Heritage Victorian Home Restoration Resources (continuous list)

Save Victorian Heritage Homes - Restoration Resources (continuous list)

“If you keep knocking down old heritage buildings and keep putting up modern buildings that could go anywhere (on the planet), pretty soon you’ve lost the things that make Toronto, Toronto.”
-ROLLO MYERS
MANAGER OF THE ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVANCY OF ONTARIO




I proudly own a grand 3 storey victorian home of 4500+ sq.ft, which needs to be restored. So after some research, thought I'd start a thread to aggregate some resources I found online which may be helpful for people like me who are proudly victorian home owners. Please add your list by replying to this thread, especially Toronto based authentic victorian restoration product / service resources, including vintage and antique stores.

Unfortunately many old victorian homes in Toronto have gone through extensive remodelling and renovations, losing their original charms and characters.

Here's a chance to educate and help on how to restore a Victorian right, how to make your victorian beautiful, timeless and increase your home value. Please add your views and knowledge here. Thanks!

PS: if you have already done a similar restoration / renovation, please kindly share some interior photos for inspiration if possible.

Brickwork:

http://www.huntheritage.ca/

http://www.victorian-restoration.com/

Stained Glass Windows:

http://www.theglassstudio.ca/

Tin Ceiling Tiles

http://www.americantinceilings.com

All Victorian Architectural Products, including crown molding

http://www.wishihadthat.com

http://www.architecturaldepot.com

http://www.decorgroupinc.com

Furniture / Art

http://www.designtoscano.com

Interesting list, thanks for posting. When I did mine, I used the reference guide supplied by the Sussex-Ulster Conservation District. (I think a lot of it written by Cathy Nasmith of the ACO.)

http://www.harbordvillage.com/heritagedirectory

Thanks for sharing! K10ery, Would love to see your end results if possible?

I love the Victorian stuff but how do you feel about Art Deco? I passed 2621 Lakeshore Blvd W, in Etobicoke yesterday, it is so sad to see such a recent building abandoned. A lovely house maybe not preservation material but what does it say about this city when the lifetime of a property is measured in decades? I live near Church St in Toronto and can imagine John McBride heading home to his 1930"s McMansion, how elegant, how much of an achievement this house was to the cousin of Toronto's Mayor, and how times have changed. It has been empty since at least 2007 and is marketed as a development site.


Demolished in 2013

thanks for the list! just bought a beautiful 1890s victorian in roncesvalles. Will have a closer look next week!

Interesting site here:

http://victoriandecorating.blogspot.ca/

The Toronto Archives are, of course, an invaluable resource to see "the real thing".

MacDonald House, 354 Wellington Street West at Clarence Square:



As is the Toronto Public Library:

Gemmel House, Jarvis Street, 1880:

What about window restoration? Not strictly Victorian, I have been trying to find someone to repair my original 1920's wooden double-hung windows without much success.

DarnDirtyApe said:

What about window restoration? Not strictly Victorian, I have been trying to find someone to repair my original 1920's wooden double-hung windows without much success.

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One of the best:


http://heritagerestorationinc.ca/

Do they actually do small scale residential projects? It looks like they mostly do institutional, large scale work.

DarnDirtyApe said:

Do they actually do small scale residential projects? It looks like they mostly do institutional, large scale work.

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There are also these folks:

http://windowcraft.com/our-products/renovations/

I do really like Victorian home's ambiance and those collectibles that were so vintage. All of those are very nice photos that you have shared here guys What I knew only about Victorian Homes are the two of Toronto's oldest surviving houses which are Campbell House and The Grange.

lawyerscruffy said:

I do really like Victorian home's ambiance and those collectibles that were so vintage. All of those are very nice photos that you have shared here guys What I knew only about Victorian Homes are the two of Toronto's oldest surviving houses which are Campbell House and The Grange.

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Both are technically Georgian, not Victorian.

Bit of self promotion, but I do a fair bit of restoration work. Restoring front doors is particularly enjoyable, as most older doors can be refurbished to work as good as new.

http://www.sixpenny.ca

I have to agree with the quotation. Heritage sites are what's making Toronto, Toronto. It's history and it's US.

Does anyone have any experience with 1.5" strip flooring? There are so many great flooring products out now but I just really like the traditional look of narrow strip flooring. I also don't really like the micro-bevelling of newer floor systems and would prefere to have a flat surface finished on site.