Heartland Millworks

Kelowna custom millwork for staircase banister.

Kelowna has plenty of new construction all around our great city, but we also boast some elegant older homes that may or may not have been designated as Heritage Homes. You might hear the word “Character Home” also used to refer to older homes and wonder, what’s the difference between a Character Home and a Heritage Home?

Character and Heritage homes are both pre-1950 built homes that maintain many original details like hardwood, covered ceilings, stained glass windows, hardware, moulding or other unique features. What sets a Heritage Home apart is that it has been designated, either provincially or municipally, as having particular significance to social and architectural history. As such, they are preserved and protected.

If you have purchased a Character or Heritage Home, you may find there is work to be done, especially in kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and other wood features.

While there are companies which specializes in heritage renovations, creating Okanagan custom woodcraft and millwork is our specialty. It is not necessary to search far out of town for companies that advertise or work only in the heritage sector. What you need is someone who understands the design principles necessary for the work and who knows how to use the appropriate millwork tools and machinery to make it happen!

Kelowna custom millwork staircase.

Cove moulding is the trim used where the ceiling and the wall meet. It was a very popular home feature when character or heritage homes were built. Often, the reason people turn to heritage specialists is they think they are the only ones who can provide these unique wood moulds. In reality, creating a template of the older moulding and then recreating it using the appropriate millwork machinery is a process that requires expertise in millwork and that an expert Kelowna millworker can do. We have successfully and seamlessly blended new cove moulding and trim in with original wood.

Furniture pieces, wall paneling, wainscoting, doors and window casings are other areas of the home where character or heritage homes benefit from our expertise. We can tie together unique design aspects throughout all of these areas so the home has a cohesive restored feel.

In one of our Kelowna heritage home projects, we took the unique look of the windows and incorporated it into a few of the doors on the kitchen cabinetry. The result was stunning and really customized the kitchen.

The most important feature you want from your Kelowna custom millworker for your heritage project is someone who has a good design eye to see how different features can be tied together, then has the skills to make it happen with a fit and finish to take the home into the next century.