Lunenburg County Homes Honoured
A straw house, a 150-year-old farm house, and a 19th century style home, in Lunenburg County are among 11 recipients of the Nova Scotia Home Awards.
The awards, which honour excellence in design, construction, renovation and restoration, were presented today in Halifax.
"The owners and the professionals who created these homes deserve this special recognition," said Angus MacIsaac, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. "Their beautiful and innovative homes are enriching their communities and the whole housing industry in Nova Scotia. We can all be proud, and enchanted, by these world-class projects."
The Mahone Bay straw home, owned and designed by Grace McKnight, was built with the same kind of heavy timber frame that was used for barns years ago, when entire wall frames were built on the ground and raised into place. The house was built with as much recycled material, and material from the land, as possible. Stacked straw bales make up the walls, which provide remarkable insulation, and tree pieces are used as stair banisters and trim.
The farm house, located in Lunenburg, was built by Lunenburg boat builder, William Whitney, in 1885. Unfortunately, the decorative wooden trim of the house was removed and the house was covered with aluminum siding in the 1970's. When the present owner, Alan Creaser, bought the home last year, he used a 1920's photograph to recreate the original exterior of the home.
The Watson-Doiron house, also in Mahone Bay, may look like a traditional 19th century style home, but on closer look there are signs of the modern family that lives there. The gables, arches and wide band trims are drawn from the architectural style of the 1800's, apparent in many homes of the area. However, the home's large windows, curved interior and exterior railing, with a carved fish motif, are evidence of today's modern touches.
The Nova Scotia Home Awards encourage the use of technical and design innovation and help to increase public awareness of residential development activity. The awards are sponsored by the provincial departments of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Natural Resources and Tourism and Culture.
"These projects demonstrate how successful people can be in blending the old and new," said Mr. MacIsaac. "New technologies and new designs are being remarkably integrated into buildings that exude the warmth and character of traditional homes."
The homes were judged in five categories: home unit design; home construction or delivery innovation; energy efficiency or alternative energy; home renovation or rehabilitation; and historical restoration.
"Owners, designers and builders who recognize the potential in Nova Scotia's older buildings see not only a home waiting to be restored, but also a story waiting to unfold," said Mr. MacIsaac.
Along with the five category winners and honourable mentions, a special presentation was made to the Halifax- Dartmouth Habitat for Humanity Association. Last summer Halifax-Dartmouth was selected for the Ed Schreyer Work Project, in which volunteers came together to build 10 homes in five days.
Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has been building adequate housing for people in need, in partnership with corporations, foundations, organizations, churches, governments of all levels and individuals. As a result, 315 families in Canada and 73,000 families worldwide have received new homes. The Halifax-Dartmouth affiliate incorporated in 1993 and has built 13 homes to date for Nova Scotia families.
The winners of the Nova Scotia Home Awards can be viewed on the Housing and Municipal Affairs website at www.gov.ns.ca/homa/ .
NOTE TO EDITORS: To find pictures of these award-winning homes, go to the Communications Nova Scotia ftp site. Members of the media can access this site using the following information:
Site: ftp.gov.ns.ca UserID: cns_guest Password: vEw1078K Directory: /cmns/media/homes Files: cat4win.jpg (Montague Street Restoration, Lunenburg, Winner, Category 4, Historical Restoration) cat2hm.jpg (Strawbale Post & Beam House, Zwicker Long Lake, Mahone Bay, Honourable Mention, Category 2, Home Construction or Delivery Innovation) cat1awin.jpg (Watson-Doiron House, Oakland Road, Mahone Bay, Winner, Category 1-A, Home Unit Design)
Information on the homes in the photographs is available; please e-mail <Release@gov.ns.ca.>