Reproduction specialist revives mid-1800s style in houses that provide 21st—century amenities

Jul 14, 2007 04:30 AM
Diane Sewell
Special to the Star

STRATFORD–When Paul Howley began designing and making millwork in the early 1970s, his rate was $3 an hour. That was about half what other people were asking at the time, but he was eager for the work – and he found plenty of it.

More than 30 years later, Howley Design has earned the distinction of being one of Stratford's premier design and build company, known for its emphasis on top-of-the-line custom work commissioned by a discerning and largely educated clientele that wants the best and is willing to pay a premium for it.

The company still does custom millwork, but has also added custom furniture, built-in cabinets, kitchen design, renovations and additions to its repertoire.

Howley Design also makes houses. What sets Howley's houses apart from many other new houses is the attention to detail, high-quality workmanship and the obvious reverence for classic architecture.

And his signature homes are easy to spot: They're new, but they really look old.

"Stratford has such a strong architectural heritage. I'd take the dog for a walk and study these old houses and try to figure out what makes them so pleasing," explains Howley, 54, who is self-taught and has a Grade 12 education.

"I realized that their mathematical proportions have been worked out over hundreds and hundreds of years and they just work, for whatever reason. And why change that? Why reinvent the wheel?"

Howley grew up in Woodstock, Ont. and taught himself millwork by reading all kinds of books on the subject, by carefully studying how old furniture was made and by learning from his mistakes.

Today, he applies the same thorough research skills and discerning eye to home building. He adapts the proportions, details and architectural styles of older homes, but adds the modern amenities people expect today; things like finished basements, built-in stereo and TV cabinets, and large, modern kitchens.

Of the 30 houses he's built so far, almost half are copies of old classics – mostly the Ontario Cottage, a 1 1/2-storey symmetrical house style that was popular from the 1830s to the 1870s.

One outstanding characteristic of the Ontario Cottage is the fact it's always much larger on the inside than it looks from the outside, in part because of the high ceilings, usually nine or 10 feet high.

Howley, who has an extensive library and is a voracious reader of architectural and design magazines, says a major benefit of the Ontario Cottage design was it fooled the 19th-century taxman since he based his assessment on the appearance of the house from the street, not realizing how misleading that was.

Howley built his first house in 1988 – for himself. It's a 2,400-square- foot Ontario Cottage that didn't get its expansive front porch until eight years ago, when he could afford it.

"People thought we were going to spoil the house putting it on," he recalls, "but once they saw it finished they actually liked the house better."

Porches, he believes, are important transitional spaces that add a social element, as well as an aesthetic feature, to most homes. The problem with many new houses, he points out, is they often don't have porches at all and when they do, they're far too small. "It's so great to sit on an old-fashioned porch big enough for a couch."

Howley's houses normally cost between $150 and $250 per square foot and his design fee is roughly 5 per cent of the total. So far, the houses have ranged from 1,200 to 4,600 square feet.

Most tend to have large kitchens and an open concept floor plan. He also advises clients to include "flex space," which means a room has a dual purpose.

A TV room, for example, can become a guest room with the addition of a pull-out couch and pocket French doors.

Judy and Bill Preston, of Stratford, contracted Howley to design and build their Ontario Cottage in 2000. With two grown children off on their own, the couple decided to sell their large, 1905 five-bedroom, three-storey home with an in-ground pool. They wanted to build something small and new – but with the character of an older home.

"We didn't want a house that looked brand new," says Judy, an event planner and decorator, "but we did want the amenities a new house could offer. We love the cove moulding and all the classical features of this house, but we also love the convenience and look of the built-in cupboards and cabinets.

"Paul's houses are very traditional-looking, yet bright, clean and airy, and extremely functional. Outside they look old, but there's almost a modern edge to them inside. It's a fabulous mix."

Judy and her husband Bill, a financial planner, also opted for a finished basement. In all, they have roughly 1,490 square feet of finished space on each floor.

Like most of the other reproduction houses, the Preston's Ontario Cottage is made of reclaimed brick, which, as Howley puts it, "has a look you just can't get from the new stuff."

Most of the reclaimed red brick he uses comes from demolished Detroit factories, but it can come from any old building as long as it's not too badly damaged. It has not been difficult to find, he says.

Howley's new old-style houses blend nicely into heritage districts, which the neighbours tend to appreciate. (He has also won an award from Heritage Stratford for his restoration work.)

So far, modern building codes haven't posed any real problems, since his reproduction homes are really "adaptations" of old houses and can therefore be accommodating to new rules, such as higher porch railings.

"Every company has its niche," points out Howley, emphasizing that it's the "seamless package" that has helped grow the business and expand his client base over the years.

That means from concept to completion Howley Design is in charge of the project. He insists that this is the linchpin that ensures a quality end product.

He now has six full-time employees and sub-contracts out the work the company doesn't do itself, like plumbing and electrical.

He credits Rory McDonnell, who runs the contracting side of the business, and Paul Cooper, who oversees the millwork shop, for maintaining the quality workmanship his company is known for. And that leaves Howley free to do what he does best: design.

So important is the end product to Howley that at one point he added a clause in his contracts that specified a house had to be built on the outside exactly the way he designed it – no last-minute modifications by the owners.

"That's because 99.9 per cent of the people only see it from the outside and my name's on it. I always work closely with my clients, but some things I take a very hard line on."

Howley believes a lot of new houses attempt to capture the charm of old homes with simple ornamentation, but they fail because the overall quality, design and attention to detail is lacking.

"You can't take an ordinary house and glue on some plastic gingerbread and expect it to have Victorian charm. It just doesn't work."

Howley builds only in the Stratford area.

For more information check Howley's website: howleydesign.com.