Assessing heritage homes not exact science

Dear Editor:

This is written as a response to the recent to registry removal and rezoning of the heritage property at 409 Park Ave. in Kelowna.

One must question the reason the property was removed in the first place, most if not all the heritage property on the registry was built before there was a building code. Most of the houses were built on site by craftsman builders. It would be easy to reject these houses as being in poor condition based on today’s standards and the lack of accommodation of the city building inspectors and engineers.

Heritage homes are a challenge. Usually because of these conditions:

— Lack of insulation/non-existing vapor barriers

— Construction techniques (balloon framing)

— Galvanized plumbing

— Cast iron drains/drain tile separation — Cracked cement foundations (cement expected life is deemed to be 75 years)

— Settling foundations (these three usually occur together

— Poor drainage

— Undersized electrical service/knob and tube wiring

— Trees growing on property lines or roots too close to foundations

— Single-pane windows with storm windows

— Lack of roof trusses (not easy to move walls without using supporting ceiling beams)

— Crumbling fireplace chimneys — Rotting wood siding

— Poor attic venting/no soffit vents — One bathroom

— No Basements/inaccessible low crawl spaces

— Rim joist separation

— Poor maintenance

— Poor previous renovations (and others)

Purchasers of these heritage properties should not be surprised that some of these conditions exist.

They should expect to pay more for these houses because they are heritage and expect the cost to renovate to be expensive.

The city engineering, planning and inspection should expect that these conditions exist without taking action to remove heritage property from the registry.

Heritage home owners should also follow a plan to maintain their property as well as possible.

Purchasers need to have an accurate inspection done by an independent, professionally governed home/building inspector who has heritage house/building inspection experience.

We have a lot of heritage buildings in Kelowna including Brent’s mill. The city’s attitude in regards to the mill and all heritage buildings needs to change. Heritage house owners may have to take matters in their own hands if this doesn’t change and have heritage status added to title.

My experience inspecting heritage houses comes from inspecting the relocated Baker Carriage House and others in the North Okanagan built before 1900.

Dwight E Carroll, Akela Home and Building Inspection