Work Archives | Page 3 of 6 | Sweat Equity – The Grimsby Homebuilding Co-operative 1953

The Lakedale Co-operators

Doug Wilson of the Lakedale group captured colour photos of his fellow co-operators. Together with photos collected from families and footage by John Blake of Sherbrien-Cathedral Heights co-op, […]

The Hill family

Derwyn joined the co-op while working as a plasterer in the family business (The Hill Brothers). In 1963 he was ordained after completing courses at Knox College, so […]

Worley house on Stewart Street

Years later, almost everyone can remember a red clay or a mud story, whether it was about getting stuck in the mud or about Mom trying to clean […]

A visit to the neighbours

Albertine would battle the red clay all the years of tending her magnificent vegetable garden.

Earth and mud everywhere

As some houses neared completion, the families began to move in. It must have been a challenge for Moms and Dads to keep their children safe and clear […]

Stuck in the mud

It was noted that a man who became stuck in the mud had to walk out of his boots and carry on “with one bare foot.”

Shingling in the Lakedale Co-op

Some jobs were simply backbreaking and others required skill. Sometimes work could be dangerous. Supervisors and inspectors were on hand, but men who had never done construction found […]

Shingling alone or together

Harold works on the roof of a 2-story building illustrating the challenges and dangers facing the builders. Fortunately there were contractors who over saw the day-to-day workings of […]

Materials and Men

The management of materials and men fell to the hired supervisors, Rod and Ward Sexsmith and Roy and Denton Wilson, as well as to the co-op team leaders. […]

Teamwork was key

Working 30 hours on the co-op site per week, over and above their regular jobs, the builders focused first on grunt work. Eventually, they took on some of […]

North end homes, with the Niagara Escarpment to the south

Within view of both the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario, this beautifully situated neighbourhood was aptly named Lakemount Terrace Subdivision. As houses passed inspection, the CMHC would release […]

Sweat equity begins with land clearing

The men were so anxious to begin the building phase, they cleared the land themselves. Later, they would mix their own concrete, haul and lay bricks for basements […]