Sandy Hill heritage building, once the residence of Billy Bishop and later the Italian Embassy:
- Interior restoration of brick and stone work
- Exterior foundation repoint and drainage board application
- Stone replacements
The building is now held by Lama Holdings. Much of the building has undergone detailed restoration preserving the heritage of the building and has been converted into office space.
Solid Masonry was asked to help in the restoration of the stone and brick work in the basement which was also going to be converted into office space.
All stone walls were carefully cleaned of mortar smeared over the face of the stones. The walls were repointed as they would be left exposed. The brick work was repaired were necessary and rebuilt in other areas to allow for new lintels. The brick was also left exposed creating a beautifully rich and warm space.
After completion of the interior project it was later discovered that there was water leaking into the basement. The owner asked Solid Masonry to come back to look after the exterior below grade stone work. 80 feet of wall was excavated, repointed and covered with drainage board. No sealer was used on the wall since the traditional masonry requires breathability. A sealer prevents this breathability and permanently damages the stone. It is also not required. The owner was very pleased to report after a few heavy rainstorms that the water issue was eliminated.
One of the basement windows had stone sills and mullions that were cracked and needed replacement. Our trusted associates Smith and Barber Sculptural Atelier http://smithandbarber.ca.s42870.gridserver.com/ were asked to do the stone cutting. Solid Masonry carefully shored up wall above and expertly replaced 5 stones for the window.
