2016 Sneak Peek – Hawison & Kirk Houses

HOWISON HOUSE – AFTER 21 YEARS, THIS HOUSE IS FINISHED!

The owners of this 1893 Victorian Cottage can finally relax and enjoy life in their comfortably elegant home. The last project, replacing the utilitarian 1960s front door with a custom fir door of their own design, was supposed to be the very first project when they purchased this Brow of the Hill jewel in 1995.

The home is named after the original owner, Mary Howison, a widow who commissioned carpenter David Price to build this home and its since demolished twin next door, as income properties.

If you’ve been on the Heritage Homes Tour before, you may recall seeing this decades-long work in progress. In the 1996 tour, the main floor gleamed with refinished original wide plank floors. The front hall walls and stairwell woodwork emerged from under 100 years of paint. The 2000 tour featured a new brick patio, interior mouldings and double-hung windows that actually opened and closed!  2007 saw an elegant, completely renovated front porch and freshly restored walls (some minus 10 layers of wallpaper). This year ties it altogether with a back-to-the-studs kitchen renovation that blends seamlessly with the rest of the 123 year old home and a jewel box of a main floor bathroom.

Exterior house photos:  Paul Fuoco

KIRK HOUSE – FIRST TIME ON THE HERITAGE HOMES TOUR

This lovely and charming colonial style home was built in 1940 as a rental house by the Kirk women who lived in the house next door at 321 Fourth Ave The house mirrors the popular and sought-after Dutch Colonial revival style, featuring a symmetrical façade. It has a side gabled roof, extended shed dormer and entry porch supported by classical columns.

The current homeowners of the Kirk House agreed to be on tour for one reason—to fundraise for the Group of Five & Friends in memory of one of its founding members, the late Shirley Piper, who was a neighbour and inspiration to the homeowners. Piper passed away in April 2014, leaving behind a legacy of community fundraising work.  The G5 is a registered non-profit whose purpose is to raise funds to enhance the quality of life in New Westminster and, in particular, Royal Columbian Hospital. Kirk House is sponsored by the Group of Five & Friends.

SUTHERLAND HOUSE – FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO AN AWARD-WINNING HOME WITH A VIEW

Walter Shaw built two modest, one-storey houses in Glenbrooke North, an area that, by 1931, was transitioning from urban farms and orchards into a leafy residential neighbourhood. His house was torn down in 2013 but its ‘sister’, the George and Elizabeth Sutherland House, gained a second story and a garden path paved with bricks from Walter’s first home. The transformation not only gave the owners a gorgeous upstairs mountain view but a 2013 Royal City Builders Award in the Exterior Renovation category. Sutherland House is sponsored by Wood Be Art. It was featured in our May 7 NWHPS online newsletter

LOVE IT OR LIST IT VANCOUVER COMES BACK TO NEW WESTMINSTER – SEE DEBORA AND PAUL’S HOME ON THE HOMES TOUR

Photo credit: Love It or List It Vancouver; Big Coat Productions

photo credit: Love It or List It Vancouver; Big Coat Productions

Excerpt from Love It or List It Vancouver co-host Jillian Harris’ post (Episode 3073):  Paul loves heritage homes! As a member of the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society, he has great appreciation for the fine craftsmanship and beautiful details in old homes, but his wife Debora doesn’t want to live in a museum. She wants heritage-style in a modern construction. Trouble is, where Debora sees problems, Paul sees potential. He is ready to update their home to unlock the glorious potential of their heritage charmer. What did they choose?

The Gifford House is sponsored by: