The benefits of heritage | The warmth of old houses

A heritage house brings unique well-being and comfort, supporting those who live in it. Testimonies from three women who have chosen to live in these places which do them good.

A house that cares

The day after her breast cancer diagnosis, Élise Bertrand felt deep down that she needed to live in a house that would help her get through this ordeal of life. Clearly, she needed a reassuring haven of peace. “At that time I was living in my partner’s fairly new house. I did not want to experience my illness in an environment that did not suit me,” says this dentist from Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, in Mauricie.

In his mind, only a heritage house could bring him the necessary peace and provide him with refuge in the turmoil. “I have always lived in ancestral homes. My parents restored several of them. It’s part of me, my roots,” she confides.

With his partner Pierre-Luc Denis, M^me Bertrand bought and renovated a pretty house built in 1878, with an attic roof. Above the front door, a projecting bay gives it the appearance of a small school. A large covered gallery, on the side, allows you to rest while admiring the Batiscan River which flows just opposite.

The comforting charm of such a house is in the details, she adds. The imperfect and distorting glass of the old windows, the small triangular cupboard doors or even the hiding place under the first step of the staircase are all marks of love left by all those who came before.

This comfort is contagious, realizes M’s partner^me Bertrand. “He finds that our friends’ dinners are more unifying here. People feel good as soon as they walk through the door. Some told us that they would be willing to sleep on the couch, which they would not do elsewhere. »

And her? Did she find the well-being she was looking for to face her illness? “Yes,” happily replies the one who was able to return to work last September.

A house of sweetness

As soon as they set foot in their house dating from the era of New France, Isabelle Rodrigue and Martin Tardif felt overcome by a great feeling of gentleness. It was eight years ago, but the memory of this moment of grace is still vivid.

“It’s a matter of emotions that are very difficult to describe, even more difficult to explain, because the house is really poorly located. The neighboring residential building is almost in our kitchen. We didn’t want to visit it anymore when we saw that. But once we entered the house, we were won over. It was resolved after 10 minutes,” says this history and heritage enthusiast.

“It was like a gentle energy that grabbed us. It was almost esoteric, our business,” she continues, laughing shyly.

Built around 1730, this house is part of the history of Varennes, on the South Shore. One of its former owners, Paul Lussier, owned at the beginning of the 19th^e century a large part of the lands of what would become Sainte-Julie.

Despite its great age, the house has retained several original architectural elements, which give it part of its charm, underlines M^me Rodrigue.

But there are few who do not fall under the spell. “We organized a tour of the house last fall. About sixty people came. Everyone told us they felt this same beautiful energy. The children tell us that they feel as calm here as at the chalet,” says M.^me Rodrigue.

A house full of life

Monique Ménard’s house is full of life. First of all, there is that of the house itself, and then those of all those who have left traces of their passage there over the last century and a quarter. All this mixture of lives creates a long history which is distilled throughout the house. “She has a soul”, summarizes M^me Ménard, who has long put his passion for “old things” on hold while he raises his children.

“I have always loved antiques, especially old houses,” admits the resident of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, about twenty kilometers from Lachute.

With patience, this accountant went to knock on doors in her neighborhood in the hope of going back in time. His quest notably allowed him to find photos of the very first family who occupied his house. On one of them, we can see three adults and two children posing in front of the door to the cellar, located at the back. “This is the first family to come and settle here. They are in front of our house! They are the ones who built it! », exclaims M^me Ménard, still emotional to see the names of these first occupants written on the back of the photo.

“I always found things from the past beautiful. It is important to preserve and restore them. History is what allows us to remember where we come from, she believes. This is essential. »