Last year's Launceston City Council Heritage Awards winner Bruce Crerar and his dog Darcy gaze over historic George Street from their Georgian home.
HERITAGE building restorer Bruce Crerar had no idea how special his George Street property was when he and his wife Pam bought it in the early 1990s.
It wasn't until the linoleum and enamel paint were peeled back that the true character of the 1940s Georgian workers cottage was revealed, down to the house's pit-sawn floorboards.
Mr Crerar soon set about sensitively renovating the once- small abode, adding recycled materials and colonial character into a modern extension.
He found door-locks that hail from the state's convict era.
Mr Crerar recovered sandstone blocks from an old demolished building in Launceston to create a paved outdoor sanctuary.
His reconstruction of his home Invercargill won recognition last year in Launceston City Council's heritage awards.
The awards opened yesterday with homeowners encouraged to participate in four categories: residential, mixed use, non- residential and promotion of heritage.
Launceston City Council heritage committee chairman Jeremy Ball said homes and businesses did not need to be heritage-listed to enter, and projects could be any size.
"Launceston's built heritage is one of our great comparative advantages and we owe a debt of gratitude to the homeowners and developers who have restored, refurbished or reinvented their heritage buildings," he said.
Nomination forms are available on the council's website at www.launceston.tas.gov.au
Awards applications close April 30.