Honeywood (Dr A.J. Porter) Heritage Nursery near Parkside was a recipient of a $5,000 grant from the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation. This funding assisted the organization with the purchase and installation costs of nine windows in the original Porter log house.
"Renovations or upgrades made to a provincial heritage site must initially be approved by the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation," explained Honeywood manager Judy Harley.
The challenge comes when upgrades are to resemble the original structure, or as close as possible upon approval. This stipulation can be costly, especially when confronted with structural restoration such as with window installation.
"The challenge was locating windows to fit the original openings without having to alter the original structure too much," says Harley, indicating the new metal clad wood frame windows were installed, insulated and framed.
The overall cost of the project was in excess of $10,000. The grant covered half of the projected cost while Honeywood Nursery was responsible for obtaining the remaining $5,000. Another generous donation by faithful supporter, Malcolm Jenkins, contributed to the $5,000 required by the heritage site.
Since the nursery's designation in 2001, the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation and its grant program has been instrumental in preserving and restoring both buildings and the grounds of the site. The financial aid and advice of the foundation experts has contributed to the preservation of the site for future generations.
"The completion of the window replacement is just one more step in the preservation process," concluded Harley.
Honeywood Heritage Nursery has had some major restoration projects conducted to the original log home. Previous projects have included the repair and re-shingling of the roof in 2001 as well as the replacement of the rotting logs on the north side; the wooden teleposts in the basement were replaced in the winter of 2010 and in 2011 numerous repairs were made to the exterior.
For more information about Honeywood (Dr A.J. Porter) Heritage Nursery and its events visit www.honeywood-lilies.ca
