Hot off the digital press, our Winter 2013 newsletter! Our quarterly features a complete change of facade to a vintage Stratford home. You don't need to move to have the home of your dreams. An addition can add valuable living space and allow a restructuring of your home to create a more efficient and beautiful environment. 

Although, if you do move, we can assist you in upgrading your new home too. 

Our designer, Catherine, shows a few of our recent classic style bathroom renovations. And Rory talks about the challenges of when your renovation goes wrong.

Check it out!

There are many things to consider when renovating your kitchen or bathroom so organizing your thoughts before meeting us can make the process run more smoothly. 

Take time to consider the style of your home without confusing fads for trends. The best rooms reflect the personalities of their owners while maintaining the integrity of the home's original design. 

Before we meet it may be handy to fill out one of our questionnaires, the Build Kitchen Planner or the Build Bathroom Planner. Collect photos from books and magazines of rooms with your style preferences and we can also open a Houzz ideabook for you to share digital photos with us.

Renovating your home should be a fun prospect, sharing your ideas in an organized way and being part of the process can only make it more fulfilling. If you are unsure of how to select the best design options for your home, our designers at Build can help. 

We have outgrown our current shop digs and have been searching around the city/area for something suitable in the way of shop and office space. Something old and funky like the Kellys Gingernut Pub discovered on a recent trip to Cape Charles, Virginia would be fitting. 

Originally a 1907 bank building, it's nice to see old structures live on to other uses. Modern structures lack the style and wonderful craftsmanship that this Federal style building struts. I was instantly drawn to the ornamentation of the brickwork, the pleasing proportions and the simple but refined shape and scale. 

Alas, it seems Stratford is lacking in fun old industrial space (factories, shops, creameries and blacksmiths shops) perhaps I will need to build my own. If you have any leads on such a space I would love to know about them. Perhaps a list of Stratford's favourite old buildings is in the works.

Take a drive down Cobourg Street in Stratford... two houses side by side sympathetically renovated with appropriate details and colors to support their Gothic Revival heritage... nice to see. Notice how the colourful board and batten siding accentuates the vertical thrust of the walls. The second story dormers add character and curb appeal.

Better yet, take a walk! Stratford's Festival Walk is a self-guided tour of the beautiful homes and buildings en-route to the Festival Theatre beginning at Knox Church. Look for the bronze plaques to identify designated buildings and their original owners. It is amazing to live in a city for over half of your life and not notice the lovely details which make it such a unique place. It really is as easy as taking a leisurely walk.

A recent drive thru the town of Madoc uncovered a wonderful gem of an old stone house. Note to self: always carry the big camera as this photo was taken with my iphone and doesn't do this home justice. 

Wonderful variety and scale in both the stone and wood works, including a quatrefoil pattern in the gable over the door. Love the covered entry and the three bay window as well. The lovely detailed gables echo the Lancet window arches. Generous discounts to prospective clients wanting to replicate this beautiful home.

PS. I am not the only one to admire this house. Notice the cover of this book, Old Ontario Houses, which I just found!

A new feature on our blog will be answers to commonly asked questions from clients. Here is one in reference to the costs of window replacement in relation to energy savings.

Q. We are considering replacing our windows in our home to save on heating and cooling costs. Are new windows a good investment in terms of energy efficiency?

A: New windows are not necessarily a good way to save energy. Many good wood windows are replaced with poor quality (especially vinyl) windows that do not improve the efficiency and do not compliment the house architecturally. 


If you have nicely detailed wood windows that are original to the house, you can repair them and fit wood or aluminum storms. New windows are expensive to supply and install properly, and may have a 20 to 30 year payback! You’re better to spend your upgrade dollars on improving the insulation in your attic and basement and sealing air leaks around your home. Rory

If you have a question for Ask Build email us.

Build has archived all of our past newsletters on issuu.com. Bookmark our library so you can read our past news and our updated newsletters as they are posted. You can also join our mailing list for future newsletters, tips, announcements and promotions.

Houzz is a leading destination site for home design enthusiasts. It is open to professional design/build companies as well as homeowners who need a place on the web to search and archive their ideal home designs. 

Build uses this platform to post ideas for clients, our favourite trends and photos from our own portfolio. There is also a handy button which can be added to your web browser which allows you to "pin" items from other websites to your Houzz page. It is a great resource and completely free! Check out our page on houzz.com.

A holiday drive to the Carolinas, offered a plethora of beautiful houses for inspiration. While certainly not the largest (or widest!) or imposing house we saw in Charleston, this one nonetheless impressed me with it's proportions and simple adornment. 

Notice the shutters done right, the front door with its transom and canopy, and the pleasing texture of the siding. 

Strolling through this neighbourhood had me wondering why our new housing developments can be so poorly planned and full of absolutely ugly houses... we only have to look back to find our inspiration. 

Anyone know of any narrow lots available?

We swung thru Pennsylvania to visit two gems by Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Kentuck Knob, an example of one of his Usonian homes (affordable for the "common" person) which was built into a hillside. This residential home, built in 1956, was one of FLW's last designs. 

Only 4 km, from Kentuck Knob is the iconic, Fallingwater. Designed and built in 1935, it is listed in the Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places to visit before you die. It was so impressive, I would say, see it twice before you die.