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Jim F. Hope: keeping Orangeville’s historic buildings beautiful

July 8, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Jas. F Hope Construction Ltd. has been based in Orangeville for 40 years, with Jim F. Hope being the fourth-generation owner and his son will eventually be the fifth.

He told the Citizen, “I am the only person who does historical restorations. My father built CIBC banks.”

Although Jas. F. Hope Construction was Est. 1954, the family has been in the building business much longer than that.

“My father [also] built houses. I took it over in ’83. We do interiors and we are losing some heritage homes, due to the pressure from the Ontario Government to do density on some lots,” he said.

Of specific interest to Jim Hope is the improvement to heritage buildings.

“We do historical store fronts on Broadway,” he pointed out. “I’ve done more store fronts on Broadway than anyone else.”

Mr. Hope is the creative side of the business. He does the designs for the pieces they use to install beautiful new elements on older buildings.

“The guy who does my turning changed his Facebook cover to our work,” he said. “When I bring him something, I design the turnings. He’s a wood guy but we’ve had many people say we have no competition. I do it ’cause I love it.”

While still in junior high in Toronto, he was building boats and gun cabinets. When he was only 19, the Federal government hired Mr. Hope to teach underprivileged youth on a two-year program: home renovations and repairs. Sometimes, he was frequently younger “than the guys I was teaching,” as he put it. “These were kids that had no direction.”

The government funded programs were good because they could do work for seniors or people with low income, while teaching.

“I started teaching at $6 an hour for labour, while we were renovating or fixing seniors’ places. When the funding kicked in, that $6 charge stopped and I just had to charge for material.”

After the two years, the programs were withdrawn but the experience told Jim Hope that he loved to teach and he has continued to do so all his professional life, within the framework of his own business.

Later, the CIBC wanted to hire him to take over from his father. He turned them down and bought his father’s company in 1983. Even though he had built a reputation for his work in heritage houses, he left Toronto and came up to Mono in 1993 to build a house, in which he and his family continue to live.

He said, “I’m still teaching young guys because they work for me. My days now are just about teaching. I’ve taken co-ops for years.”

Of Jim and his wife Sarah’s three children, the eldest son, carrying the family name of James Frederick, is in line to eventually own the business.

“I’ve been teaching him for seven years. So, he’s taking over a business that goes back to my grandfather who built bridges and buildings in Saskatoon. Then, my dad came here in the Depression.” He even knew: “My great grandfather in Boston was a shoe maker who shipped shoes all over North America. There is a family tradition of caring for the excellence of your work that’s lasted 100 years.”

Like a true inheritance, their son won the golden metal in Dufferin County in a wood working competition, through the school system. He won at ODSS and the county to represent Dufferin in Ontario and came 17th, amongst many entrants.

“You do need some aptitude,” his father observed. “It can’t all be taught.”

Mr. Hope does not really know why he loves the heritage homes and buildings. Early on, he used to work on turn-of-the-Century houses and somehow, his reputation grew

“When I came here, nobody knew me. Somebody has to give you the opportunity and you go from there.”

About his workers over the years, he had lots to say: “I’ve been very blessed with the guys that work for me. I can’t say enough about the people who work for me.

“There’s one guy who works for me and he’s absolutely awesome; he goes off to work for himself and comes back: it’s not an easy thing running your own business.

“There are some troubled guys that I teach and you’re not just teaching them building, you’re teaching them life as well. A lot of guys don’t care – they’re just making money and I’m not interested in that. My job is to teach perfection and that’s important; that and a good stable home.”

He remarked, “These guys are awesome.”

Some of the family history that made the man: “My mother died at 58. I’m the baby of six and my mom died when I was young. My step mother, Freda, nurtured and gave me the care that I needed for a stable home life.

“My father’ s mom had to give him up because she couldn’t afford to feed him through the Depression. So, [as an adult] he worked so hard, almost to an obsession. He worked from 5am to 11pm and when the bank asked me to take over, I said I never saw my father and I didn’t want that for my kids.

“My wife, Sarah, is an EA [Educational Assistant] with Upper Grand and she’s awesome.”

He mentioned he was an agent for the OSPCA for five years: another passion.

We talked a bit about the future of the family tradition: “I’ll probably never retire.

“My job now is to teach the young kids so they can carry on because what we do is nearly a lost art. They’re learning you have to be able to blend the old with the new and you have to strive to be as close to perfection as possible. Heritage recognition [designation] means just the façade. You can still renovate your bathroom. And people should know that ‘heritage’ just protects the building from being lost. We’re losing our history because people don’t understand that and they hesitate to get a designation. People love the old buildings; people want to buy on Zina Street and, yes, they cost more because you’re trying to keep it.”

Jas. F. Construction Ltd does everything for the house (including decks) but “ten times pickier. You still get the joys of good work from the feedback.”

Almost joking, he said, “There’s a slight control thing here – [my son will] likely get the [ownership of the business] on my death bed.”

At our request, Sarah Hope was pleased to speak us, to round out the family dynamics. She has a degree in religious studies and wanted to be a hospital chaplain.

“Things changed,” she remarked philosophically, “I got married and had kids; stayed home with the kids and now I love being an EA.

“Jim took over his dad’s business,” she continued, “and his dad was James F. We agreed our son would be named after his grandfather. The boy did well with wood working. The other two boys don’t do that: one is a vet’s assistant and the other is just finishing his commercial pilot’s license.”

For her husband: “I’d like to see Jim be able to let go a little bit – he loves [to] do the historic renovations. I want to see him fulfilled. I want him to know that he’s made his mark.”

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