Historic Preservation Commission Faces Tough Call

Huntley Historic Preservation Commissioners faced a tough call when asked to approve the use of vinyl on a landmark home owned by someone who loves historic preservation as much as they do_ a fellow commissioner.

“My home is a landmark home here in town. It is very nice and I’m very proud of it,” Donna Britton said during a public hearing this week. Britton is chairman of the commission. “But in terms of taking care of (painting) it, I can’t afford $30,000 every five years to paint my house.”

Commissioner Lonnie Oldham was acting chairman for the recent meeting where Britton asked the commission for a certificate of appropriateness to to do work on the exterior of her home at 10802 Woodstock St. The home is known as the “Hoy House” and was owned by a prominent banking family in Huntley and McHenry County.

Homeowners with landmark homes and homes in the village’s historic district must get a certificate approved by the commission before making changes to the home. The idea is to preserve the historical traits of the homes.

The issue with Britton’s home is her plan to replace windows and to use vinyl to cover the historic home’s exterior clapboards. The wood is so old that it doesn’t seem to hold paint, Britton said, adding she has painted the home in the past only to have it start peeling right away.  She said the wood has also started to rot in some parts. The estimate for painting the home range from $30,000 to $50,000, she said.

“I have to do something,” Britton said.

She has been doing research and found a contractor in Woodstock who uses a type of vinyl that she feels will not alter the look to the home too much.

“I know it’s a landmark home. At this point, we don’t have landmarks that have vinyl,” Britton said. “I can’t afford to maintain it at this paint price.”

Commissioners looked over photos of the materials Britton wants to use and talked about the pros and cons of vinyl.

“It’s a hard position to be in because it’s one of those things if we say yes to this, how can we draw a line?” Commissioner Karen Rocks said. “There are so many variables of it. How do you draw a line to allow vinyl siding for this house and not for that house?”

“We’ve never done this before,” Rocks said.

Britton’s application provided a good learning process and helped make the board more aware of the village’s ordinances concerning historic restoration and landmark homes, Commissioner Deb Waters said, adding the ordiannces were vague. Waters questioned whether siding is considered an architectural feature.

Vinyl is different than what it was in the 1960s or 1970s, Britton said.

“I think they’ve come a long way,” she said. “As a commissioner, I need to look at what is available for the homeowner and what it would cost to people to maintain (the landmark homes). I know we, as a commission, are interested in historical and original (restoration) but at some point, if it is cost prohibitive what could we tell a family who comes before us?”

The historic commission approved the certificate by a vote of  3-1, with Rocks voting no. Britton said she understands the tough call the commissioners faced.

Britton hopes to start the project in the fall then complete it next spring.