If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth giving it 100%, that is the motto of Derek Thomson, of Ho Ho Designs, who recently won an award for craftsmanship from the Aberdeen Civic Society.
He won the accolade for his work on repairing and restoring 30 original sash and case windows at a family home in Rubislaw Den South.
Derek explained that he had previously done some work for the family to their floors and was asked to return a short while after to take a look at their windows.
The windows themselves are antique and an original version of a sash and case tilt and turn window, a design which allows the window to be turned for cleaning. It is thought that the windows are one of only two examples of this design left in Scotland, the others being in Edinburgh.
The owners had already had work done to them but Derek discovered it had not been carried out properly. Filler had been used to patch up rotten sections of the window and then simply painted over.
Working with Aberdeen Heritage Trust, Derek repaired and restored the 30 windows, which involved removing the rotten parts and splicing in new sections over nine months.
It was for the care and attention, plus the skill used, that Derek was awarded the accolade, which is the second time he has won the title.
He said: “I’ve worked in this profession for so long now that it has become a passion. And I believe that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing 100%. You shouldn’t be able to see the repair when it’s done. The sign of a good restoration is when it doesn’t look like it’s been touched.”
That’s certainly the case here. Now the windows in this family home in Rubislaw look as good as they would have when they were first introduced.
Derek added: “You see people in these big houses and they have a certain feeling about it because maybe their windows need done or their doors need restoring. But once the work is done, it totally transforms how they feel about the house, and then transforms their lives in it.
“There is great satisfaction in authentic restoration and it is also about keeping traditional skills alive. Joiners nowadays don’t learn those kind of skills. Everything comes in a kit nowadays, even your doors are pre-hung.”
He explained that in England, having original features in a home was a selling point but that feeling had only started to return in Scotland. For many years, mostly down to following fashion trends, people began stripping houses of traditional features and replacing them with modern alternatives.
While owners may be coming back round to retaining these original features again, Derek said
for many it is already too late.
He said: “Sadly for those houses which have been stripped, it’s too late. So for those who do live in traditional houses, they need to ensure they keep them looking their best so
they survive another 100 years.
“Ensuring features such as doors and windows are looking their best adds to the overall look of a building. We can say we should be proud of our granite but if the other features surrounding it are looking rubbish it won’t matter. They go hand in hand.”