Ontario government selling 3 heritage homes between Guelph and Kitchener

A heritage home at a relatively cheap price might sound like a dream in the current real estate market, but it could be a reality for motivated buyers.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has three stone farmhouses for sale on properties between Kitchener and Guelph, but there is a catch — you have to move them.

"These heritage buildings are on properties that were required for construction of the new Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph. The ministry needs that property to build the highway, but we're offering these buildings for resale and relocation in order to hopefully increase the chance that they can be conserved," Liane Fisher, communications co-ordinator for the ministry's west region office in London, told CBC News.

"They are houses that, during our environmental assessment process, we kind of identified as having some local, heritage value. When that's the case, we don't want to go to demolition as a first option, we want to find ways to conserve these buildings."

'Complex process'

There is one two-storey stone house dating to the 1860s along with two stone houses from the 1850s that are one-and-a-half storeys.

The ministry isn't saying exactly where the properties are located because they are worried about people trying to enter the vacant homes, but once a person expresses interest, that person will receive more information.

An interested buyer must then submit a proposal about how they would move the home, and that proposal also has to include information about which insured moving contractor they have retained and assurances they are meeting all municipal requirements to move the house.

"It can be a complex process moving a 150-year-old stone house," Fisher said.

The ministry may be able to provide some compensation, but it's up to buyer to pay for all relocation costs, she said.

"We will consider nominal bids for the houses, too," Fisher added, meaning the house wouldn't necessarily go to the highest bidder, but to the person who could move the house.

Anyone interested in the properties has until Friday to express interest. So far, there have been about 30 inquiries about the buildings, Fisher said.

'Historic qualities'

Although the houses are old, they are not designated as official heritage homes. The Guelph-Eramosa Township heritage committee was made aware of the properties being for sale earlier this year.

Minutes from the committee's March meeting show that while each house "had various historic qualities and values," the process to designate them as historical properties "would be too intensive to complete in a short period of time."

The committee did say it disagreed with any decision to tear down the homes.

Fisher said if the ministry is unable to sell the homes, there are other options for repurposing parts of the houses within the community. Options include reusing stone to build a wall, using parts of the houses in a commemorative installation, or integrating stone into walkways, public spaces or another heritage property.

If sold, the houses will need to be moved by the end of 2017 in order to make way for work that needs to be done to prepare for the new highway, which has been long promised by the province.

Last year, the Guelph Street bridge was widened and Fisher said they will soon be awarding contracts to realign Shirley Avenue and work around the Victoria Street bridge in Kitchener.

Fisher acknowledged the houses need to be moved quickly because "there's a lot of work that has to happen in the near future," including utility relocation.