fondation Rues
principales to continue
the Main Street legacy in
the province of Quebec. National Heritage Awards Program Engaging Canadians in Celebrating and Visiting Historic Places Building awareness and advocacy have always been core HCF activities. A range of programs has developed over the years to raise awareness about heritage and to engage Canadians.
Historic Sites Doors Open Canada Heritage Day Strengthening the Heritage Sector Since its first conference in Ottawa in 1974, HCF has always recognized the value of bringing people together to talk, learn and exchange. To build on the conference experience and to rally and connect heritage groups and advocates across the country, it organized the Canadian Heritage Network in 1982. Today, the Built Heritage Leadership Forum represents a return to that early networking strategy.
The world wide web has revolutionized the way people connect. Thousands of Canadians now receive HCF Communiqués and stay connected through the organization’s website. In 2007 HCF launched a new way to connect and protect: AGORA-L is a free, email-based tool for discussing issues and exchanging ideas about heritage conservation in Canada. Members connect with peers across the country and share questions and solutions without ever leaving their desks. AGORA-L is quickly becoming a source of success stories and advice. Annual Conferences HCF conferences provide the opportunity for a national perspective and a national conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing historic places and their owners, managers and advocates. Young Canada Works YCW gives students and recent graduates the opportunity to acquire valuable work skills and experience in the field of heritage, as well as help heritage organizations complete important projects. HCF distributes program funds on behalf of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Community Revitalization HCF’s subsidiary, La fondation Rues principales, has been delivering expertise in community revitalization and socio-economic revitalization since 1984, and more than 150 cities and towns have benefited. Currently, the Rues principales network encompasses nearly 50 municipalities.
Saving Places The Heritage Canada Foundation takes a multi-pronged approach to helping Canadians keep historic places alive: awarenessbuilding programs like the National Heritage Awards, Heritage Day and Doors Open are celebratory in nature, but threatened buildings need a different kind of attention. Three years ago, the Heritage Canada Foundation began the tradition of announcing an annual Endangered Places List, calling Canadians’ attention to the 10 most endangered historic places on our national radar screen. The list is a powerful tool for attracting media attention and for strengthening the resolve of local groups and officials working to find a solution. South House Preserved! Each endangered place tells a unique story. But many share one or more root causes, and it is these common issues that have helped to shape and focus HCF’s public policy advocacy efforts. Protecting Railway Stations Changing the System In 1974, HCF developed a “Brown Paper on Legislation.” Its three major recommendations called for a Canadian Register of Heritage Property, adequate provincial laws to protect listed property, and federal-provincial programs to give financial aid to the owners of heritage property. This became a blueprint for subsequent HCF work on building codes, recycling, mortgage financing and tax incentives for heritage buildings. Since its inception, HCF has researched and advocated tax measures to put historic buildings on a level playing field with new construction in the eyes of developers. The U.S. federal rehabilitation tax credit, introduced in 1976, has encouraged the rehabilitation of over 31,000 historic properties, representing over $31 billion in private investment. In 1999, Parks Canada launched the Historic Places Initiative, a federal/provincial/ territorial collaboration designed to promote the conservation of Canada’s built heritage. A key element was the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund (CHPIF), a $30-million pilot contribution program modelled on the U.S. rehabilitation tax credit. CHPIF successfully demonstrated the impact a modest federal incentive could have in stimulating private investment in historic places. A total of $21.5 million spread across the first 49 projects leveraged more than eight times that amount in private sector investment, giving empty, derelict buildings vibrant new uses. Recently, HCF has moved to a more public campaign around the need for tax incentives. Working with representatives of local heritage groups and developing accessible electronic petitions, a wider and more vocal constituency has emerged. Over the past two years provincial and territorial ministers responsible for culture and heritage, along with seven major municipalities (including Vancouver and Toronto) have passed resolutions supporting the call for federal financial incentives to encourage private sector investment in the rehabilitation of historic buildings. Online petition The Next 35 Years The Heritage Canada Foundation’s mandate has always seemed enormous, given the complex legal, financial, political and physical environment within which historic places exist. The present and the future require an even larger view. To address the most pressing new challenge of our time, HCF will align itself even more closely with the environmental movement. Recognizing that historic places are part of a continuum of existing buildings, old and new, HCF will contribute to creating a sustainable future by helping Canadians make “landmarks, not landfill” over the next 35 years. Repairing Wood Siding on Historic Buildings—
Runciman House: A Case Study  The historic Runciman House, Annapolis Royal, N.S. is an excellent example of the early 19th-century Regency cottage style. Over the past two years, the Heritage Canada Foundation has been carrying out repairs to the exterior of Runciman House, a 200-year-old historic property it owns in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Repair of the exterior siding (including wood shingles on the sides and rear of the building and horizontal bevel siding on the front) is part of the work being handled by Annapolis Royal contractor Sefton Squires of Renaissance Property Services. The Siding  Evidence of failed paint can be seen on the rear wall shingles. Judging from the paint accumulation on the siding, the hand-planed surface and the forged nails, it is safe to say that most if not all of the siding is original to the building. All four walls were finished in a scheme of yellow body with white trim. Siding Condition  Original forged siding nails. The nails had corroded in the siding area, but remained sound where they were nailed into the framing. The bevel siding on the main façade was a different matter. In discussion with Sefton Squires, it was concluded that this surface was due for life-cycle rehabilitation. Not only were some boards distorted from the horizontal (indicating failure of fasteners), but there were also examples of decay on the ends (mostly on short sections in shady areas), checks and splits, popped fasteners and accumulated layers of paint. Previous selective paint removal had caused damage to lower edges, contributing to a lack of sharpness in the horizontal lines of the building. Finally, the colour of the siding had faded away to a pale yellow from the earlier, stronger contrast between trim and body. Treatment In consultation with the contractor, a treatment regime for the siding was developed. The shingled surfaces would receive a basic prep, prime and a twotopcoat paint treatment. If there were defective or missing shingles they would be replaced in kind, fastened with galvanized nails and refinished along with the rest. As for the siding, it was decided that the time had come to strip the existing paint back to bare wood—not only because of the accumulated thickness of paint, but also to allow proper inspection and repair of the many small and large defects in the siding. Small defects could be covered with epoxy adhesives, but repairs to cavities and gaps would require gluing and clamping or carpentry repairs. Siding boards would be left separate from each other and free to expand and contract as necessary. The objective was to replace an absolute minimum of siding material. Criteria for replacement and repair were discussed. It was decided that repairs would be carried out on the building wherever possible; materials would be removed to the shop for repair only when absolutely necessary. HCF’s intention was not to restore the exterior of the building. Considering the changes over time, that would have been impractical, if not impossible. However, physical evidence and historical photographs guided the decision to change the colour to a deeper, stronger, slightly mustard shade in place of the rather anaemic yellow on the building. Execution Paint removal was achieved using the “Silent Stripper” infrared system and scrapers. Silent paint removers soften paint and varnish from wood after 20 to 40 seconds of exposure to heat without the use of chemical solvents. (See www.swedepaint.ca). Paint residue was collected and disposed of according to provincial standards. The side and rear walls were stripped of loose paint, all the bare wood was then primed and the entire wall given two topcoats of paint. The front wall siding was more complex and, in some places, in a more fragile state. For example, in this type of wall it is not enough to simply drive a popped nail back in. Usually it must be removed, a new fastener installed to the same part of the frame and the old hole filled with putty. The paint removal process proceeded steadily if slowly and resulted in very little damage to the surface and edges of the siding. After the wall was clean of paint, it was evident that many of the short sections of siding in the shadow of the porch had to be replaced. Clean spruce boards were used. Since the siding pieces were small and easily shaped and installed, this task presented no real problems. Fortunately, most of the longer boards had enough structural integrity to remain in service. In the end, repairs to individual siding boards were all done in place, including gluing and clamping splits. This saved the work of cutting nails and reinstalling the long, unwieldy boards. If larger patches had needed to be done, Dutchman repairs would have been used and spliced in. Repairing woodwork with large volumes of epoxy or other nonwood materials is not recommended due to their different expansion and contraction characteristics. This type of work is a lot like repairing the hull of a boat, which can often be achieved by a combination of shop and on-site repairs and a lot of careful fitting. All new material received a coat of primer on all surfaces before being installed. The usual three-coat system was applied to the siding. (The finish paint is Benjamin Moore Exterior Alkyd Latex, medium base, soft gloss, colour #cc210 Dijon). Pricing and Scope of Work It was important that a firm price be set for budgeting purposes. But given the unknown extent of the repairs, the budget also had to have enough flexibility to accommodate possible changes in the scope of work. With this in mind, a fixed price for easily quantifiable work and unit prices for siding repairs were negotiated. Conclusions Repair of traditional siding systems requires patience, care and knowledge of traditional construction methods. It also requires a high level of finishing carpentry skill and some specialized equipment. As described above, the project on the Runciman House siding was probably the most extensive in the 200 years since the house was built. Aside from routine maintenance every five years, buildings like this in humid environments should receive major work of this sort at least every 50 years. Developing Specification Clauses Here are some guidelines for developing price quotes and work specifications when dealing with contractors on traditional siding systems. Bidding Provide one lump sum price broken down as follows:
Materials Requirements
Procedures Exterior siding and trim: The goal is to remove all existing accumulated finishes from the siding and trim to bare wood; make all necessary repairs to ensure the siding is stable and sheds the weather—while removing no more historic fabric than absolutely necessary—and refinish.
Exterior shingles and trim: The goal is to remove all loose, alligatored or flaking paint down to sound, well-adhered paint or bare wood. Make all necessary repairs to shingles to ensure weather shedding. Refinish.
Andrew Powter has been involved in national and international heritage programs and projects. His main areas of interest include historic wood structures, building envelope performance and sustainable heritage conservation practice. Keeping Wood Siding on Historic Buildings We think of siding as a modern phenomenon, but it has been used in one form or another for centuries. Preserving the historic character of traditional siding on older buildings can be a challenge for heritage professionals. Siding is typically used to cover vertical (or nearly vertical) wall surfaces. Its usual function is to protect the building from weather, but it can also be decorative. Siding appears on buildings in a wide variety of materials, shapes and sizes. One type of siding is sometimes used in combination with another. Types include horizontal or vertical boards, shingles, asphalt materials like insulbrick, asbestos cement shingles, and sheet and panel metal. Like any component of a building, siding is subject to various natural forces that cause it to deteriorate, requiring periodic maintenance and repair. Many owners want to avoid the expense and trouble of maintaining siding, so it’s covered with lower maintenance materials like vinyl or aluminium. What are the pros and cons of this controversial approach to siding historic buildings? Wood Siding and Heritage Character Siding is a product of its period of construction, available technology, materials and skills, and reflects stylistic trends, fashion, climate and industrial development. More recently, the choice of siding has been influenced by marketing and available transportation. For example, in 19th-century Canada, western red cedar shingles from British Columbia substantially replaced others after the construction of the railway. Siding choices on historic buildings are therefore major contributors to establishing their place in a community,region and time period, and consequently their heritage character. For example, surviving pre-World War I residential buildings in the west end of Vancouver are among the few reminders of Vancouver’s earlier timberbased economy. Maintaining and Repairing Authentic Wood Siding Siding “Systems” A wood siding “system” usually consists of a weather-shedding surface (the siding itself) that is attached to a surface (such as planks, battens or girts) with fasteners (usually nails). The siding is usually coated with a protective coating such as oil, stain, limewash or paint. Some form of wind protection (bark, kraft paper, Tyvek, etc.) is often installed behind the siding. Putty covers and protects fasteners. Wood siding is usually installed horizontally (such as bevelled, riven, short plank, long plank, edge profiled, cove, drop and shiplap), vertically (such as plain board, board-andbatten, tongue-and-groove) or as shingles. Threats and Forms of Deterioration Siding deteriorates because of trapped moisture and lack of ventilation, leading to decay and insect attack. Vertical siding is particularly susceptible if the bottom end grain is not sealed. If siding is not protected by a well-maintained coating such as paint, it deteriorates from weathering (cycles of wetting and drying, ultra-violet light and windborne abrasives). It slowly changes from the colour of fresh wood to the warm grey of barn boards. Other forces, such as impact, are far less damaging. Perhaps the most problematic agent of deterioration is paint. Paint accumulates over time to form a thick, impermeable, inflexible layer that can prevent the natural expansion and contraction of the siding, causing it to split and crack. Alternately, a thick paint layer itself may crack and split (called alligatoring) as it expands and contracts at a different rate than the wood below. If a building has been painted too frequently or improperly prepared for new paint, the time comes, possibly after 100 years or more, when the excessive accumulations of paint must be removed to start from bare wood. Repainting, let alone stripping to bare wood and repainting, can itself present a threat. At this point, many owners resort to calling the aluminium or vinyl siding contractor. Repair and Conservation A siding repair program gives owners an opportunity to get up close and personal with their building and check for splits, reset popped nails, reputty over nail heads or carry out other maintenance. Although small repairs can be performed with the siding board in place, it is often advisable to repair the board on a bench to effect a better fit and clamping. Siding board units can be spot repaired by removing deteriorated material back to a sound, straight edge and patching using Dutchmen and other insert repairs. Always use wood of similar species, density and grain direction. Be sure to use moisture-resistant adhesives for the most enduring repairs. If a siding board is loose, nail it to its stud with a fastener similar in size to the old fastener. Remove the old fastener and fill the hole. Be careful of nailing slightly cupped boards too tightly as they may split. Remove siding boards by removing exposed fasteners and using a hacksaw blade to reach behind to cut concealed nails. Do this gently to avoid damaging adjacent boards. This is easier with bevelled siding than with coved or tongue-and-groove siding. With these more complex profiles, in situ repairs may be best. To make a number of repairs, it may be necessary to demolish a short length of board below to gain the necessary manoeuvring space for the boards above. Also, the inside of the groove may have to be sacrificed to install the final new board. Once the board is repaired or the new board made, it can be slipped up behind the board above and fastened into place. Stick with one nail per stud to allow for movement. Remember, siding should always be back-primed before being installed. Refinishing When painting exterior woodwork, preparation is the most important step. Scrape loose paint and sand the surface to give the new coat a “tooth.” Wipe away dust. Apply a top quality knot sealer to exposed knots. Even a 100-year-old knot will bleed through, so be sure to seal it. Apply an oil-based primer and then two coats of oil-based or latex finish. If the wood has lost most of its paint and is heavily weathered, sand well to remove loose wood fibres. Brush the surface clean, and then apply a coat of 50/50 boiled linseed and thinner to condition the wood. The paint you are removing may contain lead, so test it to ensure you comply with health, safety, containment and disposal requirements. Owners may apply new siding directly over old. Stucco, insulbrick and fibre cement tiles have all had their periods of popularity. Indeed, some of these materials have begun to be appreciated on their own merits. Since the 1960s, vinyl and aluminium siding have been frequently considered to maintain historic material. The vinyl siding industry markets extensively to the owners of heritage properties (see www.vinylsiding.org). This trend is controversial. What are some factors to consider? Maintenance and Cost Preparing and painting a wooden house can appear daunting, but spot repainting after five years with general repainting after seven years or longer can mitigate this. Vinyl or aluminium siding lasts about 20-25 years, equal to two to four paint jobs. Figures from the U.S. indicate that vinyl siding costs about the same as two and a half paint jobs. Furthermore, vinyl and aluminium are not maintenance-free, especially on heritage buildings that were not designed for these materials. Mould may grow under the siding. Many owners try to deal with this by using pressure washers to clean it out. However, siding is designed to shed water from above, and washing from below can force water up behind it, leading to wood decay. Physical Impact Opponents of vinyl and aluminium siding often say these materials are susceptible to impact and difficult to repair. While replacing siding is extremely difficult, the need to do so is probably rare. Environmental Considerations Paint, vinyl and aluminium are manufactured from non-renewable resources. How does the embodied energy required to manufacture and ship paint compare to producing aluminium and vinyl? That’s hard to say, but we know wood that was cut and installed 100 years ago uses no energy or non-renewable resources. Aluminium and vinyl siding will not reduce your heating bill. The R-value of siding with backing ranges from R-0 to R-2.5 at best. This is about the same as a pane of glass. There is no energy payback on these materials. Aluminium can be recycled. Vinyl cannot. Vinyl also emits toxic fumes and carcinogens when it burns. Protection Some say that oversiding products protect historic materials, but this is a red herring. Installing oversiding is very damaging due to the number of fasteners and the blocking, trimming and removal of detail necessary for a decent fit. Concealment Oversiding a historic building conceals damage that should be repaired. Oversiding requires many non-standard fittings and connections. Often, caulking plays an important role in the new finish. Eventually, these details will fail, admit water and contribute to deterioration underneath. I once found a failed porch beam and column beneath a 20-year-old aluminium job. Heritage Character Oversiding a historic building means the building’s heritage character will be affected for the next 20-30 years. This occurs in several ways. Aluminium and vinyl siding are manufactured in a wide range of widths and colours, but historically accurate profiles are rarely available. The optional grained finish is more characteristic of sandblasted wood than historic siding. The doubleboard profile is an inaccurate detail no craftsman would replicate. The biggest concern is the dramatic effect these materials have on the details of a building. If sufficient care is not taken, the board width will change to nonregional dimensions or will reduce window and door trim projections and force the blurring of historic mouldings and removal of inconvenient projections. For more information on the vinyl siding issue, see Vinyl Siding: The Real Issues by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation at www.cttrust.org. In 2007, the Heritage Canada Foundation is carrying out a project to repair the siding on the historic Runciman House in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The building is clad with wood shingles on two sides and the rear, and with beadedged cove siding on the front, including two curved bays. A follow-up article will report on the full range of repairs described in this article. Andrew Powter has been involved in national and international heritage programs and projects. His main areas of interest include historic wood structures, building envelope performance and sustainable heritage conservation practice. References Fram, Mark. Well-Preserved: The Ontario Heritage Foundation’s Manual of Principles and Practice for Architectural Conservation. Boston Mills Press, 1992. Cunningham, Jan. Vinyl Siding: the real issues. Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, 2001. Information Brief: Maintaining Vinyl Siding. Washington, Vinyl Siding Institute, 1994. Information Brief: Vinyl Siding and Historic Restoration. Washington, Vinyl Siding Institute, 1994. Online at www.vinylsiding. org/vsic/historic/index.htm Meyers, John H. Revised by Gary L. Hume. Preservation Briefs Volume 8, Aluminium and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings, The Appropriateness of Substitute Materials for Resurfacing Historic Wood Frame Buildings. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, D.C., 20402, Oct. 1984. |
“On Monday, April 2,
1973, the formal
announcement of our
launch was made on
Parliament Hill in the
historic Privy Council
Chamber of the East
Block. The cheque for
our first year’s budget
was handed over and
instantly deposited
so as not to miss a
day’s interest. We
were on our way.” - R.A.J. (Bob) Phillips,
HCF executive director
(1973 to 1978)
Because Canada was
late in creating a national
trust, the new board
members were able to
learn from other mature
national trusts worldwide.
With help from staff
they looked at conservation
organizations
in 36 countries as well
as existing programs and
policies here at home.
The Yukon Hotel in Dawson City is just one of 75 heritage
properties that benefited from HCF acquisition or investment.
Another is the Heartz-O’Halloran Row on George Street in
Charlottetown, just a block south of Province House.
“It was the first time that large amounts of money were committed
to heritage restoration. And let me tell you—after
that, people started to sit up and take notice,” remembered
long-time P.E.I. heritage activist Catherine Hennessey.
HCF’s current collection of five properties in three provinces
includes two held in trust for the federal Crown.
HCF’s Area
Conservation
Program
Main Street Then... and Now
HCF confers National Heritage Awards created in
collaboration with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales,
Madame Gabrielle Léger, and Canada’s Lieutenant Governors.
Heritage Magazine
The Built Heritage Leadership Forum
Main Street Community Revitalization
