Heritage Conservation Resources

The heritage conservation toolbox is your source for information, policies and guidelines for cultural heritage resource conservation in Waterloo Region. It has been developed to support heritage property owners, municipal staff and the public in efforts to conserve cultural heritage in the region. The toolbox is a work in progress and will evolve as new resources and information become available or are developed.

Resources for heritage property owners

Practical Conservation Guides for Heritage Properties

The following resources offer conservation tips for heritage property owners:

To provide feedback on these guides, please contact Roxanna Nazarowicz at RNazarowicz@regionofwaterloo.ca

Ontario Heritage Trust: Well-preserved: The Ontario Heritage Foundation's manual of Principles and Practice for Architectural Conservation
The National Trust for Canada: Help for Homeowners
Parks Canada: Building Resilience: Practical Guidelines for the Retrofit and Rehabilitation of Buildings in Canada
Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO): ACO North Waterloo Region Directory of Heritage Practitioners
Old House Journal Online: Repairs and How-To
National Park Service's Technical Preservation Services: Preservation Briefs
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB): Advice for Homeowners

Stylistic information

Ted Ray's inventory of architectural styles of eastern Canada: A Field Guide to Building Watching

Ontario's building styles and architectural terms highlighted in this non-profit educational website: Ontario Architecture

Energy efficiency

Canada's Historic Places Heritage Conservation brief (2007): Durability and Energy Efficiency

REEP Green Solutions is a local provider of home energy efficiency services and host of multiple community projects: REEP Green Solutions

One of REEP Green Solutions' community projects is the REEP House for Sustainable Living located in Kitchener, which provides workshops and weekly tours of the energy efficient heritage home: REEP House for Sustainable Living.

Professional resources

Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP): CAHP Directory of Professionals
ACO: North Waterloo Region Directory of Heritage Practitioners
Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo: Canadian Built Heritage Research Inventory
Carleton University School of Canadian Studies' Heritage Conservation Resource List: General Readings and References
Preservation Directory: Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Links Guide

Policies, planning and guidelines

National Initiatives

Provincial Initiatives

Local Projects and Initiatives

Please note that these resources and references are not all-inclusive. The contents of this list are not recommendations or endorsements made by the Region of Waterloo.