House and Grounds:
The Willie Alexander room was repainted in February and the same contractor recently painted the living room, foyer, stairwell, some exterior trim, and powerwashed the concrete patio, sidewalks and amphitheater.
Much of the landscaping was overgrown so a local landscaper was brought in to prune everything. The two biggest changes were significant pruning of the three small trees near the Grady Avenue entrance and attacking the hedges. While we had been pruning the hedges regularly they needed to be thinned substantially and remove the ivy, weeds, etc that was growing at the base of the hedges. We’re also considering cutting down two young, but large, trees in the front yard and replacing them with dogwoods. In early fall we’ll turn our attention to the grass.
We have decided on a vendor and contractor for the replacement of four windows in the main floor of the house. The new wood and aluminum windows will meet all local BAR (Board of Architecture Review) and historic district requirements, unlike the inexpensive vinyl windows they’re replacing. These custom windows can take up to 6-8 weeks to receive but we’re expecting them to be replaced before undergraduate classes resume in August.
Finally, the alumni board has authorized a sizeable investment to replace the first floor wood flooring. That was not replaced during the 2013 remodel and is original to the house. A wood-look porcelain tile is appealing due to durability but we’re also looking a more traditional wood floor and a heavy duty sealer. We’re still evaluating those two options and are optimistic we can get that work performed this summer.
We look forward to showing off all these updates during homecoming in October!
last updated: June 2018