Restoration Register

Heritage restoration contractors in Kingston and Eastern Ontario

Eastern Ontario has the oldest continuously occupied building stock in the province, and a whole-building restoration here usually means stone, wood and roof all at once, on a structure that has already been repaired badly at least twice. The contractor's job is as much undoing as building.

A restoration contractor working in Kingston, Perth or the Rideau corridor should be able to sequence a project around a municipal heritage permit, work to the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, and tell you plainly which previous interventions are causing the current problems. Cement parging over limestone, sealed basements, asphalt over cedar and vinyl over clapboard are all common here, and reversing them is often the first phase of the job. Ask what share of their work is heritage. In a region this dense with designated property, a genuine restoration practice is a realistic thing to hold out for.

What to ask before you hire

  1. What share of your work is on designated or listed property? In Eastern Ontario you can reasonably insist on a contractor who works in heritage most of the time.
  2. Which previous repairs on this building are causing damage now? A good answer here tells you more than any reference list will.
  3. Who are your subtrades for stone and roofing, and can I check them independently? On a whole-building job the specialists matter more than the general contractor's own crew.
Grant funding

Ottawa funds 50% to $35,000 large and $10,000 residential, Kingston at 50% with no published cap, and Perth offers a tax-based offset. Mississippi Mills is confirmed to run a program but has not published its terms.

Contractors on this page

Also serving this area

Listed in a neighbouring region and covering this one.

Part of

All heritage service pages · Grants by municipality