Brian Marshall, Author at Niagara Now

Arch-i-text: Historic paint and colour

Paint of the 18th and 19th centuries was a different critter than its modern equivalent. And paint colours were not the muted conservative tones that many folks associate with historic homes. To begin at the

Arch-i-Text: A happy home?

Liveability is a word I use a great deal when speaking to residential design. In fact, I am fairly confident that the clients who enlist my consulting services may grow tired of

Arch-i-text: Evolution of shutters

If you were able to walk down many streets of an 18th- or early 19th-century English town or city, one of the things which could strike your 21st-century sensibilities as odd might be

Arch-i-text: They have to breathe

Last week we looked at one of the types of perhaps well-intentioned, but definitely uninformed alterations that result in damage to historic masonry. Continuing in that vein, and much more common during the

Arch-i-text: It all works together

Was your old house built before 1900? If so, it’s almost certain that the basement foundation was constructed with lime mortar; a completely different critter than today’s Portland mortars. The master mason working on

Arch-i-Text: They liked to move it

When I first began studying Niagara’s architecture in preparation for writing the “Heirloom Guide to Architectural House Styles” (online: www.heirloomhomeguide.ca), I was struck by the number of historic houses and buildings that had

Arch-i-text: The ‘Everymans’ House

You see them sprinkled across Niagara-on-the-Lake and, indeed, across Ontario. Some are one storey, others a storey and a half. There are those with hip roofs, with end gable roofs and with a gable

Arch-i-text: NOTL before the war

Over the past few weeks, we have visited a number of homes here in Niagara-on-the-Lake that escaped the American torch in 1814. In doing so, my mind has a tendency to consider what our

Arch-i-text: Another Secord survivor

As I mentioned in last week’s column, Peter Secord, apparently despairing of ever receiving a grant, left Niagara in 1793. However, his absence did not halt the glacially slow wheels of government from proceeding onward

Arch-i-text: Peter Secord house among the first

When the first Loyalists mustered out of militia regiments like Butler’s Rangers in late 1779 and early 1780, the Crown had not developed any plan for their resettlement. While it was generally accepted

Arch-i-text: A family legacy

In the 18th century, even the most successful craftsman could not become a wealthy man from his trade; certainly comfortable, but never in a position to leave a legacy to their children. And

Arch-i-text: Pride of Place

No war has commenced with a neat line that divided people on one side or the other. In fact, history shows that usually there is a hard-core group at either extreme while the

Arch-i-text: Survivors of 1812

The occupation of Niagara by the Americans during the War of 1812 irrevocably altered the built landscape. Destruction of homes and commercial buildings, particularly during the final months of that war, was an

Arch-i-text: Chautauqua on the lake

In 1874, on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in New York, the Methodist minister John Vincent (in partnership with entrepreneur Lewis Miller) opened an outdoor summer education program for adults. The concept was

Arch-i-text: Doing the right thing wrong

Sometimes the undertakings of government leave me confused. Take, for example, the recent draft bylaw addressing garage setbacks introduced by town council on Feb. 3. In what I am sure was a well-intentioned attempt

Arch-i-text: The contract

Brian Marshall Featured With design plans in-hand, completing the quotation process is relatively straight-forward. The short-listed contractors don’t have to guess at the scope-of-work, it’s there in front of them. Do not be

Arch-i-text: A design for quotation

The old saying that goes “Anything is possible provided you throw enough money at it” is perhaps nowhere more appropriate than during a renovation. Given that one is able to get building permits,

Arch-i-text: Short-listing the pros

Now that we’ve met with the potential contractors, it’s time to check the references (a minimum of three) they provided you with. In last week’s column I suggested these should represent projects the contractor

Arch-i-text: Prepping for a team

A wise man once told me that the best result is always generated through the combined effort of a cohesive, talented team. Time and again, this statement has proven itself valid on projects

Arch-i-text: Do your reno groundwork

Even under the best circumstances, renovation projects often have a tendency to expand. Almost inevitably there is “job creep” that occurs as the work reveals hidden issues that require additional labour and materials to

Arch-i-text: Considering a reno?

Several times in the past few weeks I am asked for advice concerning the best approach to a renovation. While multiple television renovation shows have focused on raising our level of concern that

Arch-i-text: English cottage

When an Arts & Crafts house is mentioned in North America one thinks of Craftsman or Prairie designs, but these expressions were late-comers to a tradition founded in England decades earlier. While John

Arch-i-text: A colourful history

For some reason there is a commonly held opinion that the homes of our immigrant ancestors were boring and somewhat sombre places. When asked to visualize the colours used in early 19th-century houses,

Arch-i-text: The saga of the Christmas candle

Christmas in the Town of Niagara during the late 18th and early 19th century was absent many of the practices we follow today. One attended church in the morning, possibly place holly or

Arch-i-text: Compromising the Ranch

To suggest that urban developers didn’t care for ranch bungalows might be an understatement. The Ranch, requiring a lot with at least 90 feet of frontage and a depth sufficient for backyard entertaining,

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