Heritage How To’s

Electrical work should always be handled by a certified electrician.

• VHF: FAQ Knob & Tube Wiring
• InspectAPedia: Old Electrical Wiring Types

• VHF’s Energy Retrofit Guides: Air Sealing and Insulation
• Canadian Mortgage & Housing Corporation: Affordable Home Energy Retrofit Toolkit
• City of Vancouver: Green Home Renovation Guides
• National Park Service: Improving Energy Efficiency
• Online Sustainable Conservation Assistance Resource (OSCAR) guides you through the process of designing sustainable retrofits that best suit your home
• City of Vancouver: Waterwise Landscape Guidelines
• Canadian Mortgage & Housing Corporation: Insulating Your House
• Homeowner Protection Office: Best Practices for Insulation & Air Sealing – note this is a general guide & certain practices will not be appropriate for heritage buildings, e.g. the removal of lath & plaster to install spray foam insulation
• For more articles & case studies check out VHF’s page on Heritage & Sustainability

Looking for a grant to help with the costs of making your heritage home more energy efficient? VHF offers a Heritage Energy Retrofit Grant to aid with the cost of energy evaluations and sustainable retrofits.

• Your Old House: Wood Siding
• Your Old House: Masonry Advice
• Also check out the great articles on exterior elements such as masonry, roofs, siding, doors, awnings & porches provided by the National Trust for Canada, & the National Park Service

Planning on restoring exterior elements? See VHF’s Heritage Conservation Grants terms and conditions to verify if your project qualifies for funding.

• National Park Service: Rehabilitating Interiors
• Repairing Flat Plaster Walls & Ceilings and other articles on interiors by the National Park Service
• Old House Online articles on interior & decor
• Building Conservation articles on interiors & features
• Vintage Interior Design Catalogues 1910-1960
• Vintage Millwork Catalogues

• Sharon Rempel’s Guide to Researching & Restoring Heritage Gardens
• National Park Service: Cultural Landscapes
• Antique Home: Herb, Japanese & Rose Gardens
• National Park Service: Restoring Vine Coverage
• Old House Journal: Garden Design
• Building Conservation articles on gardens, ecology & landscapes
• Wooden Fences by George Nash – available at the VPL

• Your Old House: Paint
• Information about preparing surfaces for painting from Victoria Heritage Foundation: Painting Preparation
• Antique Home: Paint Brush Facts

Considering painting your house? You can apply for a Heritage Conservation Grant through VHF to restore the original paint colour scheme to the exterior of your heritage home.

• Your Old House: Wood Windows
• Fine Home Building: Should Your Old Windows Be Saved?
• Canada Home Builder Report: Heritage Window Restoration
• VHF: Wooden Storm Windows
• VHF: Wood Window Design Criteria
• VHF: Energy Retrofit Guide: Windows
• National Trust for Canada: Maintenance & Repair of Historic Wood Windows
• Check out the National Park Service’s articles on historic wooden windows, steel windows, stained & leaded glass
• More window articles from the National Trust for Canada

Considering restoring windows or installing storm windows? You may be eligible for a grant to help with the cost. Review VHF’s Heritage Energy Retrofit Grant and Heritage Conservation Grants terms and conditions to see if your project qualifies for funding.

Online