Front facade

This is what it now looks like.

The grass is a bit of a mess because the property has 18 acres of conservation land mostly inhabited by turtles, birds, frogs and deer. The turtles have been laying their eggs for about two weeks. They DO make a mess.

Inside there were four main features.

Doors
Windows
Fireplaces
Floor

Simoorg Room

There are four guest bedrooms, all with ensuite baths. The windows in the Simoorg room are are 6 feet wide by 4 feet high. The door and window surrounds are all restored from the original wood. The Simoorg room has a shower in the ensuite and is on the first floor.

The furnishings are all from the period. The 'pineapple bed' has pineapple finials. The curtains have been made with matching pineapple theme. There is a long and rather interesting history of the pineapple being used as a symbol of opulence and hospitality.

Phoenix Room

The Phoenix room is on the second floor. It has a king bed or twin beds: interchangeable. There are 'bed cupboards' around the room where the servants would have had their beds. In this case the beds are in the center of the room instead.

There is an alcove with an 1820s 12 pane sash window that has the original glass. It may look 'dirty', but it is really the sand and bubbles in the original glass.

There is a 4 piece bath in this room.

Kitchen

The kitchen on a Regency Cottage would have been added later - an open fireplace with a crane would have been the kitchen in 1830. The kitchen windows and lights are Art Deco - from the time the kitchen might have been redone. Since it is a wine district, the kitchen is made so that food loving people will tour the wineries, find their choice of wine, then go home and either cater or cook a fine dinner, then enjoy the feast on the verandah.

Storm windows were done by Webwood Windows in Elmira area.

Salon Windows

These are 200 year old windows. They were taken out and stripped, restored and repainted by Drew Skuce of Paradigm Shift Customs .

The dado panels and moulding are original.

The trim was put in place by Wayne Robertson and finished by me. It takes some time, but it's worth it.

Storm windows were done by Webwood Windows in Elmira area.

Salon Windows

These are sash windows. The upper sash has 12 panes and is from the 1830s. The lower sash was probably replaced in the late 1800s.

The dado panel is a design feature of the age, as is the rosette pattern and the matching moulding.

This is a double hung. The upper sash comes down to let out the hot air and the lower sash comes up to let in the fresh air.

Salon Windows

In order to restore them, Drew Skuce of Paradigm Shift Customs put them in a steam box, took out all the 200 year old glass, cleaned off the wood, reinstalled the glass, and then painted the windows with Linseed Oil.

Linseed Oil Paint will last 50 years. With proper storm windows, the older wooden windows have a much higher R value than anything on the market.

You will not see this kind of craftsmanship again.

Dining Room Windows

The windows are from 1830s, the cabinet is from 1790. Both have been restored to the original.

The baseboards are in the process of being restored. My local "can do everything" guy has done a great job. Wayne Robertson of Carrying Place, a rare find to be sure.

Mouldings

Throughout the house there were various moulding designs. The front hall was the most intricate, it has fluting and a fine rosette. In the main room and the first bedroom the rosette is more plain.

When you have mouldings, the rosette profile is the same as the panel profile.

Mouldings

Here is a diagram of the various types of rosette mouldings found in the house. The rosette always has the same profile as the moulding.

Front Door

The front door is 40 inches wide. It has the original hardware, a rotation of acanthus leaves in bronze.

The fanlight is elliptical. Each piece of glass is installed within its own muntin section.

Above the door are coffered soffits and lambs tongue brackets. The door was installed by the Renovation Technicians from Mohawk College. Eight of them drove up from Hamilton one day and helped me install it. The coffered soffits were made by the Industrial Woodwroking class at Mohawk Campus. They look brilliant.

Master Bedroom door onto the Terrace

The overpanels over the doors are the same as the dado panels (above in the salon). This set of original French Doors leads to a terrace that overlooks the waterfall and swimming pond.

Master Bedroom Fireplace

There are four fireplaces in the house. This one is in the Master bedroom. It is a Rumford Fireplace, very shallow, but throws a lot of heat. The mason was Bree Blaker.

I also had Geothermal put in. I'm not convinced that Geo is the way to go. The costs up front are exhorbitant. I will update this page in a year and tell you if it's worht the cost.

Master Bathroom Fireplace

The master bathroom has a fireplace across from the large shower. The mantel is original and was saved and restored. The fireplace was installed exactly according to design by Bree Blaker of Blaker Custom Masonry of Carrying Place. He is a genius and I gladly give his coordinates to anyone looking to restore or build new.

The ceiling shows the original timbers used to support the second floor. The door is also original.

Front Door - November

Here is a photo of the front hall after it was reinstalled The photo above is from my phone, not a good photo, and the floors are covered with dust. The company that I hired to restore the floors did not, in fact, know anything about restoration. They milled the floors and cut them to half their length and 2/3 of their original width.

If you are putting in floor boards, call me and I will tell you who to avoid.

Kitchen

The windows in the kitchen are Art Deco, as are the lights. All are supplied by Legacy in Cobourg.

Kitchen

The kitchen windows are Art Deco. They are south facing, looking over the lake. In order to take advantage of the breeze, Drew Skuce made them hinge at the top. The top has its own hinge, so there are, in effect, two hinges on these windows.

Legacy in Cobourg, Timeless materials in Southhampton and Waterloo, and a few other places can supply you with such windows.

They are stunning.

Ancaster 1820s

The façade of St. Margaret's Cottage in Ancaster was typical of the Regency period. It is long and low with a low hip roof. The windows are balanced in a five bay design. Lamb's tongues adorn the large eaves. The door has an elegant fan light.

Ancaster

The front hallway has an elegant entrance hallway with two fanlights and side lights. .

Ancaster

This fireplace is original. It is a Rumford design; the brick backing of the fireplace is curved out so that the heat from the fire is forced into the room while the smoke heads up the chimney.

Notice how this is exactly the same as the mantel in Woodstock.

Ancaster

This detail from the fireplace shows the wood rosette block. It is 8 inches in length, very large for a corner block. The fluted casing is also eight inches wide. The cross section of the rosette block is the same as the casing.

Rosette blocks and casing by the end of the 19th century had become much smaller, around 3-4 inches.

Ancaster

In the same room there is a six panel door with plain trim as you would find in the 1840s. Notice that the corners are not beveled either on the head of the casing or on the head of the door. Often the head of the casing extends across the full length. Here the vertical members are long so that the end crass-orse grain of the top member is not exposed.

The lock and handle on this door are up side down. These locks would have been imported from England during the first half of the 19th century. If you received the wrong one, you simply installed it upside down.

Ancaster

Pine floors in the salon, once the bedroom area, show that not all of the house was fully finished.

Ancaster

The fireplace casing in the main room was replaced during the 1930s. Notice how the rosette block and casing are not fluted but molded leaving a large convex saucer in the rosette.

Ancaster

The beauty of the Regency period was that the rooms were always flooded with light. There were large regular windows cut very low into the walls on all four sides of the house.

This window also shows the original dado under the window.

Ancaster

The door in the same room is just as lovely. The trim around the door and the transom panel are original, from the 1830s.

Note the plaster work along the rim of the roof. This is all original as well. It was made with concrete covered with plaster.

Taking it Apart

The Regency Cottage shown above was dismantled during the month of March this year. It was overtaken by creeping suburbs, the roof was compromised by successive additions and the crawl space was full of dry rot.

I have taken this house and am planning to rebuild it somewhere in Ontario. I would like to thank the following people for their help.

Dan Freeborn is a man who can mix incredible strength with meticulous attention to detail. Dan moves antiques and dismantles people homes for a living with his company Mindful Movers. You could not hope to find a person who has more respect for your valuable antiques and collectibles than Dan.

Ancaster

The frame of the building could well have been built with timber taken from a ship that transported the officers and crew of the Royal Navy to their allotted land grants in British North America (see Woodstock).

What was most interesting while deconstructing this building, was that the huge, 45 by 35 foot building was built with virtually no nails. The pieces were cut out and inserted into one another and held in place with wooden dowels. All the pieces were hand hewn.

Ancaster

Ty Robertson, John Deelstra, Spencer Smith, Greg Vickers and Scott Bishop worked tirelessly for four days dismantling the major portion of this house.

The Instructor

The intrepid instructor Brad MacDonald made frequent visits to offer suggestions and help with things we couldn't figure out.

Ancaster

Ty Robertson, James Harris, Spencer Smith, John Deelstra and Min-Hsiang Chiu after they have dismantled the door and are ready to transfer it outside.

Ancaster

Dan Freeborn, John Deelstra, Greg Vickers, Scott Bishop and Ty Robertson lean it against the bulldozer.

Ancaster

John Deelstra and Greg Vickers support Spencer Smith as he attaches bracing.

Ancaster

James Harris illustrates an uncommon use for a Fubar as Dan Freeborn looks on.

Ancaster

Not to be outdone, John Deelstra illustrates an uncommon use for a Cat's Claw.

These gentlemen from Mohawk College's Building Renovation program took the house apart piece by piece and laid it on the grass waiting for storage.

Ancaster

The Architectural Technician students from Mohawk College had measured the building and drawn up plans for it during the fall semester. Several of them were very generous in volunteering to move the pieces of lumber, some up to 45 feet in length, to storage facilities.

Here Ryan Degraaf, Steven Roy, Finn Melvaer, Dave Snoddy ( in a management capacity) Alen Costovic and Mat Corcoran load the first long pieces.

Ancaster

John Farr volunteered to help as well, and Ivan Hribljan was invaluable in organizing the whole crew.

Ancaster

Mat Corcoran, Alen Costovic, John Farr and Ryan Degraff position themselves to take another piece.

Ancaster

For the next one, Alen and Mat figure they can do it on their own.

Not only great guys, Alen Costovic and Mat Corcoran are two of the best AutoCAD students I have had in 20 years.

Ancaster

Not to be outdone, Ryan Degraaf attempts to move the entire 45 foot long piece of wood by himself. And he is successful!

I would also like to thank Jeff Moule who helped in transferring but was not photographed. Rob Walker who was a big help in taking off floor boards and taking apart fireplaces. Bob Edmonds who took apart the blue room. Peter Lloyd who finished off the blue room. Deb Harmer who helped to remove and store trim. Scott Stevenson who helped dismantle the bathrooms and Phil Delvecchio who helped to document the whole experience. Finally Clay and Alistair for their help in transporting all the stuff, and last but not least Helen Vanner who allowed me to take apart her beautiful home with the intention of rebuilding it somewhere soon.

Consecon

The first people I hired were, of course, the excavators. Jason Forth of Greenthumb Landscaping in Trenton and his 'big toy operator' Rob made a wonderful job of the excavation.

My site manager Mat Corcoran did a wonderful job with the footings, and before long he was erecting the ICF. Consecon

ICF

ICF is a modern way to build exterior walls both in the basement and on the main levels of the house. It provides an 'R' value or insulation value of between 30 and 40. The typical 2" by 6" exterior wall provides 20. It is marginally more expensive, but you will get this money back very quickly as heating costs rise.

ICF

The styrofoam is held together by plastic ties that are designed to hold the re-bar in place.

ICF

The walls are firmly reinforced.

ICF

Then filled with concrete.

Lumber

Once the ICf was in place, the floor joists and interior walls could be added. I wanted to use as much original lumber as possible. My wonderful History of Architecture students helped to transport the material to the site.

Leaving

The long stuff was loaded, then the wood kept in storage in Hamilton was loaded.

On site

The old wood was stored in the basement while the walls were constructed.

Geothermal

Outside the geothermal bed was being prepared.

East Porch

The east porch has a concrete base, so that was poured.

Windows

Meanwhile in Paris Ontario the windows were taken apart by one of the geniuses of restoration Drew Skuce of PSC Heritage Restoration.

It takes a special mind set and a special touch and that medieval respect for materials and craftsmanship to make a seriously rotted old window look better than new. The final product is stunning.

You will not find a better, more honest, more knowledgeable restoration expert than Andrew Skuce. His colleague Cole is wonderful too.

North Elevation

The only phrase to describe this valance is Over The Top. The whole house is filled with such gems.

The Second Floor

Wanting to use as much restored material as possible, the carpenters and site manager managed to place the old ceiling joists into position.

The Second Floor

These beams are as straight and strong as they ever were.

South

From the south side, the building looks a lot bigger.

Chimney

One of the stars of the project is a local mason Bree Blaker and his trusty aid Ryan. I asked for a Georgian chimney. I got a Georgian chimney.

Fireplace

I asked for a Rumford fireplace, I got Rumford Fireplace. Notice how the front edge of the brick is cut perfectly, in proper Regency style.

Spring

IN the spring, a group of students from the Building Renovation Department volunteered to come up and put the front doors in. Here Travis Pede, who was a ring leader, screws in the side of the outer door.

Windows

The windows were reinstalled one by one. They look breathtaking. The problem now is to see if the other restored materials can come up to the standards required by Drew Skuce of paradigm Shift who did this window.

The installers

These wonderful guys really deserve a better photo than this. Thanks a million to

Travis Pede

Brendan Bellchamber

Luc Seguin

Tim Swartzenburg

Sean McVey and

Nick Schaeffer

Front Door

The door opening had to be prepared before the door could be put in. Tim is more or less in charge, but they all know what they are doing.

Restoration

Spencer Smith was part of the first group of Mohawk College students who took down the original Grove. He was part of the crew putting up the frame in the main hallways and the beams between the first and second floors. He helped to put on the upper roof, and he restored this window while in Drew Skuce's shop. Here he stands proudly in front of it.

South

The windows were reinstalled one by one. They look breathtaking. The problem now is to see if the other restored materials can come up to the standards required by Drew Skuce of paradigm Shift who did this window.

Masonry

Bree Blaker and his father Aubrey from Blaker Custom Masonry did all the brick and concrete work. They are honest, dependable, and clearly skilled. The guys who are assisting, Ryan and Mike, are also terrific and easy to work with.

The exterior stucco,the chimneys, and the four fireplaces are done by Bree.

Windows and Doors

When you are restoring an older property, there will be window and door salespeople trying to get you to replace your wooden windows. They will tell you that the new windows are more energy efficient and will save you money.

Time after time, tests prove that old wooden windows with storms are WAY more efficient than any new window. If they aren't, why is a major portion of any condo fee set towards replacing the windows and doors?

Restore your old ones. They will last at least another 200 years. Get Drew Skuce and Barry from Paradigm Shift Customs to do the work. They did all of mine.

Cabinets

Between the finsh clapboard and the interior lath and plaster, the more expensive houses had a sheet of 'windbreak' wood. These were rough hewn sheets, 18, 20, even 24 inches wide and 1 to 2 inches thick.

Bob Crockford of Valley City Manufacturing was kind enough to plane these boards for me. Ron Wyile of Wyldwood Cabinetmakers made them into kitchen cabinets.

Bathroom Sink

Then Ron Wyllie and his son Andrew took rough 200 year roofing members, planed part of them, polished the rest, and added a porcelain sink and last week's cutting edge waterfall faucet.

It's too great.

Wyldewood Cabinetmakers is a small shop outside Burlington Ontario. Ron is one of the most delightful, well informed, honest, and talented people I know. His specialty is kitchens and bathrooms, but he also love antique wood things.

Wyldewood doesn't have a website but his number is available upon request.

Carpentry

After the first two sets of idiots had messed up the roof, the local Rona in Trenton - always a source of good information - recommended Aaron Pierce of Pierce Construction out of Frankford. While the first two sets of dummies complained that "it can't be done" and "it would never work", Aaron simply looked at the drawings, took apart the mess that the first guys had made, and reconstructed the frame then installed the coffered soffits and lamb's tongue brackets perfectly.

Aaron swept in a couple of other times to fix up messes and set things straight. If Aaron had been in charge of the project, it would have finished on time and under budget. Unfortunately he was pretty booked up when I met him, but still managed to save the day a few times.

Stairs

The Finish Carpentry students at Mohawk made these stairs for me. then I hired two graduates to put them in.

Alex Brearley and Jeff harding of Twin Carpentry did a fabulous job.

The Waterfall

Part of the appeal of a Regency Cottage is the picturesque landscaping.

I know there are good landscaping companies in the Belleville area, but I needed 'art'. The best waterfall maker in the country is John Albas. He makes the garden feature look as if it has always been there. there is never anything arificial looking.

John Albas and his crew of J.Williams Landscaping out of Ancaster Ontario spent two days moving the rocks around and making a bog so that next summer a swimming pond with natural filters will be part of the landscape.

The Waterfall

Without cutting any of the rocks, John and his crew made them look as if they had been part of the natural landscape

Next summer, this will be amazing. I have worked with John before, as have some of my friends, and you simply cannot get a better guy for landscaping, outdoor kitchens, outdoor pools and patios, and overal garden effects.

For Everything else, Wayne Robertson

Prince Edward County is lucky to have a well rounded building resource named Wayne Robertson. He can do anything and he does it for a good price, no whining, no drama, no problems. He figures it out and does it.

Over the past six months Wayne has installed ceramic tile, installed faux marble panels, installed historic doors and windows, repaired door surrounds and jambs, installed 200 year old flooring, fixed the insulation, set up the washer dryer, completed the exterior wood finish, installed lamb's tongues and coffered soffits and generally saved the day. The Gryphon would not be completed without him. He is probably the most honest guy in the county. He works out of Carrying Place. I will gladly give his number to anyyone interested.

Woodstock

A brilliant example of a Regency Cottage is Captain Drew's Cottage, now called Rathbourn, in Woodstock. The house was constructed in the 1830s with wood salvaged from the ship that brought Captain Drew and his crew to British North America. Nearby Saint Paul's church was constructed at the same time, along with 500 foot underground tunnel that was used for the next thirty years as part of the Underground Railway.

Woodstock

Slaves would arrive at the church then disappear down to the basement of Captain Drew's house from whence they would be placed in local farms for a month or so until paperwork could be supplied that granted them freedom from their new ‘owners'.

The house was slightly bedraggled until the current owners purchased it and completely renewed it saving the original structure and refreshing the wall finishes, bad paint jobs and the odd structural tick that needed attention.

The terrace on this Regency extends around most of the perimeter. It provides a beautiful walkway around the house as well as lovely lighting within the rooms.

Woodstock

The distance between Woodstock and Ancaster is about 50 miles, or 80 kilometers. A horse can travel about 15 miles in a day, which is why most small towns in Ontario are about 7 miles apart. The horse can get in to market, then get home. No further.

This house was about four day's journey from Ancaster. Notice how the front doorway, the front hallway, and the mantel below are almost exactly the same as the detailing in the Ancaster house below.

Historians are now discussing why this was. The house in Ancaster was also made with what appear to be ship's timbers. This house definitely was.

I think there is a good story here.

Woodstock

Notice how both the mantel and the background colour are the same as those in Ancaster .