Build Stratford Blog

Wrapped up and ruined.

3/20/2014

It's a shame when a historic structure is permanently ruined in the name of energy efficiency. This two storey home has been wrapped in a blanket of urethane foam insulation and then covered with vinyl siding. The original brick and it's appropriate and pleasing detail is irreparably damaged, and what it is being covered with will not last half as long or look half as good.

Insulating from the inside is a more sensible approach, it allows for upgrading of wiring and other services at the same time. Add in the unsympathetic style of window, the bland color of siding and the fact the foam insulation has lost R-value from being exposed to UV radiation for more than two months and this just goes from really bad to really sad.

Rory McDonnell is a General Contractor, Licensed Carpenter and Architectural Designer with Build, a construction firm in Stratford, Ontario, specializing in new custom homes and renovations.

2 Comments

John Roberts

10/24/2014 02:23:03 am

Hi my name is John, I am a licenced Carpenter/Contractor, as well, I hold an engineering degree. I would first like to say that I drive by this property on a daily basis and think what they have done to this place is night and day from what it did look like. I appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this place and I understand its a work in progress. It's hard to judge something thats not completed but I cant say enough about the work that has been completed to this point. I do know It's pretty hard to tell the quality of work and whats been done to both the inside and outside through the lens of a camera. I also disagree with almost everything you say in your blog regarding this propery, but to each its own, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Rory

10/24/2014 09:04:39 am

John,
Thank you for your comments. As you say we all get to have an opinion, and one of the purposes of my blog is to try and preserve old buildings. While what they have done may have a pleasing look of "newness" right now, there is simply no way that the loss of the appropriate masonry exterior is justified, in my opinion. The new siding will not last as long, and the loss of the masonry detailing (ie. the arch above the front ground floor window) is a shame. I am all for improving the energy efficiency of buildings, but there are more sympathetic ways to do this. I suppose my point about leaving the urethane exposed for so long is that its counterproductive to the goal of improving the home's energy efficiency. That being said I wouldn't be surprised if both the owners and the contractor are unaware that exposed urethane foam loses R value when exposed to UV radiation for an extended period of time. I suppose that once the decision to install siding was made, the style, color, detailing, etc. could be more sympathetic to the homes architectural style - but at that point the exterior is irreversibly damaged.
Regards,
Rory

Rory McDonnell

I am a licensed carpenter,
an experienced general contractor, and a qualified architectural designer. My expertise is in building, restoring, and renovating new custom homes and heritage homes with respect for their inherent details.

I want to share with you my impressions of the good, the bad and the ugly in the construction and renovation industry.

Wrapped up and ruined.

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Rory McDonnell

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