Devereaux House Restoration

This 1850s farmhouse is a lovely example of the vernacular architecture of the settlers of Halton. Many original features of the interior remain in good condition, including interior and exterior wood trim, wainscotting, and plaster.

Owned by the Town of Halton Hills as part of a community park development, the Friends of Devereaux House have built support for its restoration and its use as a community meeting facility and soccer club offices.

This project is volunteer-based, and capital funds were raised from the community as well as various Government grants, including the Green Municipal Fund.

In addition to its structural stabilization and restoration of the building envelope, the project demonstrates how “sustainable design” was an integral part of the settler’s approach to home building. Many of those passive sustainable design initiatives are being supplemented by modern technology to provide a sustainable design in our modern day context.

Energy demand reduction, as well as energy efficient supply systems, is combined into the project. On demand hot water heating and occupancy sensors will further reduce energy consumption. A geothermal ground source heating system zoned to respond to the anticipated building use, as well as a drilled well and a biofilter, make this building almost self-reliant. Operationally, the areas of the building not in use will be held at the lowest energy use levels.

This project is an example of how “adaptive re-use” can enable a building no longer suited for its original use to be altered to allow an entirely new use to keep it viable and avoid demolition.

This project has been designated a heritage building.